Vogue

Magazine: Vogue

The first issue of Vogue was published in 1892 in America and was created by Arthur Baldwin Turnure. Vogue was aimed at men and women as it covered not just fashion but social affairs and sport updates.

Vogue was sold to Conde Montrose Nast in 1905 and by 1910 he made Vogue an overseas publication. When visiting Britain in 1916 he decided he wanted to start publishing there and later went on to grow the magazine by publishing in Spain, Italy and France. Whilst he was managing the magazine he raised its profit and awareness majorly. Vogue was essential for the sociable and wealthy and this was noticeable as they featured beauty icons and recognized figures from the Eras such as the Gibson Girl. The magazine did face declines in sales during difficult financial periods such as the great depression and world war but still managed to remain current and popular. Vogue seemed to go more into fashion and editorial material in the 1960's as their chief editor was changed to Diana Vreeland. The magazine seemed to cover sexuality a lot more openly by bringing in artist and models to feature and this greatly appealed to a younger audience.

The magazine went under more changes in 1973 when its Editor changed once again to Grace Mirabella. She decided that vogue needed to change with the stylistic changes of its readers. Although some people seemed to find that under her management Vogue became dull and boring. The years in which she was in her position were named as the "Beige Years".

Anna Wintour took over the position in 1988 and made the brand focus more on accessible fashion which in turn made the magazine more approachable and the features items more affordable. She has made many changes within the company and is still currently in her position.

British Vogue featuring Jourdan Dunn

Nowadays the target audience is more aimed at women as the text usually on the front of the magazine advertises products and tips which women would be interested in. The colours are also very bright and feminine and there is more often than not a woman on the front cover.

The different publications from each country vary in styles. Here are some examples of various vogue magazines from different countries and how their style differ.

American Vogue

British Vogue

Vogue Paris

Vogue India

American Vogue was the first branch of Vogue to be published but as the production moved overseas the magazines style has changed. Vogue India uses bold colours on the front cover and still keep the traditional feature of having a woman modelling on the front page. The text matches the colour theme which in this particular cover is orange. The background features the outdoors which makes the image seem more exotic. The text also mentions summer and animal print which further add to the exotic feel of this copy of the magazine. The target audience appears to still be aimed at women as it mentions "beauty essentials". The models hair is left loose and natural and her face isn't incredibly made up aside from the eyes.

Vogue Paris usually tends to be a lot more sleek and serious. As one of the major fashion capitals in the world their version of Vogue definitely reflects this. The model is in Chanel and heavily accessorized as well as wearing a serious expression as if she is walking the catwalk. The makeup on te model is similar to what I have seen in pictures of fashion and editorial shoots with bleached brows and a strong red lip. This particular cover has a theme of red, white and black and the models makeup fits in with this. Due to how serious and professional this shot is it seems as if their target audience is more based around people who are in the makeup and fashion industry or even those who are slightly more interested that the average reader. The other covers seem a bit more laid back so I think this cover can be a bit less approachable but still beautiful nevertheless.

British vogue features the famous British model Kate Moss on its front cover. The colour theme is very colourful and friendly as they are easy on the eye which in turn makes people more likely to pick it up. The text talks about the photographer for Burberry Christopher Bailey which tells me that this magazine is probably not targeted straight at the general public as many might not have heard of him if they are not clued up on the fashion industry.  This is one of my favorite covers as its so fresh and summery and just visually pleasing.

American Vogue has Beyonce on the front cover and has a simple yet stylistic theme of grey, black and white. The text on the cover seems to be a bit more powerful with the use of words such as "strong", "Sexy" and "Elegance". This is what women can aspire to be so these words will definitely capture female attention. 

All of the magazines from each country usually advertise high end fashion brands or items and products from well known companies such as: Dior, Chanel and Rolex. Most of the magazine is advertisements for campaigns or products which are simple but bold enough to capture the attention they require. As each magazine features expensive brand advertisements their target audience would be more mature or sophisticated. Their content is fashion based so I imagine many within that industry would be subscribers to the publication. 

References

Condenast.ru, (2016). Vogue - History. [online] Available at: https://www.condenast.ru/en/portfolio/magazines/vogue/history/ [Accessed 31 Jan. 2016].

Wikipedia, (2016). Vogue (magazine). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(magazine) [Accessed 1 Feb. 2016].

Thestylewatcher.files.wordpress.com, (2016). [online] Available at: https://thestylewatcher.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/american-vogue-march-2013-cover1.jpg [Accessed 1 Feb. 2016].

Lelalondon.com, (2016). [online] Available at: http://www.lelalondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Kate-Moss-Vogue-UK.jpg [Accessed 1 Feb. 2016].

Askmissa.com, (2016). [online] Available at: http://askmissa.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/french-vogue.jpg [Accessed 1 Feb. 2016].

I1.wp.com, (2016). [online] Available at: http://i1.wp.com/feminisminindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Vogue-India-Cover.jpg?resize=228%2C300 [Accessed 1 Feb. 2016].