Gwen Stefani absolutely nailed her September cover of US Harper's Bazaar in what was by far the strongest September cover and now she's done it again on the November cover of ELLE UK.
The magazine has always supported British designers so it comes as no surprise that they opted to style Stefani in one of the tops from Peter Pilotto's Fall 2012 collection. My only wish is that they had opted for a full Pilotto look rather than teaming it with the McQ skirt, even though it is nice to see two British brands on the cover.
Will you pick the issue up when it hits newsstands on Wednesday September 5.
These designers have no reserve. They've chosen a path and thrown themselves onto it head first, regardless of everything. Whether or not their designs are sellable or vulgar. As long as it's new and people talk about it. That is the truth.
On Friday ELLE UK unveiledRosie Huntington-Whitley as the cover star of their all-important September issue and so far, it's one of my favourites. Rosie manages to tick two boxes. While she is quickly becoming best known for her role in the third installment of Transformers and therefore ticks the celebrity box, she is first and foremost a model and that's something the majority want to see more of.
Considering that her July 2011 cover of the magazine did really well on newsstands, it comes as no surprise that she's been chosen for the latest issue, and the timing makes sense. At the moment she's preparing to release her debut lingerie collection for Marks & Spencer, which she models in the accompanying shoot along with brands like Marios Schwab and Burberry.
When I posted this image of the new Saint Laurent Paris logo on Twitter a week or so ago, the response wasn't good and the same is true of the commnts the brand received after posting the image on Facebook. 'Where's the iconography? This is not iconic,' one fan said, while another criticised the new look for looking like high street store Zara's.
All of them, Dior and Hedi at Saint Laurent, are friends of mine, so I think it’s a very good thing... Paris needs some new things, some stimulation... It’s good for everybody. Competition is a healthy thing in life, especially in this business. I love the idea. I think it’s interesting and it’s important. Something fresh was needed.
With the warm weather here and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee around the corner, whether you're excited about it or not, Olympics fever is officially in full swing in the capital. As I previously reported, ELLE UK have decided to mark the occasion by securing David Beckham to appear on their July issue - the first time a man has ever covered the title alone - and yesterday the cover finally dropped.
Despite wearing a simple grey t-shirt on the cover, Beckham appears in the accompanying shoot wearing wet jeans doing the topless pose that he's all to familiar with, what with his countless underwear campaigns. But those days might be a thing of the past. 'My naked days are over,' she said.
'David Beckham is a national hero,' Elle editor Lorraine Candy said in a statement. 'He is an icon and Elle is known for featuring icons on its cover. This is a first for us on the newsstand I believe he is loved by men and women alike. Anyway, who doesn't want to see a picture of one of the world's most handsome men on the front cover of a magazine.'
In celebration of the Olympic Games taking place in London, ELLE UKannounced that David Beckham would appear on their July issue as their first male solo cover. Not to be left in the shade, British Vogue have also booked a national treasure in the form of Kate Moss.
The model appears on their June issue wearing a studded Versace dress shot by Mert & Marcus in what is her 32nd cover for the publication. Moss has proved a good choice for Vogue and definitely shifts issues the issue is the latest in a series of great covers from the magazine.
ELLE UK have been experimental when it comes to their cover stars recently. This month they gave us small clues over Twitter before announcing that David Beckham will be the first male solo cover star on the women's title. Before that, they used Twitter again to reveal that Kristen Stewart would be on their June cover.
Some criticised the move for removing the excitement and suspense about who the various cover stars would be but I don't think it detracts away from the issues at all. Far from taking something away, the news actually got me excited about what they would do with both stars and Kirsten's cover finally dropped. For the June issue cover, which hits newsstands on May 2nd, she appears wearing a white Jil Sander look on what is her second cover for the magazine. The actress definitely looks fresh and pretty but whether this is a cover that will stay in mind is another thing.
As handsome and stylish men go it doesn't get much better than David Beckham. When he's not appearing on major billboards and causing controversy over looking 'too sexy', his off-duty style continues to inspire a generation of men who continue to follow every hair change or style shake-up as if it's gospel. With that in mind, ELLE UK made our day this morning as they confirmed that he will front their July issue.
If you follow the magazine on Twitter you'll know that they have been teasing us as about which male will front their first ever solo male cover, with followers voting for their ideal person. Aside from breaking new ground, the cover is special for another reason as it celebrates the 2012 Olympic games coming to London.
I've always been a fan of the international titles. While Elle has always been my favourite British magazine, for as long as I can remember French and Italian Vogue have been amongst my montly magazine purchases but now my attention is turning to the the Australian editions. The April issue of Vogue Australia explains why.
It's really taken for granted today but it's so refreshing to see a fashion publication focus on using models on their covers rather than the current obssession with celebrities. Vogue Australia have also been a bit slow on embracing ethnically diverse models so it's great to see that Joan Smalls is being embraced on that side of the pond too. It's interesting to see the April issue take special attention to young designers, especially since fresh Australian brands like Dion Lee are starting to gain traction.
In a recent interview, Mother of Pearl head designer Amy Powney praised the quality on the British high street saying that brands like Jaeger, Whistles and Joseph are really bridging the gap between the high street and designer lines and often with the same quality - and it's true. Jospeh in particular have been producing great collection after great collection so it comes at no surprise that they have decided to follow Jaeger and show at London Fashion Week.
‘We felt we were ready for the next thing, hence the show,’ a representative from the brand told ELLEUK.com. ‘Shows make such a strong impact, and showing at London Fashion Week was a natural choice as obviously we are such a London-centric brand.’ Last week Peter Pilotto had no qualms in saying that unlike before, London Fashion Week is now the place to be and with strong accessible brands like Joseph joining the show rooster, it looks like things will stay that way.
