This is an episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the fashion industry. More from the series →
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The Vogue September issue is the most important issue of the year for the storied fashion magazine. And this year’s edition is the first one published under the new direction of Chloe Malle, head of editorial content, who took over for the legendary Anna Wintour last September.
On the Glossy Podcast this week, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff take a look at Malle’s first September issue and break down some of the ways that both Vogue and the larger fashion media industry have evolved.
Chief among those changes is that print magazines are no longer the primary source of style information for the vast majority of fashion enthusiasts. The September issue of old was a bellwether for trends, informing the public about what was in style now and coming down the pipeline. But print can’t compete with the speed of online publishing, where much of that timely trend analysis has moved, meaning that print has to be more timeless.
The result is a sometimes contradictory product, full of ads for brands that are hot right now, but with editorial content that feels detached from the fashion business.
“It’s interesting that Chloe Malle is coming from a digital background,” Manoff said. “I was a Vogue subscriber for years, and I used to read things that were buzzy and new. This issue had stories about improving your mood with Botox or one about the dangers of clenching your jaw. I was just like, ‘What am I reading here?'”
“A lot of it doesn’t feel very timely,” Parisi said. “Part of that is that people are more likely to buy print magazines today as a collector’s item, as a coffee table book. That’s why you see so many of those commemorative issues of random magazines in the grocery store aisle. They’re not meant to give you timely information, which has all moved online.”
The hosts also discuss the cover story, featuring Kaia Gerber and Homer Gere, two children of famous parents, and the connection to Chloe Malle, herself the daughter of actress Candice Bergen and filmmaker Louis Malle. The issue ties the theme of children of famous parents to the many designers who have taken over at legacy fashion houses in the last year.
And the September issue would be nothing without the clothes. This issue continues a trend in fashion editorial of single-brand looks.
“We’ve definitely moved away from the stylist-driven looks, which haven’t been the norm for a while,” Manoff said. “I like when you see ‘stylist-owned ball cap’ or ‘vintage jeans’ in the credits. It’s unfortunate that that’s gone, because that is very inspiring to me. When you see a head-to-toe look that’s all one brand, you’re not getting ideas on how to style it. Nobody dresses that way.”
