Cosmopolitan

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Magazines

Which Celebrity Holds the Most International Cover Appeal?

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.

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  • DANA KRUSPE
  • Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012 / 6:15 PM
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Magazines

The Most Popular Fashion Magazine Headline Buzzwords of 2011

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.

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  • DANA KRUSPE
  • Tuesday, Jan 3, 2012 / 12:45 PM
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Photo: Solve Sundsbo for VogueUK
Magazines

Rumor: Adele To Cover Vogue‘s March Issue

There is a lot of speculation around who is going to cover Vogue‘s March issue. Styleite reported yesterday that it heard the magazine was calling in samples for Taylor Swift, who attended Rodarte’s runway show in September with Anna Wintour. But this morning WWD is reporting that Adele is March’s cover girl.

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Fashion News Roundup

Fashion News Roundup: Mercedes-Benz Sponsoring Japan’s Fashion Week, LVMH Adding Female Board Members and a Blowout in Duane Reade’s Salon

Mercedes-Benz Picks Up Japan Fashion Week: As even further proof that Japan is becoming a big international fashion player, they’ve been added to Mercedes’ roster of fashion weeks. The car company, sponsor of New York fashion weeks since 2001, reportedly signed a multi-year agreement with event organizers. The re-christened “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo” begins October 13th. {WWD}

Meet The CFDA’s Steven Kolb: A cute new post on the CDFA’s Tumblr introduces the people behind the scenes at the organization via a fill-in-the-blank questionnaire, beginning with Executive Director Steven Kolb. The best answer? His favorite movie is Breakfast At Tiffany’s. {CFDA}

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Fashion News Roundup

Fashion News Roundup: Rihanna’s Cosmo Cover, More Moss Wedding Rumors, and a Necklace to Hold Your Wine

Rihanna Covers Cosmo: The flame-haired phenomenon lands yet another cover, this time for July’s Cosmopolitan, where she looks smokin’ in a rainbow batik bandeau and neon pink pants. {Just Jared}

Get Ready For the Tom Ford Documentary: The hour-long film chronicles Ford’s return to womenswear–from his September 2010 runway preparations to his Vogue Paris collab with Carine to the opening of his new flagship store. It’s an intimate look into the identity crises and career changes of one of fashion’s biggest names. Debuts June 24 on the Oprah Winfrey Network. {Racked}

Is John Galliano Designing Kate Moss’ Wedding Dress? The model has refused to shun the displaced designer, a longtime friend of hers, and now rumors are flying that Gallino’s boyfriend Alexis Roche will oversee final fittings and dress details for her nuptials while his boyf prepares for next month’s Paris trial. It’s not confirmed, though. Moss’ fiancee Jamie Hince denies the speculation. {Daily Mail}

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Rants

A Desperate Plea For a Moratorium on “Va-jay-jay”

When I saw the cover of Cosmo’s September issue I knew it had gone too far. Whether it was intentional or not (but I can’t imagine how it could not have been intentional), the big bold headline “Untamed Va-jay-jays” is slapped right across covergirl Jessica Alba’s, um, well, va-jay-jay. Which makes me wonder if flawlessly beautiful Jessica Alba has some crazy ’70s-style untamed bush under her flirty designer dress. And I’m pretty sure that’s not what Cosmo was going for.

I’ve never liked the word va-jay-jay. It makes me cringe even to type it. When I hear people say it out loud I am a little embarrassed. Only Oprah can make it sound sort of OK, but the problem is when Oprah says something, it becomes a part of our cultural lexicon. She started saying it so much E!’s The Soup created a segment called “Oprah’s Va-jay-jay.”

According to the NYT, who looked into the etymology of this now established neologism back in 2007, “va-jay-jay” rose to fame after Oprah heard it on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy and started saying it on the air. Turns out Grey’s only used it to assuage the show’s standards and practices executives who didn’t want to hear “vagina” said too many times. What’s wrong with saying “vagina”? I much prefer it to “va-jay-jay.”

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Mid-Day Snack

Mid-Day Snack

Smile & Nod: Erin Wasson might like grunge, but prep pays the bills. She’s all smiles in J.Crew’s fall catalog. {J.Crew} Word Up: A collection of fantastic quotes from Tom Ford, including his senate ambitions, his tailored Fruit of the Loom and the difference between a Gucci and a YSL woman. {Guardian} Oh Boy: Penn [...]

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Trendspotting

Trendspotting: Bite Me

We’ve avoided Twilight madness (though has anyone else noticed that one of the girls from the movie is in the Terry Richardson-shot ads for Belvedere Vodka?), but we’ve started to notice an influx of actual fangs in fashion. Models, both male and female, rock pointy front teeth in Karen Walker‘s newest lookbook and they’re underneath [...]

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Magazines

Do You Cover Your Covers?

If, for some reason, I wanted to buy Elle, and Jessica Simpson were on the cover, I wouldn’t buy it. Because I will not carry her face around, I will not be seen with her on the subway, and I don’t want people to think I actually spent money on a publication that deems her [...]

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