Will Davidson

Is there a woman on the planet who doesn't have a girl crush on Charlotte Gainsbourg? We didn't think so. Gainsbourg snags the April cover of Oyste

Dont judge a book by its cover... Unless it's a magazine, in which case, sometimes the cover is the deciding factor of whether or not to buy the mag altogether. The best covers of 2011 returned to a new naturalism and a fun aesthetic, like the Lara Stone T cover we're still drooling over, pictured at left. Sure, there's still room for artifice in fashion (see: Stella Tennant on Vogue Italia), but 2011 was a year for reflecting on natural beauties, incredible models, and stellar photography. After toiling over hundred of covers, we're bringing you "The Best" according to us. Did we forget your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

It happens every year: Our ever-growing pile of fashion magazines inches higher with each passing month, and by the time December rolls around, we can barely sift through the hundreds of stylish images we bookmarked for inspiration. 2011 was no exception, and in a year that celebrated retro supermodels, androgyny, vivid colors, and plenty of experimentation in the beauty department, choosing our favorites was particularly difficult. The best editorials of the year ran the gamut from huge ensemble casts of blue-chip models styled by greats like Katie Grand and Carine Roitfeld, to intimate, one-on-one portraits of our favorite girls like Lindsey Wixson and Daria Werbowy. The acid brights that dominated the spring collections allowed for some pretty trippy trend stories last season, but the fall glossies featured much moodier imagery, with a number of gorgeous spreads in black and white. Here are the editorials from 2011 that will stay tacked up on our walls and fill our inspiration boards well into the new year—and beyond.

"Once I got there, there was no point in being afraid,” said Daisy Lowe about her Oyster cover shoot in which she had to mingle with live snakes.

Indie mag Oyster relaunches with a bang this month, nabbing It-model Lindsey Wixson for the cover. [Ed. note: We just got word from Oyster that the issue is actually the launch of the mag's first international issue.] The Oyster crew decamped to Nashville, Tennessee for Oyster's October/November cover starring Lindsey Wixson, photographed by Will Davidson with creative direction by Stevie Dance. The editorial, titled "Lindsey the Legend," takes a look at the other side of buzzed-about model Lindsey Wixson. You know, the homegrown American teen, not the gap-toothed vixen you may be used to seeing on Terry's Diary.

The latest issue of Russh features a smiling Aymeline Valade dancing her way across NYC, captured by Will Davidson and with creative direction by Stevie Dance. Stevie Dance fans will be crushed to learn that this is her last cover for Russh--she has since resigned from the Aussie mag. But fret not! Dance is working on a bevy of new projects in the US that are sure to please. For now they're hush-hush, but you know, you'lll find out soon, we promise.