Vogue Paris Collections Spring Summer 2012 Issue 13

If I haven't said it already, I will say it now: December is my favorite month out of the year. Not only is it the holiday season (Hello giant magazine gift wish list!), but this is the month that the 13th issue of Vogue Paris Collections was released. I just went on TFS browsing the different magazine threads, since I didn't know the exact release date, and a thread had already been started. Can I tell you that when I saw that Alexander McQueen was on the cover, my heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds. I adore Alexander McQueen and the legacy he left behind, so who better to honor by giving the cover?
I haven't gotten my own copies as of yet, hopefully they will start appearing on the secondary market, which is where I always get my copies. It might take a couple of days, hopefully not weeks for the distributors to get them out. I am eager to get a look inside. Winter has not even officially begun according to the calendar (and the bizarre NYC weather) but I am already looking forward to the spring after seeing some of the spring collections shown starting in September shows. So run out and reserve your copies, lovies, you won't regret it!

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Photo credit: Vogue.fr

People Style Watch

I know that I have said that Vogue Paris Collections are my favorite magazine, but People Style Watch follows at a VERY close second. Not only does People Style Watch make fashion accessible, but you can get the looks worn by celebrities at a significantly lower price. I absolutely adore celebrity street style and I pour over page after page of photographs taken by paparazzi. I know that most celebrities are given designer items to wear as advertisement a lot of the time, but heck, they sure do a good job mixing designer with "lower" brands, and that in itself is an art.
People magazine has always been one of my favorites. Not only do you get the newest celebrity gossip (who doesn't love a good story), but you also get stories having to do with real people around the country, around the world. That is something that the other gossip magazines don't offer. And the Style Watch section in the back of every issue is what I turn to first, so having an entire magazine dedicated to celebrity style trends is paradise for me. Because People magazine is so inexpensive and frequent, the first issues of Style Watch are so, so hard to find, even harder than finding back issues of Vogue Collections. While I knew that the "official" Style Watch magazine was first published in 2002, I had no more information concerning the first couple of issues. My collection consists of every issue from 2007 until now, except for a few missing issues: February 2007 and June/July 2007. Before 2007 it gets tricky: the issues were not real eased monthly but seasonally. I own now: Fall 2004, Fall 2005, Winter 2005, Spring 2006, Summer 2006, and Fall 2006. As you can see, it is very hard to even know which issues I'm missing pre-2007, as there was no clear pattern. But every story must have a happy ending in my book. Just this week, I've found and purchased the following issues: Spring 2002 (The premiere issue), Fall 2002, and Fall 2004. Hopefully the other missing issues will follow as well. I haven't gotten them yet, but when I do, I will be sure to scan all of the covers of my complete collection.

UPDATE 12/05/11: Today I just purchased more issues from the same seller: Spring 2004, Spring 2005, and February 2007. Now, I only need Spring 2003 and June/July 2007 to complete my collection, but by the looks of things hopefully they won't be that hard to find!

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Magazine Addicts Anonymous

So although it's been a month since I've posted, and a while since I was on TFS (The Fashion Spot), I've still indulged in my magazine collecting. No worries, that addiction is not being kicked any time soon. It is just that I have been so busy at school and at work, I actually have two jobs and I will be possibly adding a third. Talk about being overworked, but hey, magazine spending money does not just appear out of nowhere.
In my last post, I mentioned that I had put some of my Vogue Collections issues on ebay. They actually did not sell, as I only had them at a fixed price listing, to guarentee that they would not sell for a low price. Looking back, I did pay a bit too much for some of the issues that I have, so I would rather hold onto them instead of selling them for a lot less than what I paid for them originally.
So I will be popping up every now and then on TFS and here on the blog, just to say hi until the school semester ends. I still have to finish my application for fashion school. Needless to say I will be busy, so hopefully you stay busy too.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Downsizing: The first load

I have not posted for awhile, a couple of weeks now. I also haven't been on TFS. It's not because I don't love magazines anymore, that will never be the case I can assure you. I guess that I have become just a tad bit overwhelmed and a little out of control when it came to my purchases. I finally "woke up" when I bought my third issue of Vogue Collections Number 4, which is a rare one to find. My habit of buying things just because they are super rare is getting a little out of hand; it's the business woman in me, I don't want to miss an opportunity to get a good deal on something that I can later turn around for maximum profit. It's not just with my magazine collection, it has been something that I have done in all areas of my life.

That being said, I am letting go of any doubles that I have in my collection first; it is a lot easier to do that than it is to let go of the magazines of which I only have one copy. I just listed issue 4, 5, 6, and 8 on ebay a couple of minutes ago. Hopefully I get back what I paid for them; if not, at least its something and someone else will get to enjoy completing their collection.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Vogue Italia Accessories Magazine

I just got my two issues of Vogue Accessories magazines that I bought from eBay in the mail today. Accessories are my life, so a collections magazine dedicated to just accessories is an ultimate must have for me. I love the regular Vogue Italia magazines, but because I cannot read Italian, their only use to me is their photographs. The great thing about Vogue Accessories is that they follow the Italian text with English text. Cue angels singing Hallelujah. This magazine is stuffed with bags, shoes, jewelry, etc, all in their own sections. It's so organized by colors and fabrics that maybe stuffed is not the right word to use, rather very neatly packed is the right way to phrase what this magazine is made of. With three issues released yearly (seasonally with an additional holiday issue), this magazine is highly recommended. It is not exspensive at ALL, each issue cost me a mere $5.00 USD, so there is no excuse why this magazine should not be in your collection. 

xoxo,

September's Love Child

Photos courtesy of ebay.com

Vogue September Covers 2000-2011

While browsing the internet for international Vogue September covers, I ran across the US Vogue website, where they showed the covers from 2000-2009 (the story was written in 2010 when Halle Berry was the September cover girl). So far, I own the September issues of 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, and the newest release 2011. Those are the only US Vogue back issues that I own at the moment, but it is and will always be growing. So here is the look in the past, enjoy!

xoxo,
September's Love Child
Photos courtesy of Vogue.com

                                         September 2000 featuring Bridget Hall

                                September 2001 featuring Linda Evangelista

                                       September 2002 featuring Kate Hudson

                                    September 2003 featuring Nicole Kidman

                 Sept.2004 feat. Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bündchen

                           September 2005 featuring Sarah Jessica Parker 

                                      September 2006 featuring Kirsten Dunst

                                        September 2007 featuring Sienna Miller

                                   September 2008 featuring Keira Knightley

                                   September 2009 featuring Charlize Theron

                                          September 2010 featuring Halle Berry

                                           September 2011 featuring Kate Moss

Harper's Bazaar Runway Report Fall/Winter

Fall/Winter 2011

 Fall/Winter 2010

 Fall/Winter 2009

 Fall/Winter 2008

Photo credits: harpersbazaar.com

Today I picked up the newest copy of Harper's Bazaar Runway Report from Barnes and Noble, my very first issue of this magazine. It was recommended to me by a member of The Fashion Spot forum, and I saw an ad in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar for it. It came out on September 6 and sells for $6.95. This is the fourth issue put out; they only put one out once a year covering the fall/winter collections, which sucks because spring/summer is my favorite season. It is really nice though; inside it is super organized by trend and then the last half shows the best looks from the runway in a format split by city and designer. I have already bought the 2008 and 2009 back issues, I definitely recommend this magazine!

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Vogue Russia Collections: Supplement to Vogue Russia September 2010

 

Photo credit: lowefactor.com

Alexander McQueen will always be one of my favorite designers, although he is no longer with us. So of course when I found that Vogue Russia had released a supplement issue to their September 2010 issue combining a McQueen tribute with a collections magazine, I got really excited.I mean, look at the cover! I do not think it too extravagant to say that the last collection designed by McQueen was one of his best ones ever. I remember first falling in love with knee high boots after seeing them in his collection. The boots added to the embroidered, luxurious, rich fabric of the clothes...pure heavenly goodness. But needless to say, that excitement has died down drastically and the reason is definitly not lack of good content. Well, I actually would not be able to tell you if there was good content or not; turns out that international magazines that are sold in the US are transported here without the supplements! That is a big bunch of crap, especially since the supplement are just as good or dare I say sometimes even better than the actual magazine! Well, I guess it's back to global eBay. Grrrr.

And just to rub the salt in my own wound, here is the cover of the collection supplement to the 2011 September issue (photo credit to ebook30.com). I am literally drooling here looking at the color saturated fabric to this look.

xoxo,
Not so happy September's Love Child

Vogue China Collections

Vogue Paris may put out the most popular collections magazine, but it is not perfect in every way. The ultimate collections magazine would cover the fashion shows from around the globe, not just the four major cities of Paris, Milan, New York, and London. I have not gotten a chance to see inside Vogue China, but I am very eager to get my hands on a copy myself. China is one of those places that often gets overlooked when it comes to fashion coverage, so I think it would be very interesting to get a view of the fashion world from a different perspective. As seen in the September issue of US Vogue in an editorial spread featuring the model Karlie Kloss modeling in China, China has it's own interpretation of style and it is a shame that there is not much interest shown. Part of the blame is due to there not being much advertisement and press when it comes to global fashion, but with China ever making their presence known now more than ever before, hopefully things will change.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Photo credits: vogue.com.cn

Helloooo September! Out With the Old, In With the New!

I have not been able to post lately, it's been almost a month since my last post. The last time I posted, I was eagerly anticipating the September issue of Vogue featuring Kate Moss. I was so surprised that the issue was not put out on the shelves until late August, August 23rd to be exact, which I think is super late when every other magazine usually releases the newest issues in the beginning of the month. I am even MORE surprised because...we are now anticipating the October issues and I still have not received my SEPTEMBER issues of Vogue or W! I was a late subscriber, subscribing in mid-August, but with a promise that I would receive the September issues, so am I at fault for wanting my issues here before October gets here? Okay, I guess I can cut them some slack. I mean, they are not the only ones slacking off; I received my issues of Elle and Harper's Bazaar two weeks after they hit newsstands. Excuse me, but I actually thought that as a subscriber, I had "first dibs" on the issues, but boy am I wrong. Its seems as if the publishing houses are biting the hands that feed them...I know, I know, magazines survive off of their advertisement sales, not subscriber, but to me, if someone subscribed to my publication, I would go out of my way to make them feel like V.I.Ps. Eh, but that's just me.

So I've come to the realization that I cannot possibly store every magazine published in my room, as much as I organize and reorganize the rest of my stuff to try and make everything fit. So goodbye my stacks of Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and ...wait, I think that's it. I try and think of why I don't need five years worth of Seventeen, Lucky, and Teen Vogue, but these are the magazines that I depend heavily on to dress myself. Sure the high-end fashion magazines have nice clothes in them and their editorial spreads are pretty to look at, but when it comes to inspiration for my daily wear, those "not so luxurious" magazines reach out and help the regular gal like me the most. And after doing so much for me, they have definitely earned a spot forever on my bookshelf.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Kirsten Stewart W September 2011

I recently went ahead and renewed my subscription to Vogue and since they were doing a double deal, I also subscribed to W. W is not my favorite magazine, but they do have very artistic concepts, so I figured it wouldn't hurt. Well, it won't hurt my wallet, but my head is hurting since I found out that my first issue will feature on it's cover no one other than Kirsten Stewart. I know that she has a very strong tween following, but as far as I've heard, being popular among tweens and teens doesn't necessarily constitute you as cover girl material to a high fashion magazine. I mean, in that case, I am pretty popular in my circle of mostly teens...
Besides being irritated at the fact that she is on the cover of the biggest issue of the year, it doesn't help that she is photoshopped beyond recognition throughout her editorial spread. Well, on second thought,  for those of us who do not find her particularly attractive...that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Photo credits: wmagazine.com

Vogue September 2011 featuring Kate Moss: It's Here!!!!

This is by far the best US Vogue cover that I have ever seen, and I am so excited I could... well, nevermind. I'm excited, and for many reasons. Firstoff, Kate Moss is my ultimate favorite model. When it comes to being a model with her own individual style, noone else comes close. Second, the purple Alexander McQueen (who is still my favorite designer although he is not still with us) gown that she is wearing is breathtakingly gorgeous. Thirdly, US Vogue falls short when it comes to casting cover girls. I am a believer that models should be on the covers of fashion magazines, not actresses, and coming from someone who dreams of becoming a well known actress this is saying a lot. Every other international Vogue publication gets this, it is long overdue for US Vogue to get on board, and stop worrying about appealing to the masses.
Getting back to the September issue, the cover is only the beginning of the awesomeness. Anna Wintour, editior-in-chief of Vogue managed to get the exclusive wedding album photographs of Kate's highly secure wedding, which makes this issue even more special.
Finally the wait for the cover release is over, and may I say that it was well worth the wait. Now for the wait for the issue to hit shelves; it is guarenteed to be a bestseller and I can't wait to stock up on this sure to be collectable magazine. Just make sure you get yourself a copy.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Photo credit: Vogue.com

Vogue Australia September 2011 featuring Katie Fogarty

Vogue Australia has somewhat of a bad reputation for not putting a lot of effort into their magazine covers besides their March and September issues. I haven't seen too many Vogue Australia covers, but I do agree that their September 2011 cover is one of the best I have seen so far. The cover is simple yet very strong. The model Katie Fogarty is stunning in Louis Vuitton from the Fall-Winter 2010/2011 collection. Her strong look is softened by her light, non-dramatic makeup. The cover lacks a lot of text, but the phrase "Fashion Force" fits the theme just right. Yet another September cover done well, congrats Vogue Australia!

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Photo Credit: Vogue Australia

Vogue China September 2011

Gorgeous cover for a September issue. If only I could find it here in New York, I would be extremely happy. All of the cover models are wearing gowns from the Fall-Winter 2011/2012 Gucci collection, which was one of my favorite collections this season. I think that it is wonderful for Vogue China to feature a cast of all Chinese models, especially with this issue marking their 6th year anniversary. Excellent work, Vogue China!
xoxo,
September's Love Child

Photo credit: Vogue China

International Vogues: September 2010 issues

Honestly, I keep my Vogue magazines to admire the covers, especially Vogues from all over the world. I find it interesting how you can tell so much about how each country interprets Vogue as a magazine through their cover, and you can usually tell if a magazine is worth buying from it's cover. For those who believe in not judging a book by it's cover, I can reassure you that this rule does not apply to Vogue.
I came across this wonderful collage of international Vogue covers while browsing in hopes of finiding a leaked photograph of Kate Moss' September 2011 cover. While I was not able to find the picture that I was looking for, I am glad to have stumbled on this one.
Picture Credits: www.lelalondon.com

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Vogue España Colecciones (Vogue Spain Collections)

     

Spain is a country that gives birth to so many vibrant designers, but unfortunately, their fashion week does not get as much coverage as  the shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. A complete answer to prayer, Vogue Spain decided to publish their own collections magazine. Primarily focusing on their own designers, they also feature a couple outside labels. Not just a magazine of pictures from the runway, they also include coverage of the season's trends. I do not yet own a copy of this oversize magazine (it is thicker than the Vogue Paris edition), but I truly cannot wait to get my hands on any copy that I can find. Released as a supplement to the March and September issues of Vogue Spain, this magazine is very highly recommended. 

xoxo,

September's Love Child

Elle UK Collections: Backstage Pass

Now that my search for Vogue Paris Collections back issues is complete, I will now focus my attentions to other publications that feature the runway collections. Elle Collections goes above and beyond providing photographs of the runway; included in this magazine are interviews of designers, editors, and bloggers, sections featuring the highlights of hair and makeup, as well as extensive coverage behind the scenes of the shows. I currently own two issues, but will definitely be adding more back issues of this amazingly affordable magazine to my collection.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

L'Officiel 1000 Models Magazine

A perfect example of quality vs. quantity, L'Officiel 1000 Models magazine highlights all of he best looks from a selection of the best shows of the season. Much like Vogue or Gap Collections, you can view clear, up close runway shots for a fraction of the cost. Published seasonally by the French high-fashion magazine L'Officiel, 1000 Models releases 5 issues per season: Paris/London; Milan/New York; Accessories; Menswear; Haute Couture.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Vogue Paris Collections: Collection Complete!

I am thrilled to announce that as of August 1st, 2011, my collection of Vogue Paris Collections magazines is now complete with the additions of Issues 2, 3, 4, and 6. I am now up to date and eagerly await Issue 13, which will feature the Spring- Summer 2012 collections.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Gap Collections Magazine

It is my dream to one day be a fashion psychic. For those of you who want to get technical, I wish to one day be a trend analyzer, but fashion psychic sound a lot more mystical and mysterious; for lots of people , the art of predicting upcoming fashion trends is just that. How else would someone be able to know what will become popular and "in" style wise, especially when they are guided by the look of the runway, which are never meant to be worn straight off of the catwalk anyway?

I understand the frustration and bewilderment; I was once in suspicion of trend analyzers myself. It was like the English professor who seems to have an endless analysis of a super short poem; pulling something out of what seemed like nothing. So because I wanted to learn about analyzing trends, I started watching fashion shows online. Well, as you can imagine, trying to watch every show from every designer is very time consuming, and honestly, I couldn't store every look in my head in order to compare collections and find the trends. When I first heard about Vogue Paris Collections, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. However, Vogue Paris Collections, or VPC, did not have the space to print every look from every designer like I wanted. So I kept looking. Also, VPC only covers the collections of the four major fashion capitals of the world: Paris, Milan, New York, and London, also having a small section in the back for accessories. I was not only interested in the four major cities, but I wanted to see the collections from Tokyo, Madrid, etc..

Only by chance did I find out about Gap Collections. I was looking online for more information on VPC when I came across someone looking for cheap back issues of Gap Collections. Gap Collections, or GC, are even more expensive than VPC at about $175 for each volume with there being 5+ volumes a season: Paris, Milan, New York/London, Tokyo/Madrid/Barcelona, Accessories, etc.. Because each book focuses mainly on one city, that means more coverage on more of looks from the designers. GC also gives quality closeup photographs, meaning more emphasis and focus on material and quality. This magazine has the appearance and weight of an oversize book; there is no question that GC will stand out in your collection.

xoxo,
September's Love Child

Vogue Paris Collections Magazine

                                         

Issue 1(Owned;Germany)

                                           

Issue 2 (Owned; USA)   

                                      

  Issue 3 (Owned; USA) 

                                    

Issue 4 (3 Owned;USA & UK) 

                                

Issue 5 (2 Owned; USA & Paris)   

                                  

Issue 6 (2 Owned; UK & USA) 

                                                

 Issue 7 (Owned; UK)

                             

 Issue 8 (2 Owned; USA & Canada)     

                                           

   Issue 9 (2 Owned; UK)    

                                          

 Issue 10 (2 Owned; USA)      

                                          

 Issue 11 (2 Owned; USA)      

                                    

   Issue 12 (2 Owned; USA)

                                      

 Issue 13 (2 Owned; USA) 

           

Have you ever been so devoted to searching for something, that you would look from one end of the earth to the other to find it? Well, when it comes to the seasonal publication of Vogue Paris Collections magazine, I have spanned the entire globe in my quest for obtaining every back issue missing from my collection. Dropping everything, I hopped on a plane and visited every major global city...

Now if you think that I spent thousands of dollars in traveling expenses for a magazine, that's pretty crazy. So while I did not hop of a plane, I did jump onto eBay Global. EBay Global takes all of the international eBay sites and shows all of the listings in which the sellers are willing to ship worldwide. I am now able to visit the global marketplace in the comforts of my own home.

I am pleased and greatly relieved to report that so far, my search has been amazingly fruitful. So much, in fact, that I was able to score the first issue ever published, Issue 1, from a seller in Germany. Yes, I did pay more in shipping than I did for the actual magazine, but it was definitely worth every last euro. Issues 6 and 7 I bought from a seller in the United Kingdom. Now those cost me a pretty penny, thanks to the currency exchange rate. Issue 8 was a lucky find; besides the fact that I found it domestically, I was also found it mere minutes after the seller listed it and was able to grab it for a bargain price. Issue 9 I also bought from a seller in the UK. Issue 10 I was able to find pretty easily; it was the first issue that I owned, but my first copy was missing the front cover page. Fortunately, I was able to find another copy for the same price with all covers and pages intact. I had first found out about VPC (Vogue Paris Collections) while Issue 11 was out, so I bought two copies; one for looking through without fear of not being able to replace it from too much wear, and one for keeping in mint condition or as a possible replacement. I did the same with Issue 12, the latest one. From now on, I will be sure to buy two copies of each issue, as it seems that as soon as the newest issue is released, the back issues all disappear with maybe one popping up on the secondary market somewhere in the world, literally. And with VPC being such a great and valuable resource, I will not be taking any chances.

Not only is finding back issues so difficult, but finding out what the covers of the back issues even looked like is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It is somewhat understandable when you think about who their audience and buyers are. VPC is not your typical newsstand magazine. It is geared towards fashion editors, buyers, designers, students, and fellow enthusiasts. There are no articles explaining the trends, only crystal clear photographs taken from the runway with a short description of the collection's theme and inspiration.

Much like the Japanese Gap Collections magazine, VPC takes a showcase look at the best designers and features the top looks of their collections. Although the magazine is not large enough to house every look from every designer, it is enough to get a feel for the trends of the upcoming season. With each section covering one of the four major fashion capitals of the world (Paris, Milan, New York, and London), with a special separate section exclusively for showcasing the best accessories, VPC is a perfect fashion splurge.

xoxo
September's Love Child

Updates:
January 2012- I finally have my two copies of Issue 13. Well, it took long enough! Review HERE.

Picture credits: All taken from the internet.