Last season, Prada‘s spring bananas and bright colors beat out all other big labels to be featured on the most magazine covers with 77, as we counted it. Score one for their PR department. Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana trailed in second and third, but now with a new season and thousands of new covers, Prada has officially been dethroned.
So let’s give our congratulations to Gucci, the new cover war champion with over 100 covers (102, to be exact) from their fall/winter collection. That’s right, three digits. Perhaps it was coming so close, yet so far in second place last season that lit a fire under the brand? Though we believe it was more attributable the wealth of long, gorgeous flowing gowns in eye-catching jewel tones that editors couldn’t seem to get enough of. Beyoncé and Anne Hathaway donned two lovely red numbers on covers for Harper’s Bazaar (UK and US editions, respectively). Jennifer Lopez wore a white gown for Vanity Fair‘s September style issue, while Natalia Vodianova went platinum and yellow for Vogue Turkey (also for September, of course).
Trailing behind in second and third were Louis Vuitton (77 covers), and Prada (with 44). Don’t cry for Prada, though. When one season ends, a new one begins. Covers from the new year are rolling in and we have Prada’s pastels intimidating the competition, having graced over a dozen covers already. Same with Louis Vuitton, actually, but who’s keeping track…
Since we believe that everyone is a winner, we think that Louis Vuitton and Prada, with all their hard work plugging two excellent collections all season, should have their moment to shine too. Click through to see all the winning covers of all three labels.
In an industry like fashion which is always looking for the next new look, we’ve noticed there’s at least one source of inspiration that gets revisited by designers time and time again–the French New Wave. Echoes of the film movement from the late 1950s and 60s are felt far beyond the reach of filmmaking, and fashion draws from its catalog of films endlessly. Most recently, Jason Wu cited the New Wave (or Nouvelle Vague) as inspiration for his spring collection for Target. He told the Today Show that he was inspired by the “mischievious” and “nonchalant” attitude of the films, and we think his descriptors hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, the reference was lost on Ann Curry, who said she had never heard of New Wave until now. Well, consider this your tutorial, Curry!
The French New Wave is well-known for its bold style and experimental filming techniques, both visual and narrative. The movement was influenced by the Hollywood auteurs of the time (John Ford, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock) and Italian Neorealism, a film movement concerned with the plight of the working class. This realist approach to storytelling didn’t have much concern with fashion proper, and as a result many films from the French New Wave were the basic styles of the time. So what is the difference between being inspired by the films compared to being inspired by 60s fashion, and why are designers so crazy about it in the first place? As one can gather from Wu’s descriptions, it has a lot to do with intangibles. The influence from the New Wave on fashion arguably has as much to do with an overall attitude–the je ne sais quoi of the icons of the era–as it does with any of the actual clothes worn in the films. Jean Seberg’s New York Herald Tribune shirt and cropped slim black pants in Breathless (1960) weren’t groudbreaking, yet the look is still one of the most recognizable in film history. It’s not about what was worn in the films, but who wore it and how.
Political, sexually charged and sometimes violent, the influence of the controversial French New Wave has endured for over 50 years, and we know fashion will continue looking to it for guidance. And in light of Jason Wu’s recent inspiration, we’re taking a look at some of fashion’s most referenced French New Wave films and their leading ladies.
We hope you’re paying attention, Ann Curry.
As WWD‘s recent report of the best-and-worst selling issues of 2011 proved, celebrity covers sell magazines plain and simple.
But while the report is a good indication of which celebrities we can expect to see more of on covers (Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston), and which ones we probably won’t (Justin Bieber, Reese Witherspoon), it doesn’t necessarily paint the whole picture. Because while the glossies are printed in the United States, many have dozens of worldwide editions which frequently use reprints (both covers and content) from their North American counterpart. So are the best-selling US celebrities consistent with those who showed up most around the world?
The Kardashian appeal tends to dwindle when you take the overwhelming North American market out of the picture, so logic would indicate that cover giants Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker would pull out in front, right? Well, that’s not always the case.
We take a look at six big titles which have editions all around the world including Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, and Marie Claire, and who showed up the most where. The results might surprise you.
We love covers.
OK, that is perhaps the most obvious statement of the new year, but it’s true. What’s not to love?
You know the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover?” Well, magazines are a bit different. A magazine only has a few seconds to catch your attention on a newsstand and compel you to pick it up. It’s a pretty tough gig, to tell you the truth. And while the cover photo (usually a celebrity) is the big draw, it’s hard to miss the headlines–those strings of text selling the inside on the outside with those teasing buzzwords (some more obnoxious than others) enticing you to buy.
To the left you’ll see a collage of the words appearing most on some North America’s most popular fashion, beauty and liftestyle magazines. It’s likely a catalog of words that you’ll recognize from just about any cover. Not only are the words on repeat, but the same formulas are in play all the time, one buzzword being substituted for another. There are subtle variations between publications, however, and thank goodness for that, but what separates one publication from another? We’ll take a look at how some of these magazines grab your attention by finding out their most popular key words from 2011.
Steven Meisel is known to have his tongue placed firmly in cheek when it comes to his fashion photography. This particular brand of humor is one of his trademarks, and necessary for an industry that has a reputation for sometimes taking itself a little too seriously. Case in point: his most recent Vogue Italia cover. For the third year in a row, Meisel takes to the runway for the January edition of the magazine, only this year takes a turn more towards QVC than high fashion (though model Daria Strokous is showing off a spring Chanel frock).
Read more »
Remember when Caroline Trentini flaunted that fluffy kitty on her shoulder as though it was the latest accessory? Considering our love for feisty felines, we certainly do. It’s not too often that something other than a human graces the cover of a fashion magazine, but when it does it’s hard to forget. How can anyone possibly forget the bizarre, though strangely cute Elle Taiwan cover with Hello Kitty (though she does get in on a technicality considering she’s likely made up of more high density foam and nylon fleece compared to the other animals)? It’s a clever ruse by magazines as animals are a great way to attract attention and break from the mold of newsstands lined with one celebrity after another.
While puppies and kittens make sense (they’re just so freaking cute), we can’t really conceive of reasons why chickens (yes, plural), snakes, or alligators are chosen to accompany a model or celebrity on a cover, but it happens all the same. Case in point: 2011. This year was a virtual zoo, so we wanted to share our favorite animal kingdom covers.
Which animal is your favorite cover accessory?
When Anna Wintour referred to relatively little-known model Arizona Muse in her last February’s editor’s letter as a “gorgeous, smart, grown-up” and compared her to the likes of modeling giants Linda Evangelista and Natalia Vodianova, we knew the modeling world was in for something big. It’s been quite the landmark year for Muse. Top campaigns, extensive runway presence, big covers, and now another feather in her cap — the number one model in Vogue.
Hundreds of models are cast every year in the pages of international editions of Vogue, and when we tallied the results of their work it quickly became obvious who came out on top in 2011. Quantity and quality must be accounted for to make the top 10. Not only must a models’ appearances be plentiful, but the quality of those appearances must be stellar as well. This includes factors like only-girl editorials, the caliber of photographers they work with and editions they’re in, and their number of overall pages. Arizona’s scoresheet was predictably well-rounded. She worked with the best photographers, scored the most solo editorials and graced enough pages to fill an entire August issue all on her own (that’s about 220 for those of you keeping track). She started the year with a bang by starring in only-girl editorials for Vogue China, Italia, Paris, UK and US, and that was in just one month!
It’s an unusual feat for a model to skyrocket to the extent Arizona has since she hit the international scene last year, and while we’re thrilled for her success, we wonder if it’ll stick. While Muse has the novelty (and sometimes the curse) of it-girl status, it remains to be seen whether she’ll be blessed with longevity, the true mark of a great and successful model. We are looking forward to what the new year will bring for her.
For now, click through for the rest of the top 10.
Jason Wu for Target Fallout: 11,000 Items Currently on eBay and Two Re-Sellers Buy Out the Entire Collection in a Miami Target (We've Got Video)
Watch: Anna Wintour Defends Her 'Bitchiness' on 60 Minutes 
Karl Lagerfeld Thinks Adele Is 'A Little Too Fat' and More Highlights from His Unfiltered Interview in the Metro
BB Creams Are the Hottest New Product to Hit the Beauty Aisle--Here's What They Can Do For You
See All of Madonna's Givenchy Super Bowl Halftime Looks
