Vogue has got it - it's got the name, which today stands for fashion. The word "vogue" comes from the French navigational term meaning “momentum, rate of motion imparted to a ship by rowing”. It's a great name, and captures the essence of fashion.
Worldwide, Vogue magazine is the number one name in women's fashion publishing. In the magazine world, there are many other contenders - Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire and the like, as well as the more recent innovation of weekly fashion publishing like Grazia which overlaps into the trashy gossip genre. Although they all have their niche, I am most likely to look to Vogue first and foremost.
Vogue magazine appears in many countries and in many languages, each profiling its own home-grown designers as well as international fashion.
Vogue Australia is a big disappointment to me - I never buy it these days, although I am always interested to read it online. Everything I want to read in the Australian edition of Vogue can be obtained online. It lacks the artistry in fashion photography and overall styling, it is skimpy and not a great read, and the features are poor to average.
Two things turned me off Vogue Australia some years ago, and I have never returned. It was unsatisfactory that Vogue Australia was syndicating stories I had already read in Vogue British. I couldn’t believe they had to do that. I felt sure they would increase sales if they had original features, rather than syndicate them from the UK. Another thing that repelled me was the over-representation of advertorials and advertising about cosmetic medical procedures.
Vogue British and Vogue Paris are my favourite fashion magazines.
They are more than double the price of Vogue Australia when purchased at the “express delivery” rate, appearing in Australian newsagents very quickly after their country of origin release and staying on the market at the express delivery rate for a couple of weeks, after which the price drops back by a few dollars.
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Kate Winslet on the cover of Vogue British, April 2011 |
Comparing French and British offerings from Vogue last month, Francais wins (with Dutch model Lara Stone in colour block outfit with primavera floral background, 80s makeup and very, very upbeat) over Anglais (bleach blonde, cold-as-ice-and-airbrushed-to-death actress Kate Winslet on white background with nil visual interest) on front cover.
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| I really love this cover. Beautifully designed spring fashion shot. |
Vogue British is edgy and sophisticated, but Vogue Paris is sexy too. Its daring sexy photography often overlaps with another sub-genre of fashion magazines of lesser circulation, where photographic art (and styling) is, in truth, more the focus than the clothes.
You may have have noticed that I did not mention Vogue US. It’s not a favourite of mine. It was, of course, the subject of a popular and much talked about documentary film The September Issue (2009). This is a must-see for all fashion lovers. Its editor, English doyenne of the US fashion industry, Anna Wintour is one of the most stylish women alive. Find out more at:
I have a few problems with Vogue US, starting with the amount and type of advertising. The issue with Lady Gaga on the front cover also had a feature on the artiste. Nice cover, but the story was buried so far to the back of the edition, swamped by ads, I wondered what Anna Wintour is thinking. Sorry Ms Wintour, it’s time for a change if this is the best you can do.
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| Vogue US not worth the money, but the Lady Gaga cover is a winner |
Visually, the magazine underperforms. The print is too pale, and the styling unsatisfying, as is the overall layout. Vogue US is cold and uninviting, and certainly not inspiring.
On the other hand I always find the French and British editions extremely inspiring.
I loved French No 914 February 2011 summer 2011 fashion feature, a really accessible interpretation of the most current trends.
I went wild over Vogue British’s stripe story in the April edition (along with lace, I am also a huge stripe fan) as well as a kind of belle epoque dreamy floral story - “Savour the languid charms of boudoir dressing, captured in dusky florals and diaphanous chiffons”.
For a multi-racial country like the US, and having its base in the cosmopolitan city of New York, Vogue US is disturbingly monocultural. But to be fair, I didn’t see any north African looking models in the French edition. The British stripe story (above) had a striking Eurasian girl, but that's it. At least they can't be ac used of tokenism.
To conclude, I would advise joining Vogue Australia’s Club Vogue, and you will receive everything you need from that magazine - online:
Selective purchasing of great fashion magazine editions, whether they are Vogue, French or otherwise, is a worthwhile consumer behaviour. It is relaxing and stimulates wardrobe creativity. Cynics please note: it does not, in my experience, produce clone culture.
I don’t feel guilty about the paper consumed by glossy mags such as these. They contain timeless, beautiful and inspiring fashion art.
A well curated collection of brilliant fashion magazines is a useful resource for every girl but don’t waste money and space on the mediocre!
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