Lady Gaga September Vogue Cover Review

The September issues are coming so I thought, fuck, why not review them? They're the most important issue for a magazine so why not judge?

US Vogue got Lady Gaga wearing a patchwork fuchsia gown by Marc Jacobs for their 120th anniversary cover. This is a great cover for US Vogue. I'm so used to seeing a portrait shot of an actress evoking Hollywood glamour, usually shot by Mario Testino. So bland. I recently picked up their May issue for six bucks with Scarlett Johansson and it's basic glamour is predictably boring.

My only criticism of the Gaga cover is the excessive air brushing and strange blue/purple tone to her face and hair. The red banner running through the mast head is a nice touch too.

The Australian Harpers Bazaar cover isn't awful but it's such a testament to the power of advertising. Louis Vuitton got the first pages of advertising for this issue so it would seem that also got them the cover. Constance Jablonski graces the cover in top to toe Louis Vuitton in arguably one of Jacobs' worst collections. Those fucking hats by Stephen Jones are a travesty. Dour, frumpy and outdated. The worst part though is the caption at the bottom: Constance Jablonski wears Louis Vuitton. I mean, what? This is the worst corporate branding I've seen in a while. Is it not enough that Louis Vuitton paid to get the cover but they presumably demanded a caption too. It's just too much and then they cap the whole cover off with the  statement 'The New Elegance' which makes me want to roll it up and use it to start a fire.

Harper's Bazaar Australia's Photoshop Fail

My sister gave me a Harper's Bazaar subscription for my birthday and last week I received my first issue.

It's a January/February issue and it's kinda disappointing.

There's a spread titled Sun. Sea. Slick. Style. They can add sloppy to the title too. On page 134 there's a model looking cool in Celine resort trousers and top. I was looking at it and geeking out at how much I love Celine and how Phoebe Philo is a genius when I came upon the model's leg.

Oh hey there, just standin around looking all kinds of tres chic and....bro what's up with your leg?

I name thee Ghost Pant! Go forth and haunt

It’s like a double vision weird out. At first I was looking at it and thought, how interesting, I don’t recall noticing a double cuff on any Celine trousers. I'm not sure what they were doing, lengthening legs maybe, but it's a fail. You would never see something like this at American or French Vogue. Or would you?

How you could you miss that? How do you sign off on that? How could you sully anything by Phoebe Philo!!!

Anyway, there's more Philo deliciousness in a spread by Victor Demarchelier and another spread with some to-die Balenciaga heels and a cool Zambesi top.

Magazine Drop

Unicef made their monthly magazine drop across Australia the other day. Hipsters, art freaks and those stylish old women with shorn grey hair who only wear black Japanese avant garde gathered in a field and brutally fought over this months September issues.

I managed to get British Vogue, Harper's Bazaar Australia (ugh) and a new publication Industrie.

Yes, that's Anna Wintour on the front of Industrie!!! There's an article about how editors are the new cover stars of the fashion industry which is so true. I think that bloggers are the catalyst for it too. In a way we've got our own little slice of the publishing pie making our own content (or brazenly stealing it from others) and deciding what is fashionable. And I think because we so badly want to be in the fashion industry working for a big magazine that we idolise the editors, stylists, fashion directors etc and turned the camera away from the models and onto them.

Above: Lara Stone. When was the last time you saw breasts like that in a fashion magazine?

Above: Jamie Bochert shot by Hedi Slimane. Love this shoot from British Vogue.
Below: Great accessories shoot in British Vogue. Punchy, vivid shots. I love the purple gaffer tape on that big shiny leaf.

Harper's Bazaar Australia was pretty shit. It was just crammed with LV and Prada. Booooring.

Super Yawn

Australian Harpers Bazaar have played it ever so safe for September and banked on Elle MacPherson in Louis Vuitton. Win-win I s'pose.