The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Fashion Forward

“If one has ever laid their eyes upon the fashion magazine section at their local Borders or Barnes & Noble, they must be aware that, more than any other type of publication, women’s fashion magazines are probably the most populated genre. With endless titles to choose from, it may be quite difficult for the average reader to make a selection.”

If one has ever laid their eyes upon the fashion magazine section at their local Borders or Barnes & Noble, they must be aware that, more than any other type of publication, women’s fashion magazines are probably the most populated genre. With endless titles to choose from, it may be quite difficult for the average reader to make a selection.

Of course Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar are standard fashion mags always jam-packed with enough information to keep one updated; and trendier books like V and W cater to a hipper, younger crowd with a lust for cool photography and cutting-edge fashion.

Of all the international fashion magazines, no publication captures the up-to-this-second fashion era better than Vogue Paris.

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Edited by the highly innovative, in my opinion genius, Carine Roitfeld, whose chic Parisian style and coquettish attitude have garnered her a massive fan base, Vogue Paris, also sometimes incorrectly called French Vogue, is the glossiest, most provocative, most cerebral fashion magazine printed in the world.

I may be biased because I buy it every month, but I believe that it is the epitome of everything a fashion publication should be, both glamorous and witty, highly elitist and yet, accessible.

Also, unlike the majority of fashion magazines today, celebrities rarely appear on the cover of Vogue Paris.

Instead Roitfeld opts to feature top models photographed by the best photographers in the industry on her covers.

Each month an issue is centered on a certain theme, which is then explored in detail, sometimes unconventionally, in the magazine’s pages. November’s issue is dedicated to a mixture of African tribal fashion and street graffiti culture, particularly the work of deceased artist Keith Haring, who frequently employed tribal motifs in his art.

Brazilian supermodel Isabeli Fontana appears on the cover, her face and arms done up in primitivistic body paint, wearing an army green Celine by Phoebe Philo militaristic pencil skirt and a sculptural black necklace/halter crop-top.

Every issue Roitfeld, who is the only editor-in-chief of a magazine who also styles the editorials in the back pages, and Fashion Director Emmanuelle Alt push the conventions of style by combining the most contrasting of pieces, mixing high end designers with younger, street brands and adding in their own quirky touches.

For example, a tribal editorial in the current issue of the magazine Roitfeld wrapped and knotted a Louis Vuitton cashmere blanket into a cave woman-like mini-dress, pairing it with tropical floral-printed Prada briefs and African beaded bracelets and necklaces to create a modern, super luxurious version of the primitive woman.

The November issue is currently on newsstands, so next time you are at Barnes and Noble, be sure to look out for it.

Yes, it is written in French, but the imagery is so stunningly brilliant that even if one cannot read a lick of the language, the sheer artistry is worth every bit of the $16 price tag.

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