Glamour US vs. Glamour UK

It's a case of Glamour US vs. Glamour UK as Emma Watson covers both editions October issue. Looking fantastic in an off-the-shoulder dress with simple pulled back hair, Emma's UK cover is miles ahead of the US version (below left) which looks fairly dated and a tad cheap...

Ignoring the cringe-worthy subheadings ("good sex and loved advice from bad men," oh dear) the UK cover is much more elegant and 'fashion forward' when compared to the US one. It's nice to see the magazine doing something more chic, especially with a gorgeous Brit actress like Emma; unfortunately her US cover just falls a bit flat when it comes to the styling and pose.

It's quite unusual to see the Glamour franchise using the same actress on their October issue but it's interesting to see how she has been portrayed; the Emma that goes to school and dates boys (US) versus the Emma that has become a fashion icon and found love amidst the madness of fame (UK). What do you think of Emma's October covers and which edition do you prefer?

photos from thefashionspot.com

Love it or loathe it? Gwen Stefani covers Harper's Bazaar

Terry Richardson is one of those photographers that you either love or hate. When I was younger, I thought he was God's gift to photography and desperately tried to emulate his over-exposed snaps for my Myspace profile picture (this was pre-Facebook, by the way). As the years have passed, I've come to dislike his work more and more; besides making everyone look exactly the same, his photos are predictable and somewhat outdated.

With this in mind, I'm pretty gutted that Harper's Bazaar US chose him to photograph the incredible Gwen Stefani for their September 'Fashion' issue.

Gwen Stefani is, in my eyes, one of the most talented and iconic female musicians in the world. I could still listen to Tragic Kingdom on repeat and I definitely still want to be Gwen. Her style, her attitude, her looks - everything about her is inimitably cool. However, this cover does absolutely nothing for me.  The styling is average, the photography is average and as a result, it makes the gorgeous Gwen look average too.

There are some nice images from her editorial but there's no real 'wow factor'; this whole shoot would better suit some young Hollywood actress, not a musical legend. I appreciate that she's now a mother and isn't the eccentric 90s pin-up she was in her hey-day, but this is just bland. 

What do you think of Gwen's cover? Am I being too critical or should Harper's have done something more exciting with the choice of photographer and styling?

photos from thefashionspot.com

Kristen Stewart covers US ELLE

When I first heard that Kristen Stewart was to be ELLE's June cover-star, I wasn't holding out any hope that it would be good. For some unexplainable reason, I quite like Kristen. However, she's hardly renowned for being elegant or graceful in front of the camera; whether it's in photoshoots or on the red-carpet, Kristen Stewart is not what I'd call a 'natural'. I quite like the fact that she isn't your average cookie-cutter Hollywood starlet but with that in mind, ELLE have done a pretty good job in making her look like one for their June issue...

When you take the god-awful text out of the equation, this has all the potential of being a great cover. Kristen looks relaxed (a first, maybe?) and the styling is non-fussy and simple - my only issue is that now, she just looks like every other Hollywood actress. You could always count on Kristen to be a little bit awkward and this cover, which is undoubtedly stunning, takes that intrigue away. 

It's probably not normal to criticise something for being too 'good'; Kristen is, after all, just another Hollywood starlet but I'd grown so accustomed to seeing her as this awkward adolescent that now she just looks boring. What are your thoughts on ELLE's June cover? 

Photo from fashionscansremastered

Ashley Olsen for Elle UK

It's been a while since I've had a genuine reason to post about the Olsen's so I'm really excited to see Mary-Kate and Ashley featured in (and on the cover of) the April issue of Elle. Before you get too excited (like I did), this stunning shot of Ashley is only available for subscribers, though previews of the girls' feature and accompanying editorial are superb. I used to be more of a Vogue girl but Elle are really upping their game in terms of styling and editorials, especially when the subs covers are so incredibly beautiful. 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen deserve credit where its due. It is quite an achievement to make the transition from child star to fashion designer, however, the girls succeeded above all expectations and are now mature and well-respected industry professionals. What do you think of the Ashley's cover? Are you as much of a fan of Elizabeth and James and The Row as me?

LOVEstruck

LOVE is one of those magazines that I find so hit and miss (along with Wonderland, Indie, Dazed and Confused...) but their AW11/12 issue actually looks really good. I sound surprised only because previous issues have featured the likes of Justin Bieber which lets face it, is never going to be the most exciting of reads. In true LOVE style, they've gone all out and created a load of covers, of which Elle Fanning's is definitely my favourite.

Now, I don't actually know anything about Elle other than she's the younger sister of Dakota Fanning and that she's another teen-actress (did someone say pushy parents??) but this cover shot by Mert and Marcus is really rather charming, don't you think? I've previously harped on about how I hate seeing celebs on the cover of magazines all the time but maybe I can make an exception for up-and-coming actresses... The other covers do in fact feature models (Lara Stone included) but this was, for me personally, the standout. 

As well as having several covers (eight, to be precise), the issue has some stunning editorials - I didn't want to post about each and every one purely because I want to actually see them in the magazine first (I'm a proper magazine hoarder, fellow collectors will understand). However, I figured I'd share a couple of images from Super Natural featuring Lara, Kristen McMenamy, Daphne Groeneveld, Mariacarla Boscono and Nyasha Matonhodze.

Until I actually pick up a copy I won't hazard a guess as to why everyone is crying in this issue, I'm sure there's some deep and meaningful/political/social reason...It's been a while since I've actually looked forward to buying a magazine and whilst I never expected to get excited about LOVE, I'm pleasantly surprised. What do you all think and has anyone actually looked at it yet? 

photos from thefashionspot.com

Lara Stone covers Russian Vogue

It's official, silver is definitely having a moment. Last week I suggested that of all the metallic colours currently on the market, silver was the best and most user-friendly bet. It's been a while since I've seen anything with Lara Stone in - probably because I dropped off the blogosphere for a while - but this cover for Vogue Russia's July issue, although nothing particularly special, is really quite wonderful.

In a way it's quite morbid but I think it's really striking - you don't often see Vogue completely simplifying their covers but it makes a nice change. Lara also looks different - I'm not sure if its just the lipstick (and I hate to say this) but she kind of resembles newcomer Lindsey Wixon - or maybe that's just me?

I've always said that international editions of Vogue are much more interesting looking than the American and British verions - Korea always have something different going on. I think this is a really good direction for Vogue and its nice to not be inundated with some boring celebrity life-story, wouldn't you agree?

photo from forums.thefashionspot.com

Love Love Love

Or not, as the case may be...

I've always been a bit indifferent towards Love magazine; sometimes it's really great and then other times it's just really dull. This cover makes me especially unhappy because it has all the makings of a great cover but just completely misses the mark. 

Photographed by Mert and Marcus and featuring the beautiful Kate Moss, this cover for the Androgyny Issue of Love should have been something wonderful. Instead I can't help thinking that the dodgy text and even dodgier hair make Kate less than extraordinary. The styling (aside from the quiff/mullet) is average but the photography is great, what happened?!

To compensate for what I think is a poor Kate cover, I've put together some of her better ones from over the years:

The W cover is a particular favourite of mine - she makes a perm look hot! What is your favourite Kate cover and what do you think of the Love cover?

photos from fashiongonerogue.com and coverjunkie.com

Spotlight: Victoria Beckham

It's not everyday you see Victoria Beckham wearing a pale-blue cable knit jumper so this is a real treat. Victoria has graced the cover of British Vogue a couple of times, complete with her signature 'hand on head' pose so this cover for February's issue is a pleasant surprise. 

The pale colours scream '90s' but I absolutely love it; the 90s is my favourite era, after all. It's a shame Victoria can't shake that whole 'stiff pout' vibe (I'm sure there's dodgy connotations there somewhere but you get the picture) because she's actually a really beautiful woman. It's not going to be the most exciting cover of 2011 but for those that keep saying she's boring just think: at least it's not Cheryl Cole and she does design some amazing clothes. When you think back to when she fronted the whole WAG revolution, it's a miracle she's come out on top; you only have to Google 'Victoria Beckham WAG' to see what I mean...

Anyway, apologies AGAIN for not posting for ages - I had the flu and am now cracking the whip on my dissertation, keep checking back though as I will get back on track ASAP! What do you think of Victoria's latest cover? Does she get a thumbs up?

Photos from thefashionspot.com

Everybody Put Your Glasses Up

WHAT a babe. Rihanna is the perfect cover star for January's GQ; I think its safe to say that she's my new girl crush. This issue will definitely be on my Christmas list, anyone else?

Photos from rihannadaily.com

Cover Up

Everyone watched Lady Gaga's meteoric rise to stardom-hood at the beginning of this year but seriously, other than a couple of scantily-clad football game attendances - where has she been hiding?

At Vanity Fair getting naked and wearing ill-fitting wigs, it seems.

If this was anyone else I'd probably hate it (I'd definitely hate it in fact) but it isn't and OK so it's boring and she looks like she's taken a bunch of drugs but I'm glad to see her again. Weirdly it makes me want to do a Kelly Osbourne and dye my hair some strange shade of lilac and then paint my nails to match - but isn't that part of Gaga's (Osbourne is way less cool) appeal? Yes, is the answer.

I was going to write about the September Issue of UK Vogue which arrived on my doorstep this morning, but it was all battered up and featured Kate Moss on the cover AGAIN which made me too annoyed to even consider - I told you Vogue, I'm bored of seeing Moss on the cover, regardless of how beautiful she is.

And she really is beautiful, but still...Excessive cover star or just a super super model?

photos from thefashionspot.com and thefrisky.com

H to the Izzo

And so, the festival season has officially started. It's grey and on the verge of raining, yet us Brits will be flocking in our thousands to the Isle of Wight Festival today. I'm not going to lie, I'm jealous of all those soggy-to-be campers. Why? Because Jay-Z is headlining tomorrow night and I completely, totally love him.

He's one of those people, much in my eyes like Stephen Fry, Kevin Spacey and Sir Ian McKellen who I'd love to be my Dad, just imagine how cool that'd be...

This is his latest cover for Rolling Stone, on sale (in America, boo) now and although it's pretty similar to every other magazine he's on, it's still amazing (plus the content looks pretty good too, right?)

He's not the best looking man in the world (sorry Jay) and he sure does love those shades, but his covers are always super-cool (note to self - must look in a thesaurus for words other than 'cool'). He's also married to one of the most amazing female singers ever, which is never a bad thing...

Aren't they just the cutest? So to all you lucky Isle of Wighter's, have fun at Jay-Z for me!! He is the King of America, after all...

photos from justjared.buzznet.com and rollingstone.com