So I eagerly picked up my first ever issue of Vogue – this big ass March edition with the lovely Tina Fey gracing the cover. I’ve never felt the need to buy the magazine since I am not a woman, but I felt that it’s such an influential magazine, any fashionisto wannabe should at least have at least bought one issue right? After all, people literally worship the magazine.
So I sat on my couch, eager to see what all the hub-bub was about. After watching The September Issue I wanted to see all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this bible of fashion. All the fabulousness of Ms. Wintour and the artistic eye of Grace Coddington.
I sat flipping through the customary first few pages of advertisements (prime real estate right?)… and then I was flipping… and flipping… until I finally reach the first piece of wonderful Vogue writing. Wait. A table of contents? What page is this? Page 100?
Fair enough. Keep flipping.. and flipping through ads… and then I hit at about page 128… another table of contents? I guess there’s just SO much content, they couldn’t fit it all in one (or have them consecutive). Alright, let’s get rolling.
At about page 168… a third part of the table of contents? Are you kidding me?
I finally started hitting traces of content here and there. Some style tips here, and article about an article bloggers that would appear later. At about page 400 is when I finally hit my first editorial. From that point on it was pretty good, a solid block of content and pretty fashions until the end of the magazine. I was left a bit dissatisfied and I wanted to know exactly how much content I actually just read.
Ads on the right, content on the left
Final Figures
- Total Pages: ~578
- ~60 Pages of Pure Non-Advertisement Content: Roughly 10% of the entire magazine
I’m not naive, print media is certainly on the decline and need these advertisements to survive. In a way, there’s no better presentation of a designer’s looks than the ad campaigns themselves. But do I really need to buy a magazine to look at what is essentially a collection of ads? From a marketing standpoint, don’t ads lose effectiveness when there’s a shitload at once? Or maybe I’m just a fashion newb, and I don’t understand the industry that well.
So here is my open question to the fashion world, what’s the big deal with Vogue?
Oh on a side note – I don’t think the same Gucci dress should be featured twice in the same issue.
Simple Boy 
Autopsy of Vogue March
So I eagerly picked up my first ever issue of Vogue – this big ass March edition with the lovely Tina Fey gracing the cover. I’ve never felt the need to buy the magazine since I am not a woman, but I felt that it’s such an influential magazine, any fashionisto wannabe should at least have at least bought one issue right? After all, people literally worship the magazine.
So I sat on my couch, eager to see what all the hub-bub was about. After watching The September Issue I wanted to see all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this bible of fashion. All the fabulousness of Ms. Wintour and the artistic eye of Grace Coddington.
I sat flipping through the customary first few pages of advertisements (prime real estate right?)… and then I was flipping… and flipping… until I finally reach the first piece of wonderful Vogue writing. Wait. A table of contents? What page is this? Page 100?
Fair enough. Keep flipping.. and flipping through ads… and then I hit at about page 128… another table of contents? I guess there’s just SO much content, they couldn’t fit it all in one (or have them consecutive). Alright, let’s get rolling.
At about page 168… a third part of the table of contents? Are you kidding me?
I finally started hitting traces of content here and there. Some style tips here, and article about an article bloggers that would appear later. At about page 400 is when I finally hit my first editorial. From that point on it was pretty good, a solid block of content and pretty fashions until the end of the magazine. I was left a bit dissatisfied and I wanted to know exactly how much content I actually just read.
Ads on the right, content on the left
Final Figures
I’m not naive, print media is certainly on the decline and need these advertisements to survive. In a way, there’s no better presentation of a designer’s looks than the ad campaigns themselves. But do I really need to buy a magazine to look at what is essentially a collection of ads? From a marketing standpoint, don’t ads lose effectiveness when there’s a shitload at once? Or maybe I’m just a fashion newb, and I don’t understand the industry that well.
So here is my open question to the fashion world, what’s the big deal with Vogue?
Oh on a side note – I don’t think the same Gucci dress should be featured twice in the same issue.