UK Vogue December 2023 by Tim Walker

[Urban Stylin]

I've started actually reading my issues of Tatler, it's even more fantastic than just flicking through them. Not only is the imagery decadent like the good old days, the articles cover politics, history, culture, fashion - and are provided by people who are involved in each scene.

You want a snippet about Dior in the 70s, Pat Cleveland will tell you. You want to know about Siegfried Sassoon and Stephen Tennant? His biographer will do his best to describe the scene. You want a model in a headscarf or drag queen, they are glowing and glittering on the pages. Not to mention the sons and daughters of global millionaires/billionaires, Africa, Asia, Europe...

The party is happening, just not on the pages of Vogue.

Eactly, Tatler is looking more VOGUE than Vogue.

 

[WAVES]

I loathe goofy expressions on fashion editorials.
Olivia, my dear, they probably asked you to but you should’ve said no.

Jodie Comer’s could’ve been beautiful but someone thought that swallowing a pearl necklace was cover worthy.

Tilda’s cover sadly lacks that energy she always carries around and the preview of her editorial is not great either.

no to men on the cover of Vogue. there’s Vogue Hommes for a reason.

 

[MModa]

I loathe goofy expressions on fashion editorials.
Olivia, my dear, they probably asked you to but you should’ve said no.

Jodie Comer’s could’ve been beautiful but someone thought that swallowing a pearl necklace was cover worthy.

Tilda’s cover sadly lacks that energy she always carries around and the preview of her editorial is not great either.

no to men on the cover of Vogue. there’s Vogue Hommes for a reason.

Unfortunately, Vogue Hommes is no longer published. However, I agree no men on the cover of Vogue, unless they are alongside female beauties.

 

[tigerrouge]

I'm sure we could debate the merits and drawbacks of men getting a solo cover of Vogue - but no matter what way I try to think about it, it just doesn't personally appeal to me at heart.

Maybe it's my memories of magazines aimed at adolescents that would put male pop stars on the cover - when Timothée Chalamet got his Vogue cover, it felt juvenile to me, like Edward had missed his calling as the editor of something designed more for teenage girls.

If we continue to class Vogue as a woman's magazine - and the contents would certainly suggest that it remains one - then should the cover continue to reflect that, or should it be more experimental?

 

[ivano]

“Fun”? In what parallel universe is this FUN?

and who are you???

 

[aracic]

I don't really see the fun in this. Walker's been shooting stellar stories for British Vogue (many December issues stand out in particular) for many years now and almost each and every one of those is superior to what is being offered here. I always liked those white studio portraits of his, back when they were actually good (W days). This looks like barely any effort went into it and not one subject reaches the potential of their good looks and skill. Happy to see Jodie Comer score another cover, but it isn't a good one - especially in comparison to the masterpiece that was her first cover. Out of what feels like a billion Kate Moss covers, this one's easily my least favourite she's shot for British Vogue. Remembering all the glorious stories she's shot with Walker in the past only makes this harder to digest. Tilda's the one I'd buy (gun to my head), but when you remember the story her and Walker published in W only last month... yeah, it's embarrasing for Vogue a bit.

We were promised glamour and fashion galore in Edward's final months as EIC or whatever the hell he is at this point, but his magazine has never been worse than it has since that announcement. Going out with sizzles instead of bangs.

 

[LastNight]

I got my subscription copy this morning. It’s 320 pages, and even though the main fashion content is lacking, the issue itself feels full of little bits and pieces to enjoy. Just don’t expect the kind of “blockbuster” glamour Edward refers to in his letter.

The lead story is the Walker shoot, followed by a portfolio by Adama Jalloh documenting creatives across Britain. So… basically the same concept by two different photographers one after the other. This is followed by an 8pg story by Annie Leibovitz, inspired by Edward Hopper paintings, which is very cinematic and I wish were twice as long.

Then there’s a shoot of Gigi (looking terrible) by Angelo Pennetta in the streets of London. It’s exactly like you imagine it. Features include a story on Angela Rayner, Allessandro Michelle’s home in Rome, Alexa Chung on turning 40, plus the various shorter articles in the front section. There’s also at least three of those Vogue Advertising Features too.

Maybe it’s because I’m in an uncharacteristically festive mood, but the shopping pages and all the little features scattered throughout give the impression that there’s lots to look at. Even if none of it is remotely groundbreaking.

 

[8eight]

This is in the shops. With a £2 price sticker.

 

[tigerrouge]

My subscription copy was the Kate Moss cover. The actual fashion editorial section seems tiny in comparison to the rest of the issue.

I'll really enjoy looking through the massive amount of pages given over to gift guides and catalogue-style product shots, but I love getting that from any magazine - Bazaar, Elle - so there's nothing especially "Vogue" about seeing that type of content.

What would be "Vogue" would be creating a fashion story that becomes a new reference point, not only for 'right now' but also in the years to come.

Not every editorial can be like that, but some would be nice.

 

[ah ah]

This magazine is tragic. Irrelevant would be the most appropriate word to describe it.

 

[ivano]

I find it fun Jodi's cover and ed, and Olivia's. I like Tilda Swinton too. She'ss still the ultimate Derek Jarman muse. Kate and Lila's cover is the best one, so glamorous and 2000s. The rest is forgettable.

 

[Minerva13]

Why does the standard of artistic taste fall from year to year?Even a holiday issue cannot be made beautiful.
I grew up on the most beautiful magazines of the 90's and my mother wore Versace from the era Gianni
I can't be fooled by such a bad work like this...

 

[vogue28]

A truly horrible series of covers, and not even the inclusion of my faves Kate and Lila Moss is enough to save this. I already dislike Tim Walker's photography enough as it is, and then to give me this when all I wanted was festive glamour is... a slap in the face from Enninful. Where's Steven Meisel when you need him? Nick Knight? He's British!

 

[blueorchid]

There’s something that just cracks me up about Edward promising readers some sort of supposed gLAmOUr eXTravAgAnZa and more fashion than EVER during his last issues… and this is what we get?

 

[Drusilla_]

how the hell do these Tim Walker covers manage to look so lifeless and sterile?!! And don't get me started on the editorials. That white institutional background and choice of clothing has something to do with it, these are just bizarre choices considering it's the issue that comes out during the holiday season but all that greyish white ends up looking like they're in hospital, not holiday mode.

I have a copy of Vogue UK's December 2004 issue in front of me, also with a white cover with the model (Sienna Miller) wearing a white dress+ a major Tim Walker editorial inside and the contrast is painful to think of. Sure it's all-white but at least it looks more inviting and upbeat than institutional (ornate typeface and fluffy textures helped). Cover isn't by Tim btw, is by Mario Testino but Tim's pantomime editorial in the issue was one of my all-time favourites. What happened?!

 

[Zorka]

TRADITION & REVOLUTION
Photography: Tim Walker
Styling: Edward Enninful & Kate Phelan
Hair: Malcolm Edwards & Amirah Haliyah
Grooming: Bianca Simone Scott
Make-up: Sam Bryant & Nibras
Models/Ceelebrities: Kate Moss, Lila Moss, Tilda Swinton, Stormzy, Olivia Colman, Little Simz, Jodie Comer, Kristen Mc Menamy, Eddy Earl, Isaac Julien, Eddie Izzard, Katharine Hamnett, Liv Simpliciano, Anjali Raman-Middleton, Joycelyn Longdon, Dominique Palmer, Kalpana Arias, Catherine Chong, Kate Tempest, Vanessa Redgrave, Cecilia & Lucas Chancellor



UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

THE BRIT CROWD
Photography: Adama Jalloh
Styling: Eniola Dare, Pia Aung & Jojo Vandalkidd
Hair: Abra Kennedy, Ali Pirzadeh, Ricky Walters & Cassie Lomas
Grooming: Tara Hickman
Make-up: Frankie Daniella, Jaz Crush & Cassie Lomas
Models/Celebrities: Riz Ahmed, Rose Ayling Ellis, Anne Gleconner, Priya Kasandra, Ambika Mod & Anjana Vasan, Grace Wales Bonner & Lubaina Himid, Mary Earps, Nadine Ijewere, Floella Benjamin, Steve McQueen, Sin Wai Kin & Central Saint Martins Class of '23



UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

LOOKING OUT
Photography: Annie Leibovitz
Styling: Grace Coddington & Alex Harrington
Hair: Julien D'ys
Make-up: Francelle Daly
Models/Celebrities: Maya Hawke & Harold Ancart



UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

ROUND OUR WAY
Photography: Angelo Pennetta
Styling: Julia Sar-Jamois
Hair: Alex Brownsell
Make-up: Thomas de Kluyver
Model: Gigi Hadid



UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

TRENDS
Photography: Andrew Vowles
Styling: Jessica Gerardi
Hair: Sarah Jo Palmer
Make-up: Thomasin Waite
Models: Chloe Oh & Lulu Wood



UK Vogue Digital Edition