Rihanna covers the latest American Vogue
TFS

I haven't been this happy about the cover of American Vogue since Emma Stone was featured back in the July issue. And I am so glad that Rihanna is partly responsible for my joy. Her last American Vogue cover was so awkward and the Vogue UK one that followed wasn't much of an improvement, which is a shame because I think Ri-ri would be a stylist's dream as she is super chameleonic but her personality always comes through. And they've finally managed that in this shot by Annie Leibovitz.

The signer models a red-hot Valentino (cooked) lace dress from the Resort 2012 collection. It looks absolutely amazing with the matching lips, the smoky eyes and the short hairdo she's sporting these days of which I'm a great fan. But, mostly, I love the fact that this cover reminds me of a Vogue Nippon story featuring Daria Werbowy back in 2009. If Vogue can keep this sort of slicker and edgier feel on their upcoming covers I would totally start buying the magazine again.

Keira Knightley covers the latest American Vogue
Vogue.com

A preview of Keira Knightley's latest American Vogue cover came out a few days so I had enough time to make up my mind about it. And I love it!

Styled by Grace Coddington in  mostly couture and shot by Mario Testino, Keira looks amazing in her Chanel lace dress and cuffed silver gloves (very Karl!). The magazine is back to their close crops for cover images but this one really works. It's the mix of the luxurious look and the more casual pose that really make it great.

The story inside, which I hope is longer than what we can see online, is as beautiful as it is simple as most of the shots are just in a studio. It's about the couture pieces on Kiera, who is probably one of the best celebrities in the world to rock any of them.

What do you think of the cover?

Industrie Issue 5: Haider by Juergen
Courtesy of Industrie

To be totally honest, I am a lot more excited by the new issue of Industrie than I am about the launch of CR Fashion Book. For their 5th issue, the first launched in September, Juergen Teller has shot Haider Ackermann styled by Robert Rabensteiner. An incredibly brilliant combination.

'The Yearbook Issue' is meant to be the best one yet and I, for one, can't wait to have a copy in my hands soon. It's meant to hit newstands over the next week or so.

Would you rather... Lana del Rey in Vogue Australia or Vogue UK?
TFS

Kristen Stewart covers the latest Vogue UK in Gucci
Celebrity-Gossip

You know I have been having mixed feelings about the Vogue UK covers of the last few months. The October cover is definitely an improvement from the horror of September. Kristen Stewart, shot by Mario Testino, covers the latest issue dressed in Gucci. I always love K Stew because I think she's got quite a unique look but sometimes I feel like fashion stylists just don't get her. While I do like the cover look, the eye makeup is totally wrong for Kristen. It makes her look drowsy. The editorial inside goes totally in the wrong direction with an 80's styling that makes no sense for the actress. It is really a shame because there are so many bad-ass shoots you could do with Kristen and everyone just keeps trying to dress her up for no reason.

What do you think?

My favourite September 2012 covers
TFS

I have been quite bored and disappointed with most of the September issue covers this year. Knowing that it's the most iconic month of the year, can't magazines actually make an effort?
Thank god for Vogue Italia and Interview! Franca Sozzani and Steven Meisel have, once again, created something completely different to everyone else. I love Carolyn Murphy and I love the vintage feel of the cover but also the idea behind it. I know not everyone gets Franca's work but whether you like it or not she marches to the beat of her own drum.
I was really blown away when I saw the September cover of Interview featuring Emma Stone. It's kind of genius that they went for her after so many people had featured her over the last months. The styling and the photography are something completely different to what they usually do to Emma. I personally really liked the choice of the Chanel neckpiece, the eye makeup and the studded earrings.

Guinevere van Seenus covers the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar España
TFS

I was quite excited to see what Harper's Bazaar España did for their September issue this year. As you know, I've been a huge fan of the magazine since day one. I have been enjoying their amazing covers for the last two years. It's so refreshing to see big titles taking risks and trying new things.

For September HB features American model Guinevere van Seenus in Dolce & Gabbana. It's great to see her sporting a completely different look. We have seen her going edgy on the cover of the Acne Paper, girly on the cover of Vogue Netherlands and ultra sexy on the cover of 10. She's quite the chameleon.

The magazine has really got behind next season's Baroque trend of gold brocades and over-the-top decorations. But what I love most about it is their minimalist and clean approach to it, which sounds oxymoronic but actually makes a lot of sense. The pose is my favourite, though. It is simply genius how they have linked to Baroque art, which was mostly religious, having Guinevere pose as a crucified Jesus. Genius!

Azealia Banks covers the new Dazed & Confused
TFS

If you follow Know Wear you know I'm not the biggest fan of Dazed & Confused. But sometimes, I have to give it to them, they're the only ones daring to do new things without worrying about being politically correct or even commercial.
For their September issue cover they have featured the Harlem singer and rapper Azealia Banks shot by the super talented Sharif Hamza. And I just love everything about it. The colours are great – I love the hair the most, it looks like of big peacock feather. The story inside, styled by Karen Langley, takes a nice spin on the classic sexy girl-next-door theme we have seen over and over. And I don't think I need to say much about the cover picture, do I? I think it's genius and I can't understand how it's been banned in 7 countries. We live in the 21st century, for crying out loud.
So far, this is one of the best September covers this year. After Vogue's boring covers I really needed something to get me excited again.

What do you think?

Lady Gaga covers the September issue of American Vogue
TFS

I was so shocked when I saw the September cover of American Vogue this morning. At first, I thought it was just fan art – someone had photoshopped Lady Gaga's face, the September cover star, onto a dress and added some copy around it. After checking Vogue.com I realised I was in the wrong, this was the actual cover.
I don't know quite where to begin. Let's start with the only two good things about the cover, perhaps. It has a very contemporary feel that American Vogue has been missing for a while now. And the layout is a lot cleaner than it usually is, there is no feeling of clutter. But everything else is all over the place.
The Mert & Marcus cover image is so incredibly retouched I am still wondering whether any of the body we see belongs to Gaga or if they have just photoshopped her face onto it. The highlights and shading have been done in such an amateur way it's embarrassing. As is the crappy red waving banner on the Vogue title. Not only it doesn't make any sense aesthetically but the unnatural colour takes away from the effect that the purple gown should have instead.

What do you think of the cover?

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley covers the new ELLE UK
ELLE UK Twitter

I was so surprised when I woke up this morning and found that ELLE UK had already released their September 2012 newstand cover. I thought it would be at least another two weeks before we saw any September cover from the big titles. But I'm not complaining.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looks super sexy in the cover shot by David Vasiljevic wearing FW12 Dolce & Gabbana. While the concept is quite simple, not very new, I quite like the fact that they've chosen Rosie because she's probably the biggest British model at the moment. I am also hoping that the subscriber's cover will blow my socks off. Who know, they might even have more than one cover star... After all, that's what LOVE magazine does and it seems to work every time.
What do you think of the Rosie cover?

Viviana Volpicella styles Bianca Balti for the new Vogue Brazil
Vogue Brazil Facebook Page

I had been wondering for a while why Viviana Volpicella tweeted so much about Brazil in the last couple of months. And even though I had no idea what she was doing I knew I should be excited because something good was coming up. And I was right.

Bianca Balti covers the August issue of Vogue Brazil totally styled by Viviana and shot by Fernando Lombardi. And I love everything about this cover. I love how chic and clean it it – you know I hate copy clutter. The styling is superb and great for an August issue and obviously the hair and makeup are spotless, but when a woman looks like Bianca Balti you don't really need a lot of work in that department. I just love the mix of the clear Italian touches of Viviana with this super latin energy that reads Brazil so clearly.

I hope this isn't a one of and that Viviana is continuing to do their covers because with her help Vogue Brazil can really become one of the big Vogue titles.

Kristen Stewart & Charlize Theron cover the new Interview Russia
interviewrussia.ru

Another great cover from Interview Russia! I'm obsessed with some of the international versions of Interview and Vogue at the moment. And I love how they play with their own material and with reprint with the European and American versions. This time they have taken one of the stills from the June/July issue of the original American Interview shot by Mikael Jansson. I actually like this version a lot more than the original and I love what they've done with the colours and the title detail.
Kristen looks super pissed off here but I like it, it's a bit bad ass. The composition actually reminds me a bit of the June 2011 cover of W featuring Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. There is something so nice about this kind of crop. I just love everything about this cover!

What do you think?

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?

Joan Smalls covers the new W Korea in Burberry Prorsum
TFS

I love how chameleonic Joan Smalls is. She is one of the few models who is just as versatile on the runway as in editorial. I love how after covering the July issue of the American version of W with a romantic and girly vibe she can transform into a tough girl for the August cover of W Korea. And I love that she does it wearing one of my favourite pieces from the FW12 collections – the Burberry Prorsum trench with the Prince of Wales tweed peplum.

It's also nice to see what is clearly only the first of many FW12 Burberry pieces styled in a sexier way than at the show. But you can always count on Joan to add a sexy edge to everything she does.

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.

Two of the best covers of the month, made in Korea
TFS

Sometimes I feel like we get the short end of the stick when it comes to fashion magazines in Europe. Some of the newer international titles of publications like Vogue, ELLE or W are doing such interesting things abroad with reprints – what I call editorial recycling – of stories from the European editions.
Korea is really teaching everyone a lesson or two about how to use a previously shot editorial and make the most out of it. Exhibit number 1 is the cover of Vogue Korea, where they've used the Inez & Vinoodh story from the June-July issue of French Vogue as their cover. I did love the original Vogue Paris front picture but this one is a really powerful opener as well!
Exhibit number two used the 'Mighty Aphrodite' shoot from the June issue of Vogue UK for the cover of W Korea. This shot of Kate Moss in Atelier Versace by Mert & Marcus is a great call! The colours and the dark and sexy vibe of the picture are a perfect fit for W.

Emma Stone steals the July covers
TFS, Courtesy of Glamour Spain

When I said Emma Stone is having a moment I really meant it. It's a bit annoying that she needed a film like Spiderman to get the attention from certain audiences because she was amazing in films like Easy A or The Help. This week, many magazines have unveiled their July issue covers and as it turns out Emma is on many of them.

The first one was obviously the American Vogue cover, which is so far still my favourite. Then it was New York Magazine. I love this cover because I think it really captures the goofy character that made Emma famous in the first place. It's just really cute.

Teen Vogue chose her and on and off-screen boyfriend Andrew Garfield (who incidentally is one of the best dressed guys at the moment). Who wouldn't want to buy this cover? You want to look like them. You want to be them. I want this issue!

Glamour Spain also featured Stone at the front of their latest issue. This cover looks familiar, you might say. And you'd be right because that same Patrick Demarchelier picture covered last year's August issue of Vanity Fair. Another example of this editorial recycling that fascinates me so much.

Chanel SS12 face-off: Lily Donaldson vs. Jessica Biel
TFS, JustJared

I'm a complete sucker for these silly things, you will have noticed by now. I love commenting on how different people wear the same dress, even if it's completely irrelevant.

Lily Donaldson covers the July issue of Vogue Russia in the same Chanel dress Jessica Biel wore to the MTV Movie Awards about two weeks ago. This number for the SS12 collection is a bit of a tricky one because of the volume and length of the sleeves, which can look boxy.
I'm not sure about Lily's hair, although it does work on the cover, but Biel made the same mistake. She would have looked a lot better with her hair up – it usually works better with long-sleeve, closed-neck dresses – and she should have gone for a strappy sky-high sandal or stiletto. Her Barbara Bui shoes added a nice colour but the ankle strap cuts off her leg making her look shorter.
It's a shame because I love the scalloped effect that the texture of the knit dress creates. Kate Bosworth would have rocked the hell of out this piece!

What do you think? Vote below.

Emma Stone covers the latest American Vogue
TFS

So it turns out we really didn't have to wait until tomorrow to see Emma Stone's American Vogue cover in HQ.
I have either been dissing or ignoring the American Bible for the most part of this year because it really plays it safe sometimes. It is a shame because it used to be one of my favourite magazines. And it ¡'s exactly issues like this – July 2012 – that remind me why.
Mario Testino shot an absolutely Stunning Emma Stone for the latest issue. The background is soft and looks great against the sexy Nina Ricci ensemble on Stone. This semi see-through black lace is not often seen at the front of American Vogue... and I love it! Emma's face is flawless, of course. I really like how they've brought our her eyes between the background colour and the eye makeup.
The editorial inside is also quite interesting. There's a quirky theme going on that makes me think of stories from Vogue Italia. Anna is really going European on this issue. My favourites are her in Prada, in a lovely Versus number, and two super sexy looks – one by Givenchy and the other by Jil Sander.

What do you think of the cover?

Joan Smalls covers the latest issue of W
TFS

People have been especially keen on leaking some the July covers this week. We normally get a couple of very blurry and odd-coloured camera phone shots a few days the magazines release them officially. However, this week we already saw quite a few previews of the latest American Vogue cover featuring Emma Stone, which I am very excited to see. While we will probably have to wait until Monday to see the high-res version, W's newest cover has already been leaked in all its glory.

A stunning Joan Smalls, shot by Steven Klein, covers the July issue of the magazine. Quite a few people on The Fashion Spot forums have mentioned how much she looks like Tyra Banks but I personally disagree. Tyra's got nothing on Joan, as far as I'm concerned. I love the golden hair, the amazing makeup and the ruffled white lace.

The editorial inside includes Karlie Kloss, who fronts the other cover of this issue. I can't quite tell which way the styling will go but guessing from the cover title – "The new face of fashion" – I'm hoping for an effortless supermodel vibe.