Vanity Fair (magazine)

In 1913, Condé Montrose Nast purchased a men's fashion magazine called Dress and immediately renamed it Vanity Fair, a title borrowed from a fictional town in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress where every item sold was a lie and every person was chasing empty desires. Nast's decision to adopt this name was not merely an act of literary homage but a strategic gamble to position his new publication as the arbiter of modern excess and social climbing. The magazine quickly found its footing in the roaring twenties, reaching a circulation of 90,000 copies at its peak, a number that seemed substantial for the era. However, the Great Depression of the 1930s brought the original iteration to a crashing halt, and by December 1935, Nast announced that Vanity Fair would be folded into Vogue, its sister publication, to survive the economic collapse. The original Vanity Fair ceased to exist as a separate entity, its name and legacy dormant for nearly five decades until the company decided to resurrect it in the early 1980s. This revival would transform the magazine from a forgotten casualty of the Depression into a global powerhouse of culture, politics, and celebrity, proving that the name Vanity Fair carried a weight that could survive even the darkest economic times.

The Editors Who Shaped The Voice

The modern era of Vanity Fair began in June 1981 when the Condé Nast company, owned by S.I. Newhouse, announced plans to revive the title, with the first issue released on the 21st of February 1983, bearing a March cover date. Richard Locke, formerly of The New York Times Book Review, served as the inaugural editor of the new magazine, but his tenure was short-lived, lasting only three issues before Leo Lerman, a veteran features editor of Vogue, took the helm. The magazine's true cultural identity began to crystallize under Tina Brown, who edited the publication from 1984 to 1992, followed by Graydon Carter, who led the magazine from 1992 to 2017, and Radhika Jones, who served from 2017 to 2025. Each editor left an indelible mark on the magazine's direction, with Jones previously serving as the director of The New York Times book section before taking the reins at Vanity Fair. In June 2025, Mark Guiducci, formerly the creative editorial director of Vogue, succeeded Jones as editor-in-chief following her resignation, continuing a lineage of leadership that has kept the magazine at the forefront of American journalism. The magazine's employees unionized in 2022, a significant moment that highlighted the changing dynamics of the media industry and the growing power of its workforce. These editors did not just manage a magazine; they curated a cultural conversation that spanned decades, influencing everything from political discourse to the way celebrities presented themselves to the public.

Common questions

When was Vanity Fair magazine originally purchased by Condé Montrose Nast?

Condé Montrose Nast purchased the men's fashion magazine Dress and renamed it Vanity Fair in 1913. The magazine reached a circulation of 90,000 copies at its peak during the roaring twenties before the Great Depression forced its closure. Nast announced that Vanity Fair would be folded into Vogue by December 1935 to survive the economic collapse.

Who edited Vanity Fair from 1984 to 1992 and what was their impact?

Tina Brown edited the publication from 1984 to 1992 and transformed the magazine from a forgotten casualty of the Depression into a global powerhouse. Her tenure crystallized the magazine's true cultural identity before Graydon Carter took the helm from 1992 to 2017. Radhika Jones served from 2017 to 2025 and Mark Guiducci succeeded her in June 2025.

What major investigative journalism stories did Vanity Fair publish in the 1990s and 2000s?

Vanity Fair published a 1996 exposé on the tobacco industry titled The Man Who Knew Too Much by journalist Marie Brenner. The magazine revealed Mark Felt as the Watergate whistleblower Deep Throat in the May 2005 issue. These stories altered the course of history and brought investigative journalism to a wider audience through adaptations like the 1999 film The Insider.

When did the first Vanity Fair Oscar Party take place and how has it evolved?

The first Vanity Fair Oscar Party took place in 1994 as a successor to an event held by Irving Paul Lazar. The party was canceled in 2008 due to a Writers Guild of America strike and again in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent years have seen Vanity Fair and Bloomberg host an after-party at the French ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C.

Who is the current editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair as of 2025?

Mark Guiducci succeeded Radhika Jones as editor-in-chief in June 2025 following her resignation. Guiducci was formerly the creative editorial director of Vogue. The magazine's employees unionized in 2022, highlighting the changing dynamics of the media industry.