In Vogue

Vogue: ‘the prevailing fashion or style at a particular time’.

During its illustrious reign, Vogue magazine has served to exhibit the clothing and accessories which are currently ‘in vogue’ whilst also instructing its readers on how to wear them. Its daring and bold photo shoots not only simply say ‘xyz’ is a trend and here are some dresses you can buy: the images in Vogue convey an attitude and a persona which gives life to the outfits. They dare the reader to recreate the trend, but only if the reader is willing to be as bold, brash and confident in the trend as they are.

Do you dare to clash like Carola? Vogue Germany, January 2012.

This is something that I feel has been lost slightly in British Vogue but which is still very much prevalent in American Vogue. Although American Vogue has had its fair share of celebrity mishaps (I have to take a deep breath whenever I see the Kimye cover), British Vogue seems to have swum into a muddy river of fame fawning, when it used to dive into the exotic Great Barrier Reef were fashion secrets lay, re-surfacing every now and then to part with their findings. When it does turn to fashionable (rather than famous) figures, British Vogue is at its best.

Looking at the July 2015 cover of British Vogue, Scottish model Stella Tennant pioneers an ‘ageless style’ issue. Stella, wearing a simple blue shirt and black trousers, exudes confidence. She knows who she is and she knows what her style is. Nobody could look back on that outfit in twenty years’ time and say ‘what was she thinking?’. It is a minimalistic but brilliant cover. 

This is at the heart of Vogue as a magazine: it is always progressive and at the forefront of fashion, yet it never succumbs to trends. It incorporates them into its style, just as the reader should. A trend should not overwhelm you, you should decide whether to let it in or not.

In ode to the July 2015 cover and Stella’s confident style, and the April 1950 cover which adorns my background and harks back to a more elegant era, I’ve created two outfit compilations which will stand the test of time. 

Shirt & Brogues - M&S, Trousers - 3.1 Phillip Lim @ Farfetch, Handbag - Mulberry, Sunglasses - Balenciaga,
Bracelet - Tory Burch @ Selfridges, Socks - Dorothy Perkins.

Silk scarf - Anna Lou of London @ notonthehighstreet.com, Hat - H&M, Dress - Self Portrait @ Net-a-Porter,
Shoes - Saint Laurent @ The Outnet, Tote - Givenchy @ Browns