10 Greatest Vogue Covers Of All Time
Vogue is the fashion bible, and gracing the cover is a big deal, but which covers were the best.
The Vogue cover is a highly awaited announcement every month in fashion circles, as readers wait to see whose face will grace the cover. While nowadays, it is usually a model, celebrity or pop culture icon, in the beginning the magazine used fashion illustrations as cover images, until 1932, when they embraced new technologies and introduced the first ever photographic cover. This was an early sign of things to come as Vogue are still early adopters of trends, styles and often people, as they have the ability to put a relatively new face on the cover and make them a star. Once a space reserved only for supermodels, the cover has since featured everybody from pop culture icons to president's wives as they embraced new stars and moved with the times.
Even today starring on a Vogue cover is seen as such a prestigious accolade due to the fact that it is can usually lead to higher levels of fame, and instant recognition. Only time will tell what future vogue covers, and new developments will bring to the table, but for now we can use them as a point of reference to look back on, and appreciate them for the iconic images that have been created so far.
10. July 1932 - The First Photographic Cover
The first images to grace the magazines cover were all fashion illustrations, as photography had yet to be invented. In July 1932, Vogue,cementing its status as an early adopter of new ideas, opted to use a, now iconic, photograph on the front cover to replace the usual illustrations. featuring a swimsuit clad model holding a beach ball above her head, the image is now sold as a print on anything from posters to postcards.
Photographed by Edward Steichen, the image was a first for the industry, and the use of photographs on front covers was quickly emulated by other publications, before becoming the norm that it is today.