UK Vogue July 2020 by Jamie Hawkesworth

[MON]

A cover that came out 2 months ago is iconic?

Oh I'm sorry, is there a minimum period that should first lapse before a cover can be considered iconic? Because if there is, why on earth are you looking for an iconic cover from an editor who is barely on his third year?

I'm no fan of Edward, but to completely discredit his work is unfair. Edward is no Farneti.

 

[Annie Hall]

Oh I'm sorry, is there a minimum period that should first lapse before a cover can be considered iconic? Because if there is, why on earth are you looking for an iconic cover from an editor who is barely on his third year?

I'm no fan of Edward, but to completely discredit his work is unfair. Edward is no Farneti.

I don't disagree that Edward is being a bit unfairly slated here, but to refer to any of those covers as iconic already is also a massive reach. The Adwoa one I loved and continue to love to this day, however, it's hard to judge whether it will be looked back upon celebratorily and not be forgotten by everyone else. Same with Rihanna's September cover, you could argue. But most of the other ones you mentioned were unremarkable and look like they were taken from the same ditzy vintage-ish edit and just pumped out randomly every other month. Pretty, but predictable. The Jourdan one I literally couldn't remember at all and apparently neither did Google when I had to search for it several times. And it was really bad anyway, imo.

And yes, there is roughly an amount of time to be passed before something can be considered iconic. You can't look back on something that happened two months ago and declare it iconic because you were a personal fan of it at the time. In ten years or even five, I doubt many people other than her fans would have any vivid sense of nostalgia or appreciation looking at the Jodie Comer April 2020 cover, if they can even remember it at all.

Although I'm British myself and therefore probably biased, I've genuinely liked Edward's work so far and his covers have been amongst my favourites in recent years. But realistically I know their simplicity and repetitiveness will only make them vaguely memorable as a pleasant phase in BV history. I agree that you can't really call something still in its infancy 'iconic', though I think there is at least a shred of potential there. As for these covers, I like to think they'll go down in history — but that's very optimistic. The Vogue Arabia one is interesting (could've given her a nicer mask though lol) but if everyone started doing it it would be boring and unoriginal. It's a hard situation for the editors to tackle.

 

[Melancholybaby]

Oh I'm sorry, is there a minimum period that should first lapse before a cover can be considered iconic? Because if there is, why on earth are you looking for an iconic cover from an editor who is barely on his third year?

Not sure, but remembering what a cover looks like a couple months down the line is not an indication that it is memorable let alone iconic. What does it represent? April 2020's mood? The Killing Eve season premiere? It certainly doesn't say anything else about fashion and the world at large, neither in April nor in 2020.

And where on earth did I say I look for Edward to produce an iconic cover? Lol. I try to align my expectations with reality.

 

[Benn98]

Gfycat

 

[russianelf]

Actually, there is.

Vogue Arabia, for example, has even reimagined some of its most iconic covers (including Iman’s, below) with digitally-added face masks. The result is INGENIOUS, in my opinion. (High fashion + strong message, is it really - with literally endless recourses at their disposal! - so hard/impossible to deliver?!!)

Well to me this is sooo gimmicky and low effort like congrats you have a person who knows photoshop on your team! Much worse than a blank cover/rose/Edward's offering. Like that recent Grazia cover with Stella Maxwell - they clearly photoshopped the face masks last minute, and they didn't even do a good job! Borderline offensive.

And that cash grab on Vogue Portugal's part with the kissing masks cover - imo not really offensive but eyeroll inducing, because they were soooo quick to cash in on the moment, you could feel the desperation (the cover's sold out on their website, so I guess good for them, get that coin!).

 

[LostInNJ]

Wow, the disgust for Edward is real.

I understand that this is a fashion magazine, however, we are experiencing something that is bigger than fashion. I mean, why not do something that speaks to what is happening in the world right now? Why is he being crucified for that? Why is every single decision he makes considered to be calculated in a bad way (which magazine editor doesn't make a calculated decision btw?)?

I'm sure if it was a model on the cover and Jamie had shot that, the criticism would've been, "we don't want to hear about the fake activism by so and so" "how inappropriate that they had someone out during the pandemic doing pictures" etc. etc.

The man really is damned either way.

 

[honeycombchild]

Let’s all be clear here, the judgement of something being ‘iconic’ is as subjective as something being ‘beautiful’. It’s individual to everyone.

We have images that stand the test of time and are consistently within our psyche, famous and instantly recognisable images, but the idea of something being iconic means that it stands for something and that very idea is subjective to the individual. If you personally find a cover that’s happened recently iconic, then fair enough. If you don’t, then fair enough also.

 

[TomFordforGucci]

The energy in Edward Enninful threads is so transparent. What a miserable bunch. Yikes.

It’s 2020 and people are complaining about women (who are saving lives) on magazine covers. Quality stories by Meisel, M&M, and T*st*n* etc are long gone. Time to move on.

These covers actually offer a message. I’ll take blank white magazine covers over 9 years of 80s issues from that French magazine any day of the week.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ LOL not miserable at all. Just individuals that are possessed of strong opinions and not accept any lazy mediocre imagery that is thrown their way obediently, and still maintain a high standard when it comes to the production of high fashion presentation— which is the context here: Vogue. This is not Time or National Geographic magazine.

And if you’re speaking of transparency, let’s talk about how Edward has been rather blatantly transparent with how he sees Asian presence in his Vogue. For someone who consistently brags and boasts of inclusivity and diversity at every opportunity, he’s made it clear that Asian presence is relegated to the back of his Vogue (bus), shall we…?

(BTW, would it have been such an effort to style and photography Narguis as they would a celebrity/model? She’s gorgeous and to see someone like her— whom at first glance would give the impression of a celebrity/model, and only to discover she’s an essential worker would absolutely be inspiring. But Edward, ever the mass-pleaser, needs her photographed and captioned as a “train conductor” so no one misses the point; I’m surprised she’s not photographed peeking out of her train…)

 

[8eight]

I love the covers, and this issue is really good. i just can't stand everyone fawning over him and telling him how amazing this is and he is, when its been done before, 2 months ago by Grazia UK and other magazines I'm sure.

I also think most of his covers haven't been very exciting. Shulman produced much more memorable covers imho.

 

[Fiercification]

I’m afraid I can’t condone wishing Alexandra back. 1990s/Early 2000s Alexandra, perhaps. But not. Bringing her team and her direction back to the magazine would set the equality and progression Edward has brought back years. He may not be producing iconic cover after iconic cover, but I like his judgement and there have been covers I’ve liked a lot here.

Thank you. Listen, I've said it many times before - I find Edward to be a so-so stylist at best, particularly these days, and yes UK Vogue under his tenure is quite boring most of the time. News flash though: so is every other fashion publication on the planet and that's not going to change! Edward's ascension to EIC of this magazine is a move I have always applauded as he has finally brought about a sorely needed change in the magazine's presentation of ideals after decades of the visual equivalent to the very current ignorance by certain people to the Black Lives Matter crisis. His magazine offers a truer representation of what modern Britain is, or what Britain has grown to be in my eyes. It feels fresh to see that aspiration can be sold without segregation (how sad that I have to make a statement like this at the start of this decade!) And do you know what? I think I'll take that over not particularly great, redundant "luxe" 80s imagery of white girls that still fills the page of a certain French rag, which is the only eroded remnant of high-end editorial glory that exists in 2020.

I don't love this direction or particular brand of imagery, but magazines are businesses that have to represent the here and now and what matters to the consumers. So I don't understand why the sudden vitriol towards EE has emerged now, when we've seen other magazines depict this theme in a far less artful manner. This crisis isn't going anywhere soon; the vast majority of the world is still living a "lockdown life" and we are all having to alter the way we live as a result of Covid. This theme, and probably this issue are relevant.

In short: this is what I expect right now. Even if it's not what I personally love to see from a fashion magazine, it is depicting this moment and engaging with the world we are living in. So pipe down, have a cup of tea and flick through some old magazines instead of expecting something a fantasy that's just logistically impossible right now.

 

[tigerrouge]

As I mentioned in the cover thread, it'll be interesting to see if men's magazines like UK GQ respond to the current situation in a parallel way to UK Vogue. Their cover offers the same available platform to send out a similar message - with Covid being a worse prospect for men, according to statistics.

Or have Conde Nast taken the position that men won't go out of their way to buy a magazine with a great portrait of a train driver or a nurse or retail staff on the front, so it might as well be business as usual, with a throwaway coverline or two about it.

Why am I supposed to make all the right noises about Vogue's covers, when men's magazines will probably skip past the issue with a brief sideways glance and no-one will say a word about their lack of coverage and "caring".

 

[Benn98]

As I mentioned in the cover thread, it'll be interesting to see if men's magazines like UK GQ respond to the current situation in a parallel way to UK Vogue. Their cover offers the same available platform to send out a similar message - with Covid being a worse prospect for men, according to statistics.

Or have Conde Nast taken the position that men won't go out of their way to buy a magazine with a great portrait of a train driver or a nurse or retail staff on the front, so it might as well be business as usual, with a throwaway coverline or two about it.

Why am I supposed to make all the right noises about Vogue's covers, when men's magazines will probably skip past the issue with a brief sideways glance and no-one will say a word about their lack of coverage and "caring".

Though not Covid related, British Esquire just sent out their weekly newsletter entirely filled with BLM content, with the only 'sales push' being a subscription offer. So it seems they are aware of social/pandemic issues, they just don't overhaul the actual magazine.

 

[Idyll]

I think these are so lovely and so needed. The hate is baffling to me. The shops I used to buy magazines from are all gone, but I'm going to do my best to get my hands on one of these covers.

 

[lnh9976]

The responses in this thread wishing there were Franca-style fashion editorials tackling the subject of an ongoing global pandemic (which has so far reported 400k deaths, a toll that is increasing every day) are just absurd. You wonder why the fashion industry is looked at as out of touch and ignorant? I can't think of anything more grossly insensitive than doing a shoot with thousands of dollars of designer clothes "responding" to the current crisis as it's still unfolding and people are dying every day.

People here also clearly do not understand how magazines work. You really think that doing an extravagant Meisel COVID inspired shoot—however moronic that would be in the first place—would have been a possibility three months into lockdown? It was either this kind of cover, a FaceTime shot of a model, or an archival image. I know which I'd choose if I was in the position of editor. Would love to know what alternatives those whining about it would have come up with, from a practical perspective alone.

 

[dontbeadrag]

The responses in this thread wishing there were Franca-style fashion editorials tackling the subject of an ongoing global pandemic (which has so far reported 400k deaths, a toll that is increasing every day) are just absurd. You wonder why the fashion industry is looked at as out of touch and ignorant? I can't think of anything more grossly insensitive than doing a shoot with thousands of dollars of designer clothes "responding" to the current crisis as it's still unfolding and people are dying every day.

People here also clearly do not understand how magazines work. You really think that doing an extravagant Meisel COVID inspired shoot—however moronic that would be in the first place—would have been a possibility three months into lockdown? It was either this kind of cover, a FaceTime shot of a model, or an archival image. I know which I'd choose if I was in the position of editor. Would love to know what alternatives those whining about it would have come up with, from a practical perspective alone.

I am sorry if it reads harsh, but I absolutely disagree with your opinion. A lot of people here know, and if some people don't, then it is time to learn: Meisel actually did some shoots where it was via distance, and, of course, the primary example is the MeiselPic, which he did when it was the Swine Flu pandemic and he was ill with it. It was just some model seflies or webcam shots, but the result was ICONIC. And not iconic in the "i-am-16-y-o-who-likes-Billie-Eilish" or "i-am-gay-and-i-call-everything-by-pop-starts-iconic" iconic.

There was nothing, absolutely nothing absurd about doing that shoot in the middle of the pandemic and the result was glorious, the models obviously had clothes, but they did not have anything too extravagant or so. I am sure tons of people remember ridiculous Gisele selfies in the mirror or Lara's distorted boobs by some stupid filter form that editorial. It was satire, it was smart, it was very in line of what is happening. While I respect your opinion and I have the rights to disagree, to me, such approach is one of the reasons that fun is being taken out of fashion. Fashion is moronic, absurd and all the other words. Politics, news, reports and social platforms are for dealing with problems and regarding them. Stop expecting fashion to comply with each single zoomer, millennial, and boomer. Creativity requires freedom of thought, and millions of people being pissed just because Vogues don't put nurses and black people talking about COVID and BLM does exactly the opposite and frames them into common trains of thought. A high fashion magazine putting models/celebrities into expensive clothing and textile works of art to create dreams and make people enjoy the aesthetics, when people are at home? Oh, how dare they do their job properly.

 

[Zorka]

THE LADY VANISHES
Photographer: Emma Summerton
Stylist: Dena Giannini
Model/Photographer: Emma Summerton







UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

REVERSE GO SEES (Textless)
Photographer: Juergen Teller
Stylist: Poppy Kain
Model: Yacine Diop, Flo Fleming, Anna Ross, Lara Mullen, Aishwarya Gupta, Evie Harris, Adela Stenberg, Elisa Mitrofan, Nora Attal, Niko Riam, Maggie Chen & Emily Godwin








UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

Some of Vogue’s favourite models dressed up in treasured pieces from their own wardrobes to share lockdown selfies, donating part or all of the featured looks to an online auction in aid of NHS Charities Together. The event will begin on Vogue.hardlyeverwornit.com at 2pm on 9 June and end at 2pm on 12 June. Prints of these images will also be available to buy, for £50 each.

THE WAY WE WORE (Textless)
Creative direction: Alec Maxwell
Stylist: Dena Giannini
Model: Adut Akech, Kate Moss, Helena Christensen, Karlie Kloss, Xiao Wen Ju, Joan Smalls, Christy Turlington Burns, Gigi Hadid, Karen Elson, Irina Shayk, Imaan Hammam, Rianne Van Rompaey, Paloma Elsesser, Mariacarla Boscono, Bella Hadid, Lily Aldridge, Amber Valletta, Ashley Graham, Candice Swanepoel, Stella Maxwell, Pooja Mor, Kendall Jenner & Shalom Harlow



UK Vogue Digital Edition

 

[MagFan]

That Aldridge again