Beauty and the beast

To be fair, anyone posing next to an elephant would look lithe in comparison. But when you pair 10-ton Susie with the pale, ethereal beauty of Cate Blanchett the result is spectacular.

They are joint cover girls for the relaunched British magazine Harper's Bazaar in a circus-themed issue.

Stylist Alison Edmonds said that Susie, an African elephant, behaved impeccably. "There were no Blue Peter-style moments, not even a tinkle," she said. "Cate was relaxed about the whole thing. I was petrified every time I got next to Susie because her size is so intimidating - she's 10 feet tall. But Cate was game for it."

Oscar- winning Blanchett, 36, was dressed in a Vivienne Westwood creation for the shoot, which took place in Los Angeles on a huge stage made to look like a Fifties circus. Blanchett and her two sons Dashiell, four, and Roman, one, bonded with the giant.

"Cate was wrapping Susie's trunk around her waist and giving her gentle commands to step back or forward and her two sons were delighted at feeding her apples," said Ms Edmonds.

The inspiration for the image was Richard Avedon's 1955 shot of a model clad in Dior with three elephants. Harper's Bazaar, formerly Harper's & Queen, is reverting to the title used from its 1929 launch until its merger with Queen in 1970.