Friends, what can you get for $6 these days? An iced latte and a muffin at Starbucks? A tube of CVS-brand sunscreen, SPF 25?
This morning I spent that much for the big, fat September Vogue (916 pages, mainly ads), and the first time I have ever purchased a contemporary women's fashion magazine in my life. I rarely participate in big cultural moments -- parades, Super Bowls, Olympics, Oscars etc. -- but it does feel nice to do what everyone else is doing once in a while. Well, maybe not everyone.
I wanted to share a few first impressions today, since many of you may not see this issue till it ends up tossed in your neighborhood dumpster or used as fish wrapping. (I'll try to add designers' names later today; I'm pressed for time now.)
Opulent high fashion is what Vogue is all about, and a lot of today's fashion trends are in this luxury vein anyway: over-the-top embellishment, exotic fur, exquisite lace, and supple leathers are everywhere. Apparently big floppy hats (An Edwardian touch? Help me out here) and oversized glasses resembling those old automobile goggles from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are back. Leopard is still hot, along with Wookie fur, towering Joan Crawford shoes, and oversized status bags.
Irene Sharaff's period costumes from Funny Girl come to mind.
If faux were used, I could be on board with this fur thing. I've seen some fabulous stuff on 39th St at It's a Material World (upstairs).
Did I mention lace? This is actually a trend -- if a trend it is -- I like. This black lace gown (Ferragamo) on Kate Moss looks like something Helen Rose would have designed over at MGM in the late Forties/early Fifties.
Interesting color combinations and geometric patterns at Prada.
That last pantsuit reminds me of those mod William Travilla outfits Judy Garland stole off the Valley of the Dolls set and then wore in her concerts.
My favorite piece is actually from the Chanel ad campaign we giggled about the other day. I think this simple black robe is lovely and I've started to like the choppy hair too. The Big Bird coat -- seen here from the back -- not so much; it looks like a combination of turkey feathers and potato chips.
Hey look -- a smile from Mila Kunis over at Dior: a happy person!
Finally, will neon hair really catch on? You can recreate this look with a $15 wig from Ricky's and not worry about losing your job.
Readers, I must say I think my $6 were well spent, don't you? If nothing else, this Vogue will serve as bathroom reading for weeks and who knows how long as a door stop?
Any new trends you've seen here -- or elsewhere -- you're excited about? Do you think faux fur is OK, since it never had a life as an animal, or is it just as bad as the real thing, not to mention it's made from precious fossil fuels?
Have you ever bought September Vogue?
Have a great day, everybody!
Yes!!! I never miss a September issue of Vogue. Even when I wasn't a subscriber. The September issue is something I've always looked forward to. Best issue of the year.
ReplyDeleteI love love love the September Vogue. This issue is fabulous. I posted some pics of the Dior pull-out ad that shows various couture construction and muslin shots.
ReplyDeleteVogue (and all the other fashion) magazines are depressingly celebrity-oriented, but this issue seems to downplay that for once (Gaga feels more like a fashion-lebrity, rather than a full on Blake Lively / Gwynnie type).
Kill me now. I love that last photo of the brown shoes!
ReplyDeleteYes I like the sept issue too, but am definately not feeling it this year. I do love a bit of leopard print though!
ReplyDeleteI've never bought an issue of Vogue. All of this seems so very retro - the patterns, hats and coats. I'm glad that lace seems to be here to stay as a trend.
ReplyDeleteI love it ! The colors are gorgeous - love the yellow hair - maybe the Edwardian look is Downton Abbey inspired. I do agree about the back of the black coat - not flattering - and the two purses - early onset of something................
ReplyDeleteAre you going for anything particular in this issue ?
Holy Toledo, I gotta go get that issue, if only for the giggles. (and just last night, I was thinking about "Funny Girl"--you're psychic!!)
ReplyDeleteI no longer subscribe to Vogue, and I rarely even look at an issue, but the September issue still exerts a gravitational pull.....
I bought it a few times in the 80's but always felt guilty at the number of trees that were killed. And really, who wants to look at pictures of scrawny, zombie-faced women? The clothing may be fantastic, the poses sublime, but that 2 months from death look is a turn-off.
ReplyDeleteLove it, but when I imagine those clothes on my not so skinny frame, I get turned off. They should include pics of real women, curvy and plus size.
ReplyDeletePlus size......you must be joking. That's the main reason I sew. Plus size clothing crosses the line into Hawaiian prints as soon as you hit size 18. And lingerie? Fugiddabout it. You have choice of white and beige. Apparently all those cute prints that look good on a skinny frame suddenly are too gauche for the hefty honeys, of which I am one.
ReplyDeleteExcellent tour of the September Issue, Peter!
ReplyDeleteThis stuff always looks great. On the runway.
Then it trickles down to the department and discount stores.
And suddenly it starts showing up at work and the supermarket.
On people who have no idea how to wear it.
Maybe the feather coat won't make the trip.
But the faux fur, lace dresses, and floppy hats will.
And they will linger.
Especially in the provinces. (I'm in Richmond.)
Ooof!
I'm not looking forward to it.
This all feels very Seventies.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the picture hats are "Downton Abbey"'s influence?
Steam punk strikes again? How else to explain the goggles and floppy hats?
ReplyDeleteChewbacca came to mind with one of the pictures. I don't like the choppy hair at all. Love the lace and adore the Prada.
ReplyDeleteI bought my first September issue 2 years ago. I keep it under my bed. I have still not finished it :))) I got very discouraged/disgusted with the 12-14 year old models and threw it under the bed and there it has stayed. I guess I should do something with it. Have any suggestions?
I have never even looked at a fashion magazine, much less bought one. Modern fashion creeps me out and I don't want it etched in my memory, I take my inspiration from anything pre wwI.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest most of that stuff looks like cobbled together circus costumes, I find most of it ugly, it's nothing you would ever see people walking around downtown in. Maybe that's just because I live in a small city in Canada. Do you actually see pedestrians in that stuff in New York?
Last time I bought the September issue was when I was in college. Now I find myself buying the fall Vouge Bambini instead, and "Milk" that is a staggering $24.00! Very inspiring though I must say.
ReplyDeleteNever bought it. Maybe I will this year. It's probably fun.
ReplyDeleteI like fur. But not any of those - blech! That wookie coat is just... shudder...
ReplyDeleteLove the Vogue september issue. Great fun always.
Miss Chanel just looks hangry (hungry/angry) and OMG someone give her a cream bun quickly.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Chewbacca holding a doctor's bag while hiding in the woods?
I would kill a model for those shoes in the last photo.
I've never bought the September issue but I've seen the movie.
Thank you for your precis! Best laugh I've had all morning!
Chewbacca's planet was attacked by Imperial storm troopers, they killed hundreds of wookies and chewy is delivering medical supplies to the survivors who are hiding out in the woods. Simple.
DeleteLately the September issue has been the only Vogue I buy. That black Chanel coat is my favorite as well. My son had Delta points he had to use so I'm getting Vogue as one of my subscriptions. It had better start with the September issue!
ReplyDeleteI love that red cardigan with the black tweed skirt as well.
Your post inspired me to buy it when I saw it at the market!
ReplyDeleteI love Barbra Streisand, and the big goofy hats and vintage-inspired stilettos look like fun. I'll have to check it out while I'm waitiing to pay for groceries this week. But the so-called "status bags?" No, thank you -- the bigger my handbag, the more I haul around in it, like the carpet bag in Mary Poppins. If I can fit a piano in my purse, it's just too damned big.
ReplyDeleteI have a tradition of sitting on the beach on beautiful August Day with the Sept issue of Vogue looking at the Fall Fashions. Usually the only issue of the year I buy.
ReplyDeleteHubster buys Sept. Vogues for 5 cents, and we leisurely take a look. Of course, not totally "current". I am a larger lady, over 200 lbs., and I adore clothes, and prints (lots will suit us), and colour blocking. Of course, sewing is a must. But also my bliss. I take inspirations from where I find it, from costume history, books, what I see on the street. I live in a city in Quebec, and frankly, there is terrific fashion/style variety, often ethnic too. Cathie, in Quebec.
ReplyDeleteI bought it while waiting for a flight today. I felt like i did when i bought "Brides" when i was 12. I knew it was a fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI lobed the dior ad that shows the inner structure of a beautiful gown. Maybe I've been reading too much from Gertie.
I'm loving the 70s vibe as that's one of my fave eras! I have quite a few 70s pieces in my collection. Also loving the fur hats. They remind me of my extremely stylish grandmother :D Though you haven't really shown any great examples of them, two other trends I'm loving for this fall are the return of jewel tones and 40s inspired fashions. Mustard and cobalt are just too awesome together, especially when you can't tell if an outfit is being disco or Dick Tracy!
ReplyDeleteI bought Vogue nearly every month (when I could afford it) from 70's to early 00's. Some years Sept Vogue was the only issue I bought. But now it seems the overall quality of the magazine has gone down hill and I very rarely buy it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not reading your post until I have my copy. September Vogue is a tradition in my family. I have copies of September Vogues since the 1990's. That's when my mother stopped saving hers. Her collection goes back to the late 60's early 70's
ReplyDeletethe September issue is wretched excess and soooo 20th century. The style.com Iphone app is much better than 4+lbs of paper that will only end up in a landfill
ReplyDeleteGreat site, Phyllis!
DeleteI've bought the Sept. Vogue a few times. I'm usually disappointed that I can't actually see the clothes due to the artsy poses used. It seems that other fashion magazines have better and more phots than Vogue does.
ReplyDeleteStyle.com - I used to stop by there often, I need to start again.
"The Big Bird coat -- seen here from the back -- not so much; it looks like a combination of turkey feathers and potato chips."
ReplyDeletePriceless! And you weren't kidding about the Wookie fur. Wow.
Am I the only who noticed cousin Cathy's Vogue debut modeling the leopard robe? The resemblance is striking!
I love those heels you dubbed the Joan Crawford shoes. The last Vogue September issue I bought was two years ago with Halle Berry cover.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little surprised that big bulky fur is back, and in unnatural colors. The fur just seems so ten years ago. Hmm... Anyway, if there was a way to recreate fur out of renewable resources I would definitely be for it. Being vegan, I'm vehemently opposed to fur and leather so yeah, I'm biased against them.
As for lace, I will love until I die. :) There's just something about lace that is appropriate for any occasion, it just depends on the type of lace it is. Personally, I can't get enough of seeing Chantilly lace fabric.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with you on the hats, they look more like a sombrero, and the furry part is going just a little too far. I am a fan of fur, but more classier styles. The gal in the long fur coat looks like a sasquatch, unless that's the look she's going for. I don't know. Enjoyed your site you are a funny guy. By the way I think you work the house dress and shower cap better. I am not into fashion as wildly as some but I do have a site of my own. I would love it if you would visit it, and leave a comment.
You have a good day. You seem to be a very upbeat person and I love that.
My site: www.SingerSewingSolutions.com
Thank you so much for brightening up my day!
Trudy