GOOD magazine covers: mega thread

[Tinyportia]

I noticed that we have a thread to discuss bad magazine covers (Bad Vogue Covers), but there is no general thread to discuss and share images of good magazine covers. Hence the purpose of this thread. It's not just limited to Vogue covers, but any magazine covers that you think are good or otherwise deserving of a place in this thread.

To kick things off, I thought I'd share some images of some of my favourite covers from the archives. These all happen to be Vogue covers, but as mentioned, this thread is not just limited to Vogue of course.

British Vogue, March 1993.
Photographer: Corrine Day
Model: Kate Moss
Kate Moss's first ever Vogue cover
In 2020, Corrine Day was interviewed by British Vogue about this cover and she said the following about photographing Kate: "She was just this cocky kid from Croydon. She wasn’t like a model... but I knew she was going to be famous".

Vogue Italia, July 2007
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Denisa Dvorakova
This cover was part of an editorial titled "Supermodels Enter Rehab" by Steven Meisel. WWD described the editorial as "a tongue-in-cheek fashion story inspired by the antics of Britney Spears, along with the film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". I previously posted some photos from that editorial here.

Vogue Korea, April 2010
Photographer: Rafael Stahelin
Model: Abbey Lee Kershaw
I love Abbey on this cover, she looks how I imagine her to be irl: hungry and strung out lol. This cover was part of an editorial aptly titled "The Lovely Bones"

Vogue Russia, special edition 2013
Photographer: Mariano Vivanco
Model: Sasha Luss
This was Sasha Luss's first ever Vogue cover. I think her face looks incredible here. Back in November 2013, she posted a photo of this cover on her Instagram and said "What can be better then to wake-up and see ur Vogue Cover? Amazingly happy! @voguerussia ❤❤❤ and u know... Well... Its great to be russian! And to be a part of such a beautiful Vogue family".

Vogue Italia, April 2005
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Gemma Ward

Vogue Italia, July 2005
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Linda Evangelista
This cover was part of an editorial titled "Makeover Madness" (which is like 60 pages long I believe) representing the before, during and after stages of getting plastic surgery.

British Vogue, January 1990
Photographer: Peter Lindbergh
Models: Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz and Christy Turlington
When interviewed about this iconic cover in 2016, Cindy Crawford said:

At the time I had no idea it was going to be so legendary. Vogue’s editor Liz Tilberis had asked Peter Lindbergh to photograph the new woman of the Nineties; Peter’s reply was that he couldn’t do it with just one woman. The idea of beauty had broadened; it could not be summed up with either a blonde, blue-eyed girl or a sexy brunette, he told her. There was change in the air and Peter and Liz picked up on that. We weren’t photographed with a ton of hair and make-up; we were quite undone. Coming out of the Eighties, which was all big hair and boobs pushed up, it felt refreshing and new. And I loved the styling, those little Giorgio di Sant’Angelo bodysuits with our Levi’s.

I remember how hot it was that day in New York; we were on the streets in the Meatpacking District. All of us girls were friendly, though some were closer than others, but it was before cellphones, so when we were together we really talked, not distracted by our messages. Managing five women jostling for position cannot have been easy, but Peter is a dream to work with. He knew how to control us".

 

[lizzielacksiron]

Some recent Vogue covers (2019/20) I've actually liked (they're few and far between).

Vogue Australia, March 2019
Photographer: Nicole Bentley
Models: Angourie Rice, Adut Akech, Amy Shark

Vogue Australia, March 2020
Photographer: Daniel Jackson
Model: Zendaya

Vogue Italia, February 2020
Photographer: Paolo Roversi
Model: Maty Fall Diba

Vogue Italia, May 2020
Photographer: Karim Sadli
Model: Kaia Gerber

Vogue Paris, September 2019
Photographer: Alasdair McLellan
Model: Rianne van Rompaey
(this one is by far my favourite)

 

[under.the.warm.moonlight]

Vogue Italia, May 2007
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Gemma Ward

Vogue Italia, August 2007
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Magdalena Frackowiak and Maryna Linchuk

Vogue Italia, July 2012
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Elena Bartels, Erjona Ala, Julia Nobis, Lida Fox, Mackenzie Drazan, and Vanessa Axente

Vogue Italia, June 2009
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Daniel Hicks and Meghan Collison

Vogue Poland, March 2018
Photographer: Juergen Teller
Model: Anja Rubik and Malgosia Bela

 

[ghost]

Vogue Italia August 2005
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Snejana Onopka

Vogue Paris February 2005
Photographer: Mario Testino
Model: Gemma Ward

 

[Skinny2skin]

Vogue Spain, April 1990
Photographer: Patrick Demarchelier
Model: Christy Turlington

Vogue, June 1966
Photographer: David Bailey
Model: Britt Ekland

Cosmopolitan Magazine UK, June 1976
Photographer: Francesco Scavullo
Model: Jerry Hall

 

[under.the.warm.moonlight]

Vogue Italia, April 2017
Photographer: Mert & Marcus
Model: Sara Grace Wallerstedt

Vogue Paris, October 2018
Photographer Mikael Jansson
Model: Rianne Van Rompaey

Vogue Czechoslovakia, April 2019
Photographer: Dan Beleiu
Model: Grace Hartzel

Vogue Portugal, January 2021
Photographer: Alexandre Desmidt
Model: Yumi Lambert

 

[raindancexo]

Vogue Italia, March 2020
Photographers: Mert and Marcus
Model: Not a real model, this is completely CGI.

Vogue Italia, May 2019
Photographer: Steven Klein
Model: Anok Yai

Vogue Russia, April 2021
Photographer: Camilla Akrans
Model: Jean Campbell

Harper's Bazaar Mexico, April 2020
Photographer: Ivan Aguirre
Model: Andrea Carrazco

 

[eliza88]

Vogue Italia, May 2019
Photographer: Steven Klein
Model: Anok Yai

Vogue Russia, April 2021
Photographer: Camilla Akrans
Model: Jean Campbell

I find the first and last one intriguing with its clever and deliberate use of angles and style. Definitely very VOGUE. Even the Harper’s Bazaar one is more “Vogue” than I had ever seen of Vogue this year.

Am not a fan of the middle two.
Vogue again either falling pathetically short of odd, and peculiar in a BAD way, OR falling completely FLAT with zero stylistic or artistic element.

Like what is up with that erect posture holding the dog ear? I’m not even sure if there’s a hidden message there I’m just failing to understand.
Looks like some subpar photography on Model Mayhem.

I find the one with the horse and boring model terrible too. Terrible crop of 3/10 of a horse and some boring model in a dressing gown that just got out of bed.

These two belong in the BAD covers in my opinion.

 

[aestheticallyskinny]

Vogue Arabia October 2021 'The New Frontiers'
Ph: Julien Vallon

I quite enjoy this Vogue issue, probably due to the undeniable fact of seeing new faces and no awful body positivity attempt. Beautiful color palette, lighting, garments, and a meaningful message regarding the individuality of Hijabi women.

"A future void of colorism, nepotism, and sexism. A future where each individual can proudly own her truth, her history, her authentic self. The Vogue Arabia October 2021 issue points to a new world, a community of individuals who are like-minded in their quest for excellence and non-conformism." Vogue

Models:

Aouatif Saadi


Nadia Khaya


Rawdah Mohamed

 

[nav16]

Vogue Taiwan January 2022
Model: Peng Chang
Photographer: Zhong Lin

I find this cover absolutely breathtaking. I saw it earlier today and have not stopped thinking about it lol.