Vogue (magazine)

• 1. Introduction

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  Vogue published its first issue on the 17th of December 1892, with a cover price of 10 cents. That debut featured a debutante at her coming-out, and behind it stood Arthur Baldwin Turnure, an American businessman who wanted to capture what he called the "ceremonial side of life." He envisioned a publication that would attract "the sage as well as debutante, men of affairs, as well as the belle." More than a century later, Vogue reaches 11 million readers in the United States alone and 12.5 million internationally, and sits at the center of a global media empire with 28 international editions. How did a weekly society newspaper aimed at New York's upper crust become the most influential fashion publication in the world? And who shaped it along the way?

• 2. From Society Sheet to Empire

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  Turnure founded Vogue in New York City with sponsorship from Kristoffer Wright. His intention was clear from the beginning: target the New York upper class by chronicling "their habits, their leisure activities, their social gatherings, the places they frequented, and the clothing they wore." The magazine also aimed to reach everyone who wanted to enter that exclusive circle, even if only through the pages of a publication. At its founding, Josephine Redding served as editor, Harry Whitney McVickar as art director, and Turnure as publisher. Turnure died of pneumonia in April 1906. The majority of The Vogue Company then passed to Marie Harrison, and just three years later, in 1909, Conde Montrose Nast purchased the entire operation. Nast immediately began reshaping it. He converted Vogue into a women's magazine, raised its price, and expanded its coverage into weddings and an upscale audience it had always courted. When the First World War made European distribution impossible, he began printing in England, which led directly to the launch of the first international edition, British Vogue, in 1916. That decision to print locally rather than ship across the Atlantic set the template for every edition that followed. The first issue of French Vogue came in 1920, born from the same practical logic. Nast introduced color printing and the two-page spread, and he is credited with building Vogue into what is described as a "successful business" and the women's magazine readers recognize today. His influence over the magazine lasted until his death in 1942.

• 3. Editors Who Transformed the Page

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  In July 1932, American Vogue placed its first color photograph on the cover. The image was taken by Edward Jean Steichen and showed a woman swimmer holding a beach ball. That moment marked a larger shift: as Laird Borrelli has noted, Vogue led the decline of fashion illustration in the late 1930s, replacing illustrated covers by artists such as Dagmar Freuchen with photographs. Jessica Daves, who became editor-in-chief in the 1950s, presided over what observers called the magazine's "powerful years." Daves believed "taste is something that can be taught and learned" and edited the publication as "a vehicle to educate public taste." She elevated arts and literature features alongside fashion coverage. Diana Vreeland joined in 1963, first as associate editor, and critics noted the pair had opposed approaches. Under Vreeland, Vogue turned toward the youth of the sexual revolution, covering East Village boutiques like Limbo on St. Mark's Place and featuring personalities connected to Andy Warhol. The magazine helped make household names of models including Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Lauren Hutton, Veruschka, Marisa Berenson, and Penelope Tree. When Grace Mirabella took the helm in 1971, she redirected the magazine again. Mirabella later said she was chosen because "women weren't interested in reading about or buying clothes that served no purpose in their changing lives." She reshaped Vogue for what she called "the free, working, liberated woman of the seventies." When that vision fell out of fashion in the 1980s, Mirabella was fired.

• 4. The Wintour Era

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  Anna Wintour was named editor-in-chief in July 1988, at a moment when Vogue was losing readership and advertising to its rival Elle. Elle had reached a paid circulation of 851,000 in just three years, compared to Vogue's 1.2 million, and Conde Nast publisher Si Newhouse brought in the 38-year-old Wintour. She had already run British Vogue and House and Garden. Noted for her trademark bob cut and sunglasses, Wintour redirected the magazine toward new and accessible ideas of fashion for a wider audience. Her first cover, in November 1988, featured Israeli model Michaela Bercu. In May 1989, Madonna became the first singer featured on the cover, which was considered controversial after the magazine's long focus on models. Wintour's September 2012 issue measured 916 pages, the highest ever for a monthly magazine; it featured Lady Gaga on the cover and weighed 4.5 pounds. A fashion writer from Slate argued that Wintour had delivered the magazine from what some critics had called its boring "beige years." In June 2025, it was announced that Wintour would step down as editor-in-chief. She retained her roles as Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director at Conde Nast, while the editor-in-chief title itself was replaced by the role of Head of Editorial Content. The last issue Wintour oversaw was December 2025, featuring Timothee Chalamet on the cover.

• 5. Covers That Made History

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  Beverly Johnson became the first Black woman to cover American Vogue in August 1974. The April 1992 issue, marking the magazine's 100th anniversary, featured ten supermodels including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Karen Mulder, Yasmeen Ghauri, Niki Taylor, Elaine Irwin, and Claudia Schiffer; it remains the highest-selling issue in the magazine's history. Richard Gere became the first man to appear on the cover in November 1992, alongside his then-wife Cindy Crawford. In September 2018, Beyonce was given what the magazine described as "unprecedented" total editorial control over her cover and feature; she hired 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell, making him the first Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in the magazine's 126 years. Harry Styles became the first man to appear alone on the cover in December 2020. The April 2023 cover of Vogue Philippines featured Apo Whang-Od, who at 106 years of age became the oldest Vogue cover model. Angel Reese became the first basketball player on the cover in January 2025. In May 2026, Anna Wintour appeared alongside Meryl Streep, making Wintour the first editor-in-chief to appear on the cover of Vogue.

• 6. Power, Politics, and Criticism

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  In October 2016, Vogue endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, the first time in its 120-year history that the magazine had supported a presidential candidate with a single unified voice. Wintour had hosted fundraising events in support of the Obama campaign beginning in 2010, including a dinner with an estimated entry fee of US$30,000. The Met Gala, which Vogue has hosted since 1971 under Diana Vreeland, grew into one of the most sought-after events in fashion; Met-related video content generated 902 million views on YouTube, a rise of 110 percent from the prior year. Wintour's "Fashion Night" initiative, launched in 2009 following the 2008 financial crisis, ran in 27 US cities and 15 countries, though debate over its profitability in the United States led to a hiatus in 2013. Criticism of the magazine has come from many directions. Lauren Weisberger, once Wintour's assistant, wrote a novel called The Devil Wears Prada, published in 2003, which became a bestseller and was adapted as a film in 2006. In 2007, an anti-smoking group claimed to have sent more than 8,000 protest emails and faxes over tobacco advertising in the magazine. A February 2011 piece about Asma al-Assad drew criticism for glossing over the human rights record of the Syrian government; reports later indicated the Syrian government paid a US lobbying firm US$5,000 per month to arrange the article. In October 2025, following a campaign by the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, Conde Nast announced it would no longer feature new animal fur in editorial content or advertising across Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ. Chloe Malle's first issue as Head of Editorial Content, Spring 2026, was released in February 2026.