How to get into Vogue

I don’t often read Vogue but when I do I always learn something. Faced with a three hour flight from London Gatwick I bought a discounted £2 copy from WHSmith, and glad I did. The cover, featuring Leonardo di Caprio and Lily Gladstone, was a beautiful example of how glamorous Hollywood actors can be made to look even more glamorous.

The scratch n sniff scent samples inside reminded me how the perfume industry is able to peddle piddle at premium prices. Although if the advertorial for the new Gaultier Divine is to be believed, pricey perfume is not just about smelling nice, it also espouses virtues of femininity, gender diversity, career multiplicity (the blurb explains that the model for the ad, Yara Shahidi, is also an actress, activist, advocate and feminist). A woman with “Innate confidence, commitment to social justice and effortless sensuality.” Sadly there was no scent sample to snort but I must say I found the flowery prose quite intoxicating. Credit where credit’s due, though. Not all glamour ads celebrate their models’ achievements as this one did.

So much for the ads. Articles of interest include fashion items on sparkly metalic fabrics, cocktail ring bling and shockingly priced footwear. In the interiors special section there is a brief mention of sculpted candles, which are new to me. Candles shaped like candlesticks among other non-candle shapes. I must mention this to some of my craft-inclined friends.

There is also a photo interview with di Caprio and Gladstone prior to the release of their much anticipated participation in the Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon. This epic (we are told) speaks of injustice and intolerance at the end of WWI. Mostly directed against the Osage nation. Gladstone and di Caprio play a couple living on the Osage reservation.

Another fascinating article is an interview with the founder of a brand of eco-aware underwear. Said low-impact lingerie is set to offer an alternative to petroleum based panties and nylon knickers. This is serious stuff when you consider that the average British woman gets through 1,000 underwear items in a lifetime (learning point). Almost all of these made of synthetic fabrics.

The most interesting article for me though, and the most educational, was a brief photo memoir recalling the 1973 Vogue cover photoshoot pairing 1960s top model Twiggy with David Bowie. Only the third time a man had appeared on the cover (another learning point for me).

I worked as a magazine editor many years ago but at the grubby end of the sector - trade and technical

A lot of what I read in consumer magazines is trash. Pulp publishing to fill space between glossy ads. I should explain that this view may be sour grapes on my part. I worked as a magazine editor many years ago but at the grubby end of the sector - trade and technical. I managed to place one or two written articles in consumer magazines but theses were invariably about 1990s electronic products like cellphones or handheld satnavs. I never really got the hang of writing in the style of a consumer magazine feature writer.

This article on Bowie, Twiggy, the photographer and a back-handed side hustle, is 24 carat gold. It has history, mystery, makeup and studio photography magic. It talks about how Bowie brought an end to the Ziggy Stardust era and convinced the Vogue photographer to allow him to use the cover image for his next album. More importantly it carries an object lesson in how to write with gravity yet levity, with accuracy and brevity. To meet a brief and more. A mastery of the art. Read it as a writer and you, like me, will learn something and be more likely to get into Vogue.