Over the years fashion magazines have evolved with the times. Editors have worked hard to establish an audience within a very crowded but popular market. This is of course great news for the budding and veteran fashionistas who seem to have an almost unlimited amount of choices on the magazine rack.
Fashion Magazines have grown to encompass so much more than fashion in many cases to allow publishers to broaden their appeal to a much wider audience, while others stoically cover fashion and fashion only.
Vogue Magazine
Undoubtedly, Vogue sets the standard by which all other fashion magazines are based or judged. At almost one century old, Vogue is the veteran of the genre and enjoys immense popularity and arguably the most name recognition amongst the popular fashion magazines. Designs in Vogue are popular established brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Prada & Chanel. Vogue is strictly haute couture. Famous for the large size of their fashion spreads, the famous fall fashion issue can easily exceed 700 pages.
Every month Vogue Magazine features articles in health, fitness, travel, and an inside look into the home of famous celebrity designers. Though Vogue includes these features, the magazines strength lies primarily in the larger than life layouts with top models and designers.
Elle Magazine
Like Vogue, Elle Magazine features high fashion but the main focus is on designer lines more accessible and affordable than some of the more expensive lines like Prada, or Chanel. Elle Magazine features comprehensive and large fashion spreads as well as expansive sections on accessories and beauty are a mainstay in.
However, Elle Magazine has worked hard to expand its audience. Working aggressively worked to broaden their readership by including articles normally found in popular women's magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Elle, while staying true to its fashion magazine roots is seeking to redefine the genre by becoming a fashion magazine that also features serious women's issues.
Harpers Bazaar
Harpers Bazaar is definitely for the true fashion enthusiast. Collections from all the fashion capitals are featured - New York , Milan and Paris giving its readers a broad eye view of upcoming collections from around the globe.
Issues routinely include color themes and sizable accessory sections.
Harpers Bazaar works hard to set itself apart from the rest of the fashion magazines. Bucking the trend to delve into the territory of other popular women's magazines, Harpers only features articles that are fashion related. This is evident in its slight size as Harpers is the smallest of the magazines in this particular genre. Harpers Bazaar is also the most affordable of the fashion magazines at only $8 per year.
W Magazine
W Magazine has been categorized as the most artistic of the fashion tomes. Weighty in size, W devotes a sizable amount of pages to their fashion spreads, allowing for a more unique and creative vision. W gives limited coverage to the older fashion lines like Versace and the like, and looks to the future with the hot up and coming designers like Kate Spade.
The increased popularity of celebrity weeklies is evident in W, as a large amount of the articles are devoted to celebrities and celebrity fashions. W has become a great blend between a fashion magazine and a celebrity mag. It is a perfect choice for those interested in what their favorite celebrity personalities are wearing, what their doing, and the latest fashion trends.