Magnificient overview of an iconic magazine Jun 21, 2007 (3 of 3 found this helpful)
Ten gets you one that when you ask someone to name a fashion magazine, the first answer you get will be, "Vogue". That's how much of an institution the magazine has become. While "Elle" and "Women's Wear Daily" might dispute the contention, "Vogue" seems to have become the periodical of record for worldwide haute couture. As such, as the authors note in their introduction, a basic history is past due. With a great deal of help from the Vogue staff itself - Anna Wintour, the magazine's longtime editor (and so prominent a figure in her own right that Meryl Streep's spoof of her in last year's movie "The Devil Wears Prada" was instantly recognizable), is prominent in the list of contributors - Angeletti and Oliva, magazine historians both, have assembled an informative text and a gorgeous array of imagery which effectively covers the century-plus history of Vogue, from the cover of the very first magazine to the latest photos of Nicole Kidman. The book is certainly a highly display-worthy item, as another reviewer has suggested, but more than that, it's meant to be leafed through and read. You can find it brand-new at a wide variety of prices, but even if all the Amazon Marketplace sellers were somehow sold out of their copies, it'd still be worth the list price!
A Taste of Owners' Plans, Editorial Direction, Style, Fashion, Great Photography, and Memorable Models Jul 16, 2007 (12 of 16 found this helpful)
What attracts you to Vogue? Chances are that element is represented someplace within the pages of In Vogue.
To me, the photographs are the main appeal of Vogue. Since its founding on December 17, 1892, Vogue has attempted to capture current and future fashion through its images. The magazine has been blessed by talented work done by most of the world's best fashion photographers since then who brought us the most interesting society women, celebrities, cultural icons, and, of course, fashion models. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book contained at least a few works by each of the greatest photographers to appear in Vogue. Most of the images were known to me, but a number were new. My main disappointment was that the photographers I like the most didn't have more photographs in the book. But the book is very bulky and heavy as it is.
To my interest in the photographs came many essays about why the photographers were selected and what the editors asked them to accomplish. The interaction of the art directors and the photographers was particularly noteworthy in regard to covers.
I have also spent many years as a management consultant in the magazine industry. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there's a pretty complete overview of the management thinking and decisions that led to Vogue becoming so successful.
But the most interesting surprise came in the extended views into the editorial philosophies and working styles of the magazine's editors. Creating a fashion magazine is very demanding, and Vogue has been fortunate in its editors both for their energy and their vision for the reader.
If neither business nor editing interest you, you'll still find lots of marvelous images to help you trace the development of fashion and style in the United States over the last 100 plus years.
Here are a few of my favorite photographs in the book:
Helen Lee Worthing by Baron Adolphe de Meyer, September 1, 1920 (p. 61)
White by Edward Steichen, January 1, 1936 (p. 67)
Mademoiselle Koopman by George Hoyningen-Huene, September 15, 1933 (p. 69)
Mary Taylor by Cecil Beaton, May 15, 1935 (p. 73)
Lisa Fonssagrives by Horst P. Horst, August 1, 1938 (p. 76)
Decor by Horst P. Horst, March 15, 1938 (p. 77)
Corset by Horst P. Horst, September 15, 1939 (p. 78)
Coco Chanel by Horst P. Horst, February 15, 1954 (p. 79)
Cover by Horst P. Horst, September 15, 1940 (p. 89)
Loretta Young by John Rawlings (p. 111)
Twelve Beauties by Irving Penn, 1947 (pp. 116-117)
Cover by Horst P. Horst, May 15, 1941 (p. 131)
Cafe Society by Cecil Beaton, 1948 (pp. 136-137)
Concentration Camp by Lee Miller, June 1945 (p. 143)
Jean Pachett by Irving Penn, February 15, 1949 (p. 144)
Atelier of Pablo Picasso, November 1, 1956 (pp. 156-157)
Twiggy by Richard Avedon, July 1967 cover (p. 172)
Marisa Berenson by Berry Berenson, 1969 (p. 179)
Marisa Berenson by Irving Penn, April 1970 (pp. 186-187)
Lauren Hutton by Richard Avedon, January 1, 1969 (pp. 198-199)
Celebrity covers, 1965-1971 (p. 202)
Cheryl Tiegs and Rene Russo by Helmut Newton, 1974 (p. 215)
Cybill Shepherd by Helmut Newton, 1973 cover, (p. 216)
Kim Basinger by Irving Penn, September 1978 (p. 217)
Beverly Johnson by Albert Watson, October 1977 (pp. 218-219)
Charlotte Rampling by Helmut Newton, 1974 (p. 221)
Eveningwear by Arthur Elgort, 1978 (p. 222-223)
Lisa Taylor by Arthur Elgort, October 1976 (pp. 228-229)
The Right Moment by Arthur Elgort (p. 230)
Lisa Taylor by Helmut Newton, May 1975 (p. 233)
Winnie by Helmut