Vogue at 50 goes to town with Cate Blanchett
CAPTURED in the exquisite brush strokes of London fashion illustrator David Downton, Cate Blanchett graces not one but four different covers of Vogue marking the magazine's 50th anniversary in Australia.
"I could have got (Mario) Testino or (Patrick) Demarchelier to shoot her, but when we came up with the idea of David the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I knew Cate would love it," Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Kirstie Clements said.
That she did. Blanchett was last night the star guest at a party celebrating 50 years of Vogue in Australia at Fox Studios in Sydney. The event was co-hosted by News Magazines chief executive Sandra Hook and News Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan. News Limited also publishes The Weekend Australian.
"Cate's agent said she'd never heard her say yes to a project so fast, and Cate nominated in that minute Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Martin Grant and Armani as the designers she would like to wear, so that's what we did," Clements said.
In a single day at London's Dorchester Hotel, Downton captured the actress in four separate poses wearing looks by the designers for the quartet of covers for the September issue of Australian Vogue, which arrives in newsagencies on Wednesday.
"Cate is classy, gracious, beautiful and intelligent; everything she stands for embodies the values of Australian Vogue," Clements said.
An early birthday present for the magazine, which in the spring of 1959 joined its French, British and American cousins as the fourth Vogue title and is now owned by News Magazines, is believed to be a record $1.2 million in advertising in the September issue.
"It was the most (advertising) business that Australian Vogue has ever written, which is particularly good considering the current economic climate," Clements said.
The figures defy the global trend for September fashion magazines, which are traditionally the most ad-rich but according to industry bible Women's Wear Daily this year will drop with a whisper rather than a thud due to the economic downturn.
Conde Nast titles posted ad page declines from 17 per cent at Teen Vogue to 47 per cent at W Magazine, while Harper's Bazaar in the US will report a 26 per cent drop in ad pages, and US Elle saw ad pages fall 21 per cent, according to a report in WWD last week.
A shoot with Australian models of the moment, Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw, 10 specially commissioned "Aussie cossies" from international designers including Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano and Ralph Lauren, and a story celebrating the great moments of Australian fashion comprise just some of the content within Australian Vogue's 368 pages for September.
Cedar Boys star Rachael Taylor, fashion designer Collette Dinnigan and director Gillian Armstrong were among the other guests at last night's bash for 650 people.
Vogue Australia will also celebrate its 50th anniversary with the publication of In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style, in bookstores on September 1.
who said anyhting about her age or face for that matter?? the dress is boring to me and makes her look old imo, maybe i should have worded it better but don't jump to conclusions, i prefer actresses/musicians who age gracefully too.B) also she looks more radiant/stunning than miss fox.
YAY 
, and beautiful in that red gown at the VOgue party
Jonathan Anderson - Designer, Creative Director of JW Anderson & Christian Dior (15 Viewers)
