ELLE
Pages: 658 (52 more than last year)
Price: $4.99
HITS: Kate Upton on the cover — she’s still on a hot streak even after Vogue did it. Fresh off her modeling debut in The Post, Ireland Baldwin is cast as a modern-day scion in beautiful ’90s-inspired coats, while fellow budding star Amber Heard mixes spiky boots and pajamas. Joe Zee nails it with his A-to-Z roundup of designers’ motley references — zebras! Wednesday Addams! SweeTarts! — and the shopping pages are so clean they make every trend, even colorful furry handbags, seem doable. The candy-coated Shangri-LA spread is lovely and might have been styled by Lana Del Rey.
MISSES: They would do better to skip the messy, overdone beauty pages and instead devote space to an amped-up version of their culturally insightful Elle 25, whose topics include artist-ofour- time Isa Genzken and a film starring both Julia Roberts AND Meryl Streep.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Major props for letting us know who among fashion folk are the most followworthy on Instagram. Did you know the US is one of only a few countries with no government-mandated paid maternity leave? You do now. And thank you, Elle, for the thoughtful insider essays that place fashion in a sociological context for those who care about more than shopping. So much good merch tucked between those ads (in First Look and Elle Shops as well as the fashion shoots), you hardly mind the mental duck, duck, goose.
GLAMOUR
Pages: 386 (60 more than last year)
Price: $3.99
HITS: Themed the “Glamour of Hollywood” issue, Jennifer Aniston graces the cover (yep, major bore!), but nonetheless, she is looking radiantly sunkissed and happy. The interview itself is a tell-all, conducted by “We’re the Millers” co-star Jason Sudeikis. He asks her to give herself advice at every age — pretty funny and realistic. In teen-queen news, Chloë Grace Moretz is looking total glam girl in a dramatic black-and-white Veronica Lake-inspired photo shoot contrasting fresh, modern shots in color. Also of note is the Win the Style Games editorial with “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” actors Sam Claflin and Jena Malone — it’s beautifully styled and captures ’60s London perfectly. Check out seven decades of star style, meet the new It girls (according to Tom Ford) and go on a trip to Venice with Diana Agron of “Glee” and Louis Vuitton. All très magnifique!
MISSES: Focuses just a tad too much on “stars” and not enough on style. Yes, film noir is a major trend this fall, but the Hollywood theme, as a whole, is more than overwhelming. The issue is in dire need of a compelling fall fashion editorial. After all, this is a September Issue.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The trend pages, including Seven Trends to Wear Now, Fall’s Major Beauty Looks, and the Top 12 Fall Accessories will have you geared up and ready for the cooler weather ahead.
LUCKY
Pages: 236 (2 fewer than last year)
Price: $3.99
HITS: Blake Lively on the cover — a better cover girl than Lucky has seen in a while, thanks to a fall makeover that saw the former editor shown the exit and top banana Anna (Wintour) installing an ex-Teen Vogue editor at the helm. Blake doesn’t have a stylist. “I trust myself.” That said, she gets styled by the magnifique Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele (who practically invented the French Elle look in the ’80s) in a rocking high-low mash-up. The invisible hand of Anna draws a redesign that makes everything look pretty and oh-so-upscale as it struggles to relate to that service-y stuff — think up-and-coming starlets and their personal style tips in Bright, Young Things.
MISSES: It all feels like warmedover Teen Vogue leftovers mixed with salvaged content from the old regime. A $1,740 pair of Louis Vuittons in Fall’s Ultimate Shoe Guide? “Locavore sybarites are already flocking to the rusticchic Domaine de la Baume hotel and spa in the Provençal village of Tourtour.” Really? I thought Lucky readers were looking for a cool camo find at Kaufman’s Army & Navy.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The New Skirt Shapes, the Best Vintage Shops, the Return of the Pinkie Ring, the Ultimate Shoe Guide, Fall’s Best Coats. OK, I’m being too generous: Actually, not that much. To be fair, they may be midway through the reboot. In the meantime, they need to get in touch with the little people. And stop recommending zebra stripes with Kelly green. Eww.
MARIE CLAIRE
Pages: 428 (100 more than last year!)
Price: $3.99
HITS: Zooey Deschanel on the cover looking cool and sexy and less eccentric than usual. Loving all of the editor’s picks in What Nina Loves in the First section as well as What Erin Loves. Can’t go wrong with 101 fall must-haves (including an insane Chanel bag!). The excellent Marie Claire@Work (an insert rather than stand-alone magazine, which is why it’s bigger) delves deeply into career needs, from smart outfits to savvy job-skill tips and inspiring careers. And let’s not forget the compelling looks on parade — including a gold leather dress over a gray henley — as well as the badass grungepunk fashions featured in Clash of the Tartans.
MISSES: There’s a weak showing of inexpensive items in the pages of 101 Fall Items. And the hard-core fashionista styles on spotlight may be inaccessible to the average Marie Claire reader.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Good trend and beauty pages (including a practical guide to the impact of stress on skin) throughout. Plus a compelling first-person account about fleeing a life of polygamy.
W
Pages: 456 (44 more than last year)
Price: $4.99
HITS: It model Cara Delevingne and her lustworthy dark eyebrows score the cover. Especially liked the On The Rise feature with five young designers (Delpozo, Barbara Casasola) to watch out for. Gio’s Journal page never disappoints, with tales from her awesome fashion-filled career and life. You will seriously want every item in The Wild Ones homage to the motorcycle jacket boasting a hint of ’90s grunge! If you like to read about the fashion industry, Rags to Riches tells the success story of Diesel billionaire Renzo Rosso.
MISSES: The Sex Sells article about lingerie designer Zahia Dehar proves that money can’t buy you class, and the Let’s Twist Again fashion spotlight on clothing worn every which way (including backward and sideways) does nothing for the clothing, model or reader. More than one portrait — or at least a longer read — on cover model Delevingne would have been nice.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Lagerfeld lovers will want to pick up his new book, “The World According to Karl,” out Sept. 17 and spotlighted in the Cultural Calendar pages. The upfront Best In Show section is chock-full of fall fashion tidbits.
PEOPLE STYLEWATCH
Pages: 328 (6 more than last year)
Price: $3.99
HITS: So much good stuff for $3.99! Even when it’s throwaway, it’s fun (I wanna know if guys prefer the slutty leather dress to the demure leather LBD!). Can’t be beat on Looks for Less, fast-fashion launches and under $100 front. Everything is so inexpensive and user-friendly, including Yes You Can stories on fall fads and how to wear them.
MISSES: The back page is lame, but who cares! Even if you’re a dyed-in-the- wool designer snob, you’ll find something to buy or learn in the other 327 pages of expert service.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Work-oriented dressing content — how to buy black pumps — is firmly rooted in reality. And stop sending your friends crazy dressing-room photos of yourself in one-shouldered red jumpsuits after reading Should You Buy It?
HARPER’S BAZAAR
Pages: 598 (48 more than last year)
Price: $4.99
HITS: Fashion’s favorite clothes hanger, Sarah Jessica Parker, graces the cover (the largest Bazaar ever) in an epic feather fascinator that almost rivals the one she wore to this year’s Met Gala. Inside, the actress dishes to the New York Times’ Cathy Horyn about her new SJP shoe venture with the president of Manolo Blahnik. But with just two relatively colorless photos on the spread, we’re left wanting more. Shout-out to the mag’s clean redesign, which beautifully showcases the chic, sleek, grown-up (and wearable!) wares the issue is chock-full of. It girl Miley Cyrus also spices up the pages — her hot bod looks right at home in this season’s couture.
MISSES: An essay penned by Huma Abedin (titled The Good Wife) looks to have been submitted mere days before hubby Anthony Weiner’s second sex scandal became a public affair. Oops! A 19-page feature celebrating the Diversity of Women — ranging from 82-year-old model Carmen Dell’Orefice to rapper Angel Haze — is visually striking, but opening with Scarlett Johansson seems a little, well, meh.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: We particularly love the roundup of the 10 key pieces for fall. Basic as all get-out (knits, belts and ankle boots), they’re the perfect antidote to an In Bed With Debbie Harry feature, in which she reveals that her boot collection includes furry thighhighs from Alexander Wang.
INSTYLE
Pages: 716 (64 more than last year)
Price: $4.99
HITS: Break it down for me, InStyle! For the celebrity-obsessed and the fashion howto- fixated, this is your style bible. Cover girl Drew Barrymore looks awfully glamorous and grown-up as a leading lady of the manor. Drink in the excellent The Look section of celebrity trends, then move on to Instant Style to get it together for work, and follow it up with a crash course in pastels, leather tanks and mixing masculine and feminine, plus the new-to-severalmags token page for plus-size needs. The comprehensive Shop It! section features as many bags and boots as you can handle (without your head exploding). Plus: Lovely fashion shoots with Yaya Alafia (looking superfly) and Erin Wasson (looking city sophisticated); edgy spotlights on Lake Bell and five up-and-coming actresses; and an inside look at Rachel Zoe’s Beverly Hills spread (including her closet!).
MISSES: The busy layout of the Clothes We Love fall trend overview is difficult to love, although the trends are accessible and the items are solid.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Their biggest issue ever, so too long to list, but everything you need to know is wrapped up in the What’s Now! section of fashion launches and celeb news. Admirable effort was put into the less-expensive shopping pages, too. Online bonus: Pick up the editors’ glamorous seconds in a sale of new or slightly worn items donated by staff on fashionproject.com.
VOGUE
Pages: 902 (14 fewer than last year)
Price: $5.99
HITS: Jennifer Lawrence on the cover, but all you can really see fashion-wise is a pinkie ring. Still, love her sexy English rose wardrobe (trend alert!) in the inside story. But the pièce de résistance is model Daria Werbowy channeling Lady Chatterley with Adam Driver as the goat-herder/ gardener in Ireland. Great upfront section of fashion pieces with an ampedup youthful cool factor — including looks at the creative minds behind the house of Valentino; Amber Valletta’s eco-friendly venture with Yoox; cool LA concept store Just One Eye; and rock chicks Sky Ferreira and Grimes.
MISSES: Fashion shoots in general fall short of the usual awe-inspiring. The piece on Hedi Slimane at the helm of Saint Laurent leaves you wanting to see more clothes and a picture of him instead of the weird illustration that opens it. Mayor Bloomberg’s daughter gets a profile, along with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, a Texas senator and national security adviser Susan Rice — is someone getting bored with fashion?
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Practically unshoppable, with little merch considering the size of the issue. A pretty coat story with hardly any prices because they’re no doubt so expensive (so not exactly news you can use) and cool styling ideas in their grunge/punk Ragged Glory shoot. More extensive than usual beauty/health section — from stories on the woman behind a new beauty Web site to a piece about seven-minute workouts.