Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy & Lara stone cover the September issue of Vogue Paris
TFS

It is such a relief, after the American and British September covers, to see that at least some people still know what they are doing. Instead of going for an over-the-top cover Emmanuelle Alt has taken the most essential F/W basic – black – and put it in the hands of Mert & Marcus and modelled by Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy and Lara Stone. If this isn't a subtle and chic way of going grand for September I don't know what is.

I am very excited not only to see the 64 pages of the three girls' editorial inside but also to see more of the new artistic direction, which you know I am generally quite fussy about. I gather it will feature "a cleaner, airier design, with remodeled typography and the use of a craft-paper-like brown background — both of which hark back to its look in the Sixties and Seventies.". Sounds pretty good to me. So far I love the fact that all 3 covers are identical and the girls have simply been put in the gap. It makes a really fun gif!

What do you think of the Vogue Paris September covers?

Doutzen Kroes models my favourite FW12 pieces for Vogue Paris
TFS, Style.com

I received the August issue of Vogue Paris this weekend and even though I've been drooling over the Marion Cotillard cover for the most part I have also managed to take a look inside. I always really enjoy the August issues because there's just enough new season content to digest. The September issues are amazing to go through but they take several goes to process. Vogue Paris always does a long new season editorial story for August. This year's is called 'Paris mon amour' and is shot entirely by Mario Sorrenti (like 90% of the issue) and styled by Emmanuelle Alt, Joe McKenna and Marie Chaix. There are some incredible shots in it and I love how each stylist brings their different view to the story. My favourite, though, are the Doutzen Kroes pictures styled by Emmanuelle.
I've been infatuated with Doutzen ever since I saw her at the Giles show last season and I'm glad that Vogue Paris has got behind her. She even got her own cover in April. In the new editorial she models some of my favourite pieces from the FW12 collections. From the black croc Tom Ford number that Rihanna already rocked at the Met Ball, to the Miu Miu winter prints that will be all over the covers in a few months. The sexy emerald leopard Gucci dress Natasha Poly wore in Cannes and the stunning Burberry Prorsum quilted velvet coat that closed the FW12 show.

TFS, Style.com

Marion Cotillard steals the August covers
TFS, Courtesy of Glamour España

Just as it happened last month with Emma Stone, Marion Cotillard has taken over the August issue cover of some of the most important fashion magazines around the globe. There seems to be a common thread that links them, which is how natural Marion looks. Something similar happened with Emma – these are not women who enjoy (or need) too much photoshop or makeup.
The first to come out was the WSJ magazine with its avant-gard feel. They've been doing such a great job lately – remember this incredible cover? Vogue Paris followed shortly afterwards. I received the issue yesterday morning and it's simply incredible how stunning such a simple idea can be. I was pleased but surprised to also find her on the cover of American Vogue because they always seem to have the exclusive way ahead of everyone. I liked how they kept things simple although I would have appreciated some copy editing on the cover. Glamour Spain went for a more young and sexy take but it's amazing how natural it feels to Cotillard. ELLE South Africa captured her best, in my opinion. She looks effortlessly beautiful, fresh and natural. And I love the contrast of the casual pose and the super chic red dress.
Which one is your favourite Marion Cotillard cover?

Marion Cotillard covers the new Vogue Paris
TFS

Vogue Paris has always liked having close up images on their cover. And this is a great thing because they're very good at it. The last one we saw from them was back in November 2011 with Arizona Muse bringing a bit of 70's/90's Vogue Paris to the new century. They had done something similar previously with Charlotte Casiraghi for September 2011, though less timeless.

Marion Cotillard's close up cover for the August issue is my favourite so far. The photo, by Mario Sorrenti, is not just stunning but the very subtle way they've used shadows and colour makes it flawless. It's a super simple concept, which is usually harder to pull off, and it makes sense with their cover headline – "Marion Cotillard: simplement star".

I wish British Vogue learn a bit from the art direction here so that he wouldn't have to suffer covers like last year's Adele one. The perfect example of what close crops shouldn't be like.

Giselle Bündchen covers the Summer issue of Vogue Paris
Twitter.com/VogueParis

I love the fact that Vogue Paris has released their June/July issue cover on the same day I decided to criticise American Vogue. I have never cared about all the criticism (my love) Emmanuelle Alt received from the moment she became Ed-in-Chief. She has been doing an excellent job and getting Vogue Paris to its chic roots. I am absolutely in love with this! I love the retro feel and the colours – it's like we have gone back to Giselle's golden age in the 90's. It makes me want to be driving down the Côte d'Azur in a pale blue convertible listening to Serge Gainsburg (see below for the best summer song in this scenario).
It also kind of bring things full circle as Giselle cover last year's April issue of Vogue Paris – Emmanuelle's first as Ed-in-Chief. It's nothing short of amazing what she's done with the mag in little over a year.
I think it's great that instead of going for summer clichés Vogue Paris are focusing in staying healthy – "The cult of the body and the spirit" – and how their chosen fashion feature is about encouraging the use of see-through. After all, if you don't wear it in the summer, when will you?

Are these covers the most boring of the year?

I am not a very hard person to get excited about new magazine covers. Even American Vogue, which I might not always agree with on cover choices, always surprises me a bit. Vogue Paris has always been my favourite and I seem to always understand with what they do on their covers.
However, the May issues of both magazines have been released this week and I can't say I'm impressed. I don't know whether to blame Mario Testino, who shot both covers, or whether it's May's fault. No one ever seems to do anything special on the May issue because the actual summer wear is in the June issue. And then we have July and August, which come as one issue in a lot of cases and they start introducing FW – with the famous "La rentrée" issue.
In any case, I am so bored by both covers – Vogue Paris' cover with Laetitia Casta is pretty and, I suppose, chic but there is no vibe, not even interesting styling. And the same goes for Scarlett Johansson on the cover of American Vogue. Once you manage to find Scarlett's face amongst the heaps of copy it is really disappointing – she looks very dated/vintage. I understand that the 1950's are in fashion but couldn't they do it in a contemporary way?

Doutzen Kroes covers the new Vogue Paris in Givenchy
TFS

I can't even cope. That's what the kids are saying these days, right? Well, I can't. I wasn't even expecting the new Vogue Paris cover to be a out for another week so this has been a more than welcome Friday surprise. I also wasn't expecting Doutzen Kroes to cover such a major magazine. I remember seeing her at the Giles show during the last London Fashion Week and being mesmerised at how beautiful she looked, though.

I am also loving the Givenchy SS12 sequinned two pieces she is wearing on the April issue. And Even more so the huge shark tooth pendant. I really hope they make bracelets with small ones of those because I want one for this summer!

I also feel like the colour palette of the cover sets a super chic mood for Spring. I love nothing more than wearing sandy and off-white colours with grey during Spring. I feel so relaxed in those colours.

What do you think of the cover? Are you a Doutzen fan?

Natalia Vodianova covers the new Vogue Paris
TFS

I have realised today that as of the last few months it's only the covers of Vogue Paris that keep me excited every month. There have been fantastic moments such as the Adele one for the latest American Vogue or Kate Moss' double cover for W but there is always a certain element of surprise with Vogue Paris.
I hate the negative comments about how Emmanuelle Alt is not doing a good job as Editor-in-Chief because I feel like the magazine has become a lot more stable with her. I loved Carine's inner rebel but sometimes she did things just for the sake of it and they didn't necessarily make sense for the magazine.
The March cover can only be described as sweet & chic. NataliaVodianova looks stunning in the front picture by Mert & Marcus. And like in previous months it reminds me of past covers, it's almost like Emmanuelle is revisiting all their past hits.
The layout, which you know is always a bit worry of mine, is perfect this time. The headlines are intriguing, you want to know what's inside, and the white font works perfectly. But what really makes this cover, of course, it's the bubblegum pink header.

Daria Werbowy covers Vogue Paris in (oh!) Prada
FashionGoneRogue

I am slowly catching up (again) on things after my weekend in Milan so please bear with me! I will try to do a recap of my favourite Golden Globe outfits and Gossip Girl has started again this week and I have to write about the menswear collections I saw in Milan on Fashion, Frankly so I have a lot to do!

I wanted to start with the latest cover of Vogue Paris. I think Emmanuelle has finally found her voice by marrying the artistic with the commercial, which is exactly what Vogue should be. I am super happy to see Daria back on the cover, hers are always my favourites. And I am, of course, so happy that she is head to toe (or shoulders to hips) in Prada SS12, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I can't make up my mind about the colour font of choice, however. I love the feeling of the cover because it's really tight and cohesive but the bright fuchsia cover might be a little too much. Maybe they should have let the Prada swimsuit speak for itself.

What do you think?

Kate Moss channels David Bowie for Vogue Paris
TFS

It's funny that after talking about how let down I was by the latest Vogue Italia cover my favourite magazine, Vogue Paris, would release the front of their December/January issue.

Kate Moss, shot by what looks like Mert & Marcus, covers the latest issue channeling a bit of good old David Bowie from the Ziggy Stardust times with the orange hair –mullet included.

The whole pose, which I find a little odd, reminds me of that weird salute Tulisa does on the X Factor but also of the iconic Mert & Marcus cover picture for Industrie issue 3.

Even though I am not crazy about the punk vibe of the picture I can appreciate that Emmanuelle keeps trying to do something different on the cover. It's great to have Kate Moss closing the year –a year that, despite what many may say, has been great for Vogue Paris. Emmanuelle is definitely working on an aesthetic and style of her own.

I am surprised to find out there was no guest editor this time around, as it's usual every year for the last issue –guess the whole Tom Ford debacle made them weary about these collaborations.

What do you think?

TFS

I've blogged about before about my love for Arizona Muse. Lately, a few of my favourite covers have featured her. I love how despite of the short hair that could be a limitation, she always looks very different and really brings her personality to the picture.
I must also say that she should stick to editorials. As thrilling as it is to have her so close at a fashion show, I was not very impressed with her runway walk. Her legs are slightly shorter than other models' so she looks odd amongst them.

Just the fact of having Arizona on the cover would be enough for me to love the latest Vogue Paris cover. But in fact, I also really like it because it reminds me of some of the old covers from the magazine from the 80's and 90's. There is a slight vintage air to this picture by Inez and Vinoodh but it feels super fresh and I love how the red lip, the bowtie and the wavy bob really scream French.

Fashion Gone Rogue

I know I didn't post about the latest American Vogue cover with Michelle Williams as Marylin Monroe. I just didn't have time to say what a brilliant cover it was. In fact, I think it was the best one of the year! It would have made a much better September issue.

And now it's the October issue of Vogue Paris that's out. The cover is very them –simple pose, unfussy text. But I love what Mert & Marcus have done with the exposure of the picture. Something that would have been almost boring gets a kind of edge because of the sort of neon colouring, which works amazingly with the sequinned Atelier Versace dress and the bleach blonde hair.

I don't think it's one of Vogue Paris' best covers ever but I appreciate the fact that they play around with the aesthetic for every issue. That's more than can be said about most Vogue editions...

What do you think?

FashionGoneRogue, Models.com

In this era of technology we live in where we get to see magazine editorials before they even hit newsstands it's weird that some people still think they can get away with anything.

I was looking through the images of the "Kapow!" editorial on the September issue of W –shot by Mario Sorrenti and styled by Jane How. It quickly hit me that I had seen that before. In fact, I had already made a post the likes of this one a few months ago about a Britney shoot for Harper's Bazaar, although the comparison is abysmal.

Emanuelle Alt had styled a very similar story for Vogue Paris, also shot by Mario Sorrenti. I guess he really likes graffiti and models against them. However, I have to admit that even though Raquel Zimmerman's version has always been one of my favourite editorials Jane How's styling works a lot better with the backgrounds.

Which one do you prefer?

FashionGoneRogue, Models.com

Models.com

As I was buying some magazines at Madrid airport this afternoon I realised I had most likely missed the release of all the important September issue covers, which is pretty bad timing. After an unexpected but not unwelcome Internet-less week in Cape Verde I have lots to catch up with.

Before tomorrow's round-up of my favourites I thought September's Vogue Paris deserved special mention. Charlotte Casiraghi shot by Mario Testino covers the issue with messy hair and a smoky eye. I really love this because it was pretty unexpected. Vogue Paris is one of the few really big publications that still uses models on its cover for the most part of the year. Which is why some people have criticised the choice. But I disagree, évidemment. If there was ever a time for something different that is September. Not to mention this is Emmanuelle's first and she had to make an impact.

The editorial inside is extensive to say the least. Charlotte wears in her famous effortless way over a dozen pieces from the FW11 collections. I also loved the fact that she was shot in a number of locations, it must have taken forever to shoot.

Thoughts?

Vogue Paris

I've been hesitating between posting the new cover of American Vogue with Sarah Jessica Parker in Burberry or the August cover of Vogue Paris. Eventually, I've gone for the latter because I really did not like SJP's one and I was once told that if you don't have anything nice to say is better to say nothing. A rule that I normally don't follow but hey, it's Vogue Paris.
I first chuckled when I saw the plane because, really, why would you put a plane on a cover? "Le best de la rentrée" gives the issue a sort of a theme and starts to make sense of the cover. Although I'm not sure of whether Lara Stone (shot by Inez & Vinoodh) has just come back from her holiday (plane leaves) and so she starts prepping for the new season or if she just arrived to the beach for her holiday and that's why the plane leaves.
The fact is that, whether the idea behind the cover composition is BS or not Emmanuelle Alt is at least trying something different. I really love the styling, very Vogue Paris, and how the black outfit really contrasts with the beach landscape.

Est-ce que vous aimez?

[TFS]

You might remember how a couple of weeks I blogged about Vogue India's recycling of the American Vogue cover with Rihanna. I talked about how much more I liked the recycled version. Well, here is another example of that.

For its July issue, Vogue Korea has borrowed Vogue Paris' cover story from June/July. This time, rather than recycling the cover picture of Isabeli Fontana in the purple dress they have taken one from the inside shoot and turned that into the cover. I must admit I love how it works! The colours make it feel a lot more summery and I love the different font, a lot funkier that most Vogues use.

What do you think of it?

I've never hidden my fascination with Vogue Paris. It's my favourite of the magazine's editions and, regardless of what's been said, I think Emmanuelle Alt is doing a remarkable job with it after a somewhat weak first issue.

One of the stories in the latest Juin/Juillet issue, 'Down Town' shot by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by Joe McKenna, is a standout and my favourite. Sasha Pivovarova stars in it with a mixed inspiration of maculin, feminine and free alliances of always favourite pieces —a good coat, the classic jean or your accomplice blouse, in the words of the magazine.

To me, it's a brilliant amalgamation of two styles. Firstly, Gabrielle Chanel's garçon look, which she herself sported for the first part of her life, as illustrated by Audrey Tautou on 'Coco before Chanel'. It takes from Coco the manly tailoring and oversized fit (which also reminded me of one of Marylin's famous pictures) and the sportswear pieces she famously brought into high fashion such as the Breton striped t-shirt.

And secondly, Madonna's 80's style. From it they draw the references to popular urban pieces such as classic high waisted jean and elements like the headband bandana, the hoops and a rock'n'roll attitude.

J'adore.

[TFS]

The first thought that crossed my mind when I first saw Britney's story on the new Harper's Bazaar had to do with how much I wished she dressed like that for public events. If she stuck LBD's, however short, and classic pumps there wouldn't be much risk of her looking, well, like she normally does. Her latest Hervé Léger red carpet moments haven't been the best, which is a shame because she can still rock anything like you can see to the right.

I'm not the biggest fan of the story, shot by Alexi Lubomirski, but I can appreciate some of the good ol' Spears smile along with a few nice fashion choices signed by Dolce & Gabbana, Isabel Marant and Ungaro. Once the Brit-shock wore off I suddenly realised the editorial looked very familiar to me. And this is why.

Back in 2009 Emmanuelle Alt styled a story shot by Mario Sorrenti called "Graffiti Couture". It's one of my favourite shoots of all time because it seemed to me like such a brilliant idea to bring together the highest of fashion and the most urban form of art. Also, the Vogue Paris teamed up with American designer KAWS to create the set for the story.

[HB, TFS]

Bearing this in mind, Britney's story is not only unoriginal but a blatant (bad) copy. Additionally, if you look closely enough at the full-size pictures you'll realise Brit has actually been photoshopped into all of the backgrounds and not shot in them. Maybe simple studio pictures would have worked better?

Emmanuelle's first cover

I was anxious to see this. I  didn't know whether Emmanuelle Alt would swift from Carine's cover aesthetic to mark her reign as Vogue Paris queen or if she would instead progressively settle into the job by kind of continuing to do what Carine had done before and (maybe) slowly changing things to her aesthetic. I love the fact that Giselle is on the cover, especially in Dolce & Gabbana. For some reason supermodels give those southern Italian dresses a different flair than everyone else. I also really like the way the text has been laid out and how white completely takes over the page. It's not the most original of covers but it's better to be safe than to aim to high and fail massively on your first issue, non?

Shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

I'm off.

[Picture: RDuJour]