You've probably heard the news by now but, as you can imagine, it's too good not to comment. Carine Roitfeld has officially signed on as the new global fashion director of Harper's Bazaar. Aside from the fact that it means that we can expect to see a lot more Roitfeld-styled shoots (hurrah!), the move is a big middle finger to Condé Nast, who haven't shied away from criticising the former Vogue Paris editor recently.
According to a press release, Roifeld will work with Harper's creative director Stephen Gan (who she also works with on CR Fashion Book) on several fashion stories each year, which will appear acroess the 26 intentional editions of the magazine. 'This collaboration marks the first time anything like this has been done and we're very excited about what Carine will bring to Bazaar editions around the world,' Hearst CEO and president Duncan Edwards said in a statement. 'She is a visionary in the fashion world and we are so happy to be working with her.'
On the whole, Nicole Kidman is a good cover star. Her one for Vogue Australia's May issue is still one of my favourites from her, so much so that I'm willing to put the monstrosity that was her V magazine cover to one side. That aside, she really did need to pull it out of the bag for her latest one and thankfully she did.
The actress appears on the November cover of US Harper's Bazaar glowing in a gold dress alongside cover lines that ironically say, 'Sexy & Age Appropriate' and 'The Daring Issue.' Even more ironic is the fact that the cover was shot by Terry Richardson. Considering how revealing her Mario Testino-shot V cover was, you would have thought that was more Richardson's bag but credit where credit's due, he's actually done a good job with it.
Emily Blunt always nails her covers but that rings particularly true of her latest one for Harper's Bazaar Australia. The actress, who is currently promoting her latest movie 'Looper' appears on the magazine's November issue styled in a printed halter neck dress and that YSL artsy ring that none of seem to be able to get enough of.
Blunt has had quite a few strong covers in the past but this is definitely my favourite. The dress works perfectly on her and the lighter hair works suits her too.
As regular readers will know, I'm an avid supporter of the use of models on the cover of fashion magazines. The current obssession for celebrities has taken on a whole new dimension making it rare to the big titles champion models on their covers, especially at a time where many are struggling to secure those big ad pages and circulation figures. Harper's Bazaar UK, on the other hand, have done the opposite with their October issue.
Rather than opting for a celebrity the magazine offers two cover options; one starring Laetitia Casta and another fronted by Joan Smalls and to accompany it, both women have a full-on features too. In the respective interviews Casta talks about her experiences working with Yves Saint Laurent and her thoughts on the future of the house; while Derek Blasberg spoke to Smalls about being rejected by casting agents before getting snapped up by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.
Aside from the fact that both covers are beautiful, the casting also works because of their ages. Smalls very much represents today's new breed of supermodels so it was nice to balance that with Casta who, while still young in the grand scheme of things, at 34 year-old represents an older generation of supermodels.
Since Lucy Yeomans' surprise announcement back in March that she was leaving her editor's role at Harper's Bazaar to head up the editorial team at Net-A-Porter, not much was said about her replacement but today, Justine Picardie was confirmed as the magazine's new editor-in-chief.
Picardie isn't new to fashion. In the past she's served as columnist for the Telegraph, a contributing fashion editor at Stella and as the features editor at Vogue so the move seems like a natural step. 'Bazaar has an inspiring heritage as a luxury brand from the days of Carmel Snow, Alexey Brodovitch and Diana Vreeland, to Fabien Baron and Liz Tilberis, and I hope to celebrate the creativity and editorial ambition of the title with the same dedication as my predecessors,' she said in a statement.
US Harper's Bazaar aren't the only ones releasing behind-the-scenes videos from their September issue cover shoot. Last week US Vogue released this video with Lady Gaga.
Granted, the video doesn't quite match up to Bazaar's sit down interview with Gwen Stefani. On the flip side, Vogue do offer up Marc Jacobs fluffy hats, elf shoes and Gaga doing her best Beyoncé hair-flicking impressions while her aptly titled new song 'Hair' plays. What more could you want?
British Harper's Bazaar always nail their covers and their September issue is a case in point. Keira Knightley looks beautiful sporting a piece from the Chanel A/W12 collection.
The cover comes in the wake of the promotional tour for Knightley's new movie, Anna Karenina, in which she stars alongside Jude Law so I'm sure this is only the start of a long line of covers that we'll see soon. In the accompanying editorial, the actress spoke to Harper's editor Jennifer Dickinson about everything from what it's like to be a Chanel spokesperson to finding love as she approaches her thirties.
The September issue of Harper's Bazaar hits newsstands on Thursday August 2.
It's officially that time of year again. The September issues are just around the corner and the first few are already out. As always, Vogue Australia have released their first and stars Bella Heathcote and Numero Tokyo's CandiceSwanepoel cover has also hit the net. While both magazines have opted for models, their covers are by no means representative of what you can expect from other titles. All of the rest have gone for celebrities and while that does bug me, the fact that Kim Kardashian doesn't appear on any is a bonus.
As we all know, Lady Gaga has been shot by Met & Marcus for American Vogue, as she continues to drum up attention around her debut fragrance. Glamour have confirmed that they've booked Victoria Beckham to cover theirs and I'm excited. Beckham's covers have been really strong lately and she just might be what the magazine needs after those disappointing covers with Mila Kunis and Amanda Seyfried. InStyle has opted for Jennifer Lopez, Marie Claire have gone for Miley Cyrus, W for Penelope Cruz, Interview for Emma Stone and V for Nicole Kidman.
Vanity Fair's decision to book Jessica Chastain makes sense. The actress looks incredible in statement designer pieces and does old school Hollywood glamour like nobody else. Also good is the news that GwenStefani will cover US Harper's Bazaar. Anyone that's followed the magazine since their revamp earlier on this year will know that their covers have been bang on, and their main fashion stories even stronger so I'm sure that's going to be a good'un.
The headlines may still be full of reports about the end of Vera Wang's marriage but Michael Kors is one designer that's been talking about just how happy his marriage is recently. In the August issue of Harper's Bazaar the designer reminisces about tying the knot with longtime partner Lance LaPere in 'The List' feature:
Our wedding day last year was our dream day. We stayed with friends in Southampton. We both had massages, we had caviar for lunch — gobs of it. We went to the beach and got married barefoot. Then we went to see The Help in East Hampton and afterward we went out for pizza at Sam's. Give me beach, give me a movie I can cry at with someone I love, and within that day have my favorite junk food and my favorite indulgent food.
Pizza and a movie on your wedding day, really? Well if it's good enough for Kors....
Miranda Kerr continues to go from strength to strength. Over the past few years she's racked up some really strong fashion editorials and campaigns and last month she made her first appearance in British Vogue's July issue along with her son, Flynn - but it doesn't end there. This morning British Harper's Bazaar revealed that her as the cover star for their August issue, her first big British cover.
'If the unshakeable gaggle of paparazzi that follow her across the globe are anything to go by, we have an insatiable appetite for the mode,' Natalie Evans-Harding wrote on the magazine's website this morning when confirming the news. 'Her iconic style and bubbly, upbeat personality is why she's reached such status, and why she debut's as Bazaar's August girl for the first time.'
The cover shoot was lensed by Giampaolo Sgura and the issue hits newsstands on Monday July 2nd.
