The Buzz Marie Claire has had a pretty tough 2017 (at least by our forum’s standards). The American glossy started the year on a high with two successful covers featuring Claire Danes and Scarlett Johansson. Then came an underwhelming Priyanka Chopra cover and, more recently, a shockingly over-Photoshopped Jessica Biel offering for August. Now, the magazine just dropped its big September issue starring actress Emma Stone, who graces the publication for the first time, in a western-inspired shot lensed by Greg Kadel. On the newsstand cover (below), stylist Alison Edmond opted for Emma to work head-to-toe Christian Dior.  IMAGE: COURTESY OF MARIE CLAIRE Our forum members could’ve done without a certain something. “The hat on her is not working for me,” stated Handbag Queen upon checking the cover out for the first time. “Oh, that hat. Oh no. Way too Richie Sambora circa 1987 for me,” Lucien122 chimed in. (more…) As reported on our forums back in July, Jennifer Lawrence is Vogue‘s September cover girl for 2017. The magazine’s monumental 125th-anniversary celebrations are still in full swing and Vogue went all-out in an attempt to generate as much buzz as possible for the new fall issue. Jennifer, who graced the September cover back in 2013, was shot by four different photographers: Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, and a specially commissioned portrait cover by John Currin and Rob McKeever.  IMAGE: COURTESY OF VOGUE Our forums were buzzing as soon as the covers were released earlier today. “Damn it. With such exceptional four covers, it’s hard to hate on the fact that it’s Jennifer Lawrence for September again. This is phenomenal, I really have no words,” voiced dodencebt. “Whoa, never into her in print, but these all work. So much better than I imagined, the first one is my favorite though. Very happy Weber finally got the cover of US Vogue! Nice surprise,” admired forum member Miss Dalloway. (more…) As the September issues continue to be revealed, our forum members have yet to be wowed by any of the major fashion glossies. Vogue China has just released a duo of covers for the year’s most anticipated edition featuring four high-profile models. The first cover features Bella Hadid and Chu Wong wearing Christian Dior, photographed on the streets of Paris by Patrick Demarchelier. Anna Ewers and Fei Fei Sun couple up on the second cover wearing head-to-toe Prada, captured by Collier Schorr. Was it enough to meet our forum’s high expectations?  IMAGE: WEIBO.COM/VOGUECHINA A handful of our members were left pleasantly surprised. “Love these! Especially the second one. Finally some fall intrigue for September,” applauded A.D.C. “These are good, wow!” exclaimed TeeVanity. (more…) Over the past few months, ELLE Brazil’s made headlines thanks to not one, but two blatantly pro-LGBTQ covers. Its July edition, fronted by transgender beauty Valentina Sampaio, received a standing ovation in our forums. Its August 2017 issue is another total hit. Daphne Groeneveld graces the positively electrifying cover. Photographed by Mark Abrahams, Daphne wears a feathered Calvin Klein number from Raf Simons’ debut collection. While we tire of the overused collection — it’s been featured on Vogue China, Vogue Italia AND Porter — everything from the lighting to the layout is on point. Hats off to ELLE Brazil for showing the more established fashion glossies how it’s truly done (again).  IMAGE: ELLE.ABRIL.COM.BR Our forum members were similarly blown away. “She looks amazing. Love the cover,” raved thatsfierce. “Mark Abrahams is fantastic. He deserves bigger jobs!” held a thoroughly impressed DutchHomme. “Simply WOW! The ELLE Brazil team always make great cover choices. The cover is very fashion while still maintaining a mainstream appeal, and the white fonts really accentuate the other colors,” observed a delighted magsaddict. Also in agreement over how fantastic the cover turned out was dodencebt. “This is the best shot so far of those Calvin Klein dresses and Daphne looks gorgeous!” he affirmed. Narcyza declared: “It’s stunning! Bravo ELLE Brazil!” “Daphne deserves bigger success. She always produces great work but it’s always for smaller titles. This is excellent; someone get her back into Vogue!” 333101 pleaded. “I’ve never been a big Daphne fan, but this is absolutely stunning! Better than most Vogue covers I’ve seen this year,” admitted a pleasantly surprised [Piece Of Me]. “Amazing, looks like a Numéro cover,” commented forum member Vitamine W. Urban Stylin joined in the chorus of praise, adding: “Stunning! She never disappoints.” See more from Daphne’s cover story and join the conversation here. Fashion industry favorite Ashley Graham (who “prefers ‘curvy’ or ‘curve’ to ‘plus-size'”) is a regular fixture down at the newsstand. We’re more than halfway through 2017 and Ashley’s already graced the cover of British Vogue, joined Liu Wen, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Imaan Hammam, Adwoa Aboah and Vittoria Ceretti on American Vogue‘s March issue and, more recently, fronted British Harper’s Bazaar and American Glamour. For her latest cover coup, Ashley vamps it up on New York Magazine‘s annual Fall fashion issue, dated August 7. In the kitschy cover image, shot by Italian art provocateur Maurizio Cattelan and fashion photog Pierpaolo Ferrari, Ashley seamlessly channels her inner Linda Evangelista. The supermodel wears head-to-toe Dolce & Gabbana (the leopard print coat being an archival piece from the Fall 1991 collection). Slay, Ashley, slay!  IMAGE: NYMAG.COM Still, our forum members weren’t wholly impressed. “I’m still waiting for a knock out cover from Ashley,” wrote A.D.C upon seeing the cover. “She has a gorgeous face but I don’t think magazines know what to do with her,” she added. “I find her poses very contrived. With this cover here it’s the OTT styling which immediately draws the attention, not her,” observed an underwhelmed Benn98. Equally taken aback was Handbag Queen. “Whoa…leopard overdose on steroids!!” she shrieked. Mepps wasn’t a fan of the leopard print overload either. “She’s such a beautiful woman, but that cover makes her look so hard. The animal prints don’t help,” he pointed out. “The leopard print all over the wall. THE ROSE! Would’ve preferred it on a white backdrop at least. Great face though!” offered RedSmokeRise. “Seems very 1991 to me, when you’d see supermodels in head-to-toe leopard print from Alaïa,” stated tigerrouge, nonplussed. “Exactly, and I’m not complaining!” replied an enthusiastic vogue28, continuing: “I’d welcome a cover shot like this on Vogue Italia, even more so now, as opposed to the drab Lara Stone image we got this month.” Mistress_f liked what she saw too, admitting: “Hey, I like it. It’s kitsch as hell, but that’s Cattelan and Ferrari’s thing, when it comes to photography. It’s different, and I’m sure the editorial will be a lot of fun.” Stay tuned for more and in the meantime, add your own two cents here. Vogue Germany started 2017 off on a high, producing a string of mesmerizing covers. Sadly, towards the middle of the year, they let standards slip — dramatically. First came an unrecognizable Anna Ewers, followed by a trio of atrocious covers for August. Now, the German fashion bible’s done an outrageous disservice to Claudia Schiffer. Photographed by Giampaolo Sgura, the cover commemorates the supermodel’s monumental 30 years in the industry. A frizzy-haired Claudia wears Valentino in the unflattering cover image. Somehow, the title botched this ostensibly fail-safe cover choice. Its September 2017 issue falls flat, with the 90s super unintentionally reminding us that Halloween is just around the corner.  IMAGE: VOGUE.DE Our forum members weren’t afraid to call out the glossy. “Horrible, from the hair, the styling, the layout…” declared a far from dazzled KateTheGreatest. “Good grief! Terrible cover, definitely ruined by the hair. Not a way to celebrate 30 years as a supermodel. I also realized that we actually haven’t seen Claudia in a while, can’t say I missed her,” added an underwhelmed Benn98. “Halloween came a little early this year didn’t it? My only question is: is she a bad witch or a good witch? The blonde bird’s nest on her head makes it difficult to tell,” a pitiless GivenchyHomme pointed out. Also appalled by the unfortunate photo was apple. “What a waste of Claudia. She deserves so much better than this. Why does this magazine keep on using Sgura?” he questioned. Miss Dalloway felt similarly: “Oh my, HUH? This is possibly the worst cover, and worst shot of Claudia I have EVER seen! How could you run that for a fu**** September cover? Sgura might have his faults, but the man can take a good shot of a beautiful woman. This must be all [Christiane] Arp!!” “Not good. I see Cruella de Vil vibes. Honestly, the hair could have been really cool, but it looks awful here. It doesn’t go with the leather dress, and the pose is also not helping. Not to mention her expression. Sadly, a waste of Claudia!” fumed Valentine27. “Ugh I’ve been waiting for a Claudia comeback and this is what I get? She deserves so much better. She’s probably the super that has aged the best, even better than Christy [Turlington]!! And her body is to die for so this is just wrong on so many levels,” ranted A.D.C. Await more (if you haven’t seen enough already) from the issue and join the conversation here. |
