US Vogue December 2025 : Timothée Chalamet by Annie Leibovitz

[tigerrouge]

Have any of the approaches implemented during the past five years - when Anna was in full control - yielded any appreciable improvement in any of the print editions of Vogue under direct Conde Nast control? So how is someone not renowned in the industry for anything print-related going to turn things around?

We could maybe argue that Vogue France is showing signs of a revival, based on the installation of someone who seems to have been given some editorial freedom (is it an experiment?) but otherwise, every step has led to a degradation of print and a prioritisation of digital.

I wouldn't class Vogue Italia's recent visual makeover as an improvement, because that depends on personal taste, and it's still infested with reprints.

 

[rockmuse1969]

Without a doubt, one of the worst covers in the last 10 years. I use to make canva edits like this 10 years ago for Lana Del Rey and Madonna. 😩

 

[alwaysademo]

Will you name the specific approach?
I will read between the lines with Anna who's often mocked for her creative decisions and whose long view has by and large been criminally overlooked. I'll take a look at simple facts: She's the only person at Condé Nast in recent memory (that is, since the 60's) who tripled her expected expiration date, not be ousted in a humiliating manner but completely changed the game as we knew it on its head (CN depends on her now). There's 0 living editors who is not influenced, voluntarily or against their will, by her in some ways. Reinventing the Met helps with prestige, ever since Covid it's clearly Main street's time and nobody but Vogue gets to spotlight Rei, Karl, Charles James, McQueen, robots, China and black culture on the same podium. It's actually genius if you completely turn a blind eye on what a circus it appears to be.
Their audience is so much more diverse and way harder to navigate than, say, Vogue Fr or Brit or It. Take their group covers, the effort as I understand it is to represent the best of everything under one roof, according to their taste of course which is where the problem remains since it's impossible to stay true to one set of characteristics under contingent circumstances.
Every other senior Vogue editor often has a consulting role in a few top brands, Anna has that influence with their owners.
Back to print, the truth is nowadays it's 1 platform. It holds the most emotional weight to us, but they have to have all the others to sustain this at a certain level. VW may look primitive now, after 15 years if they keep it up who knows?
Also they have editorial and creative influence within the industry this past 10 years, they do. Example: NG's first LV ad campaign was with Annie Leibovitz and Bruce.
Now he shuffles between Ethan for Main/Ambassadors and Jamie for resort. That for sure has something to do with US Vogue.

I think her authority with brands and her being a pioneer in partnering with Hollywood is paying back in a big way. And she will carry that on in the same office while Chloe reshapes her new Vogue. The next few years I think we will start to see a lot of renovations within the print product.

 

[tigerrouge]

For me, the worst cover of US Vogue was their January 1993 one (archive.vogue.com)

 

[MModa]

For me, the worst cover of US Vogue was their January 1993 one (archive.vogue.com)

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I know. What happened for this cover to be published?

 

[alwaysademo]

For me, the worst cover of US Vogue was their January 1993 one (archive.vogue.com)

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I have it, it's a gem.

 

[tigerrouge]

Purely personal preference, I just cannot stand collages on the cover of any magazine, which is unfortunate, because there's been a few over the years. It's why I don't own a single issue of Vogue Paris/France Collections.

 

[NYLA22]

I know. What happened for this cover to be published?

I seem to remember that the story behind this cover was in the Anna biography, by Amy Odell. I just can't remember what happened off the top of my head. It's a great read, btw, for anyone who is even remotely interested in AW or Vogue history.

 

[alwaysademo]

^I actually prefer the unauthorized version, for the raw dirt. Don't know if it's true or not but there was a part where she went back to a photographer's studio to retrieve all the film rolls for a Viva editorial from his trashcan after he refused to turn in the whole thing. The AO book obviously was a shield against cancel culture. One of the most candid books about the 70s-80s fashion scene remains Chic Savages by John Fairchild if anyone's interested.

 

[jeremydante]

For me, the worst cover of US Vogue was their January 1993 one (archive.vogue.com)

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This is what all the Runway Collections issues look like though.
Not saying it's good but this ushered in a new norm that continues today.

 

[Zorka]

THE DEBUTANTS
Photography: Mikael Jansson
Styling: Amanda Harlech
Hair: Eugene Souleiman
Make-up: Karin Westerlund
Models: Alex Consani, Stella Hanan, Charlie Jones, Angelina Kendall, Ella McCutcheon, Awar Odhiang, Ajus Samuel, FeiFei Sun & Lulu Tenney


US Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

PUSH AND PULL
Photography: Steven Klein
Styling: Tonne Goodman
Hair: Sonny Molina
Make-up: Mark Carrasquillo
Model: Irina Shayk


US Vogue Digital Edition

 

[Zorka]

BLAZY OF GLORY
Photography: Rafael Pavarotti & Annie Leibovitz
Styling: Amanda Harlech
Hair: Karim Belghiran
Make-up: Ammy Drammeh
Models & Designer: Abeny Nhial, Awar Odhiang, Aditsa Berzenia, Dru Campbell, Fengjiao Long, Bhoomi, Zaya Guarani, Charlotte Boggia, Luiza Perote, Achol Ayor & Matthieu Blazy


US Vogue Digital Edition; vogue.com

 

[Patricio]

PUSH AND PULL
Photography: Steven Klein
Styling: Tonne Goodman
Hair: Sonny Molina
Make-up: Mark Carrasquillo
Model: Irina Shayk


US Vogue Digital Edition

Beautiful!

 

[Rigida]

It's a weak issue compared to last year's fab Dec issue..and surprised to see this issue only has 146 pages, usually the Dec issue of US Vogue is on the thicker side..

 

[jeremydante]

Flipped through the issue at the newsstand yesterday evening. The main edit is worse in person, and the landscape shots are not well suited for Vogue. Only thing I like about this issue is the Chanel feature. And I've expressed this on other threads.

 

[Kenny]

Contents


Letter from the Editor


Masthead


The special Spring Issue announcement


Source: US Vogue December 2025 Digital Edition

 

[Phuel]

For me, the worst cover of US Vogue was their January 1993 one (archive.vogue.com)

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This cover slop has to be the unofficial prototype/blueprint of all standard Vogue Collections issues going forward??? In retrospect, it’s genuinely charming in its unintentional messiness— even innovative. I’ll take it. …Whereas Anna is blatantly trolling and ragebaiting with this Timmy cover. And that, I’ll gladly take as well.

 

[tigerrouge]

At the time, a lot of fashion publications were producing their own twice-yearly catwalk supplements, which would often have had a collage cover, so there's nothing unique about what US Vogue did, other than being the only one to put a god-awful collage on their main cover.

But they weren't the originators of it, not by a long shot.

Other notable 'collage catatrophe covers' that live on in my mind - the June 1995 issue of German Vogue, where the theme was supermodels, and the Vogue Paris October 2002 issue with Anne-Catherine Lacroix.

 

[MModa]

At the time, a lot of fashion publications were producing their own twice-yearly catwalk supplements, which would often have had a collage cover, so there's nothing unique about what US Vogue did, other than being the only one to put a god-awful collage on their main cover.

But they weren't the originators of it, not by a long shot.

Other notable 'collage catatrophe covers' that live on in my mind - the June 1995 issue of German Vogue, where the theme was supermodels, and the Vogue Paris October 2002 issue with Anne-Catherine Lacroix.

I had to check online to see those covers again but I remember them and I did not like either.