I also may be in a good mood because...
1) It finally feels like spring!
2) I am finished with my finals! (for this week... so still not done unfortunately)
3) I extremely recently applied, interviewed, and received a design internship at Columbia Home Magazine for the summer! So I'll be living on my own this summer, subleasing a place. I feel so grown up! (And now I don't have to go back to my old hometown and work at JCPenney. Praise the Lord.)
4) I THINK I found the place I'm going to live this summer, just at this moment! (and rent is under $300! For I am a poor college student with an unpaid internship...)
So I'm so happy and grateful for these amazing things that are very rapidly happening to me. I'm just trying to deal with the stress well and get through finals, then on to an equally busy summer interning at a very lovely magazine!
Now, on to these wonderful magazines of May...
1. VOGUE
Vogue US: Lovely cover. Reese looks stunning and her eyes are so piercing. I mean it's very good, but it's also a little safe. Whenever I can't think of much to say it usually means it's not horrible, but it's not fantastic or especially impressive. It's just good.
Vogue UK: Now, this is a really beautiful cover. The ambiance, softness and mood just fit together to make this amazing photograph. I love how it's isn't a celebrity, but a model, on the cover. The center focus for the magazine isn't the promotion of a movie or product, but the celebration of bridal fashion to honor the Royal Wedding. A wonderful change of pace. And if you haven't seen the editorial of Mario Testino's "Wedding Belles" please check it out. It's the best editorial editorial I've seen in a very long time!
WINNER: Vogue UK. Though both covers are very successful, Vogue UK just took it to a whole new level when you look at them side-by-side. Even the serif font and the use of italicize helps the romantic feel, while Vogue US sticks to its consistent sans serif font.
2. COSMOPOLITAN
Cosmopolitan US: I can't exactly decide why I don't love this cover. Maybe it's the red overpowering me. Or how her face looks a little bit greasy... or unclean, or something. Kind of an awkward pose. I'm not sure, what do you all think of this one?
Cosmopolitan UK: The sparkling on the "Cosmopolitan" is really hurting my life. Plus, the photo of Kim looks extremely lightened and just not real... There is absolutely no breathing room on this cover, meaning there is text filling the entire thing, with no white space.
WINNER: Cosmopolitan US. Both covers really aren't the best this week, but I do prefer the bold colors and genuine photo in Cosmo US than the light colors (that are constantly shades of pink) and matted photo in Cosmo UK.
3. GQ
GQ US: Both covers decided to do an extreme close-up for their photos. Firstly, WHAT is in Zach Galifianakis's beard? I keep thinking it's butter... like he shoved his face in a jumbo movie popcorn bucket. But no, apparently there is "comedy gold in that there beard" according to that small caption to the right. See more Zach in his comedic glory. But an interesting cover-- I really like the definition in the photograph, no smoothing of wrinkles- in fact the opposite since it seems extra texturized.
GQ UK: Awwwwwww, Prince Harry. My friends and I love him. (Plus, it's not a naked girl on the cover for once! Yay!) It's a very safe cover: a black and white photo with plenty of lovely white space. It seems appropriate for a royal to have such a cover, but a part of me wishes that they would have had more editorial and edgy fun with the Prince. But, I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed, or frowned upon, or something. But he is very handsome, and I really like how the text is placed only in the left bottom corner.
WINNER: This is one is hard... they are both really good covers, but I think I'll have to go with GQ US. Even though the gold beard thing is kind of weird, it does make me want to peek in the magazine and see what it is all about.
4. GLAMOUR
Glamour US: Glamour did the multiple cover thing that a lot of magazines are doing now, (though I'm not really a huge fan of it. I like a consistent one-cover. Perhaps I just don't like thinking there are other covers out there that I don't get to see.. in person I guess!) I picked my favorite of the three, the one with Emma Stone whom I love. She looks so cute and spring-y with the floral dress. And I like that color of yellow/gold for the heading. Another thing I notice here is that "Emma Stone" and their little plug for her is in a yellow circle by her head-- I think it's great to make it pop and separate it from the rest of the text.
Glamour UK: There is something about this cover that makes it seem... old. It looks like a cover from the 90s or something, but not in a good way. You can see that the color of fuchsia is used very prominently on Glamour UK, enough to give me a gigantic headache, while on Glamour US, it is only used as an accent color.
WINNER: Glamour US. The colors, photo and outfit is just better on Glamour US to me.
5. INSTYLE
InStyle US: Isn't Kate Hudson just a breath of fresh air! She looks bright, youthful and fresh on this cover. There is a wonderful ocean color palette and a good balance of text. And that lace is beautiful with her natural look.
InStyle UK: Oh my. Take a look at March's InStyle US. Yes, it is a reprint of last month's US version. I've never really understood why magazines have to do that... did they not have time to find their own cover star/story, or was this planned out for some reason? Honestly, if anyone knows, please let me know! I'm really curious.
WINNER: InStyle US. Even without the fact that InStyle UK was a reprint of US's old cover star, Kate Hudson looks so beautiful, and the cover just shines!
6. ELLE
Elle US: Elle also did the multiple covers with Gwen Stefani, Nicki Minaj, Adele, Jennifer Hudson and many many others. Firstly, I love the bright orange color, but what first catches the eye is the bold "MUSIC ISSUE!" wrapped around Gwen's hand. I don't know why I've become less articulate with my opinion, but I'm not exactly sure if I love it. It looks really cool and graphic with the typography, but it doesn't look like it was planned to do this... and for some reason that bothers me. Like, they saw the picture of Gwen and were like, "Huh, maybe we should just wrap the text around her wrist..." Plus, on the other covers they DON'T have that "Music Issue" text, so maybe if it was planned consistently with the others covers, it would be making more sense to me. STILL, visually I like this cover. I just need to stop thinking so much.
Elle UK: I love the texture of the couch and the grittiness of this photo. Compared to Vogue US's cover of Reese this month, I like this one better. Probably because this photo is original and different, plus this look is DIFFERENT from her role in Water for Elephants, while Vogue's editorial put her in a look similar to her movie role. This one has a great high fashion feel to it.
WINNER: Side by side, these two covers are both really great. They are graphic and interesting, but Elle UK has this minimalistic design that puts my mind at ease compared to Elle US.
7. ESQUIRE
Esquire US: Classic Esquire cover. I love the different elements and typography... Standard cover. I do like the black and red tile floor to contrast the neutral colors.
Esquire UK: I LOVE this cover. It has a very retro, 60s feel to it with the muted colors and soft photo of Abbie Cornish. I really love this design and how "ABBIE" is made up of thin diagonal lines. The text here reminds me of GQ US, but with the font and style of this magazine it looks more timeless and mod. Abbie looks amazingly soft and beautiful with a sultry look. Though she is topless, she still looks classy and artistic instead of trashy. (P.S. Esquire UK actually just went through a redesign of sorts, so we will see how that looks next month! I'm kind of sad about it because I love this cover.)
WINNER: Esquire UK. Though both are good covers, I think Esquire UK went above and beyond expectations. I looked at it and just went, "Ooooo..." That's usually a good sign.
8. HARPER'S BAZAAR
Harper's Bazaar US: Lady Gaga with her prosthetic sharp cheekbones. The photo is OK with a standard Lady Gaga look, once again with gigantic sans serif plastered all up and around her face. And it seems like fuchsia is a popular color this month!
Harper's Bazaar UK: A wonderfully soft and romantic look here, similar to Vogue UK. I think they both went for a romantic feel in honor of the Royal Wedding-- see on the cover, Kate Moss is "Fashion royalty." She wears, I'm guessing, a couture dress, making the magazine dramatic and edgy (though still soft, they can be both) high fashion look.
WINNER: Harper's Bazaar UK. It's obvious, isn't it? This cover is simply beautiful.
9. MARIE CLAIRE
Marie Claire US: Is anyone tired of Glee yet? I used to love it, but now it's just getting so old. I'm tired of seeing Glee girls on covers... EVERY MONTH. Plus, this cover looks like they are all bridesmaids, wearing the same colors for the wedding, posing for a Facebook photo.
Marie Claire UK: The coral and purple are a great spring color combination, especially on January Jones. There's nothing really special about this cover though. Plus, "283 GENUIS FASHION IDEAS" is really large and really close to "marie claire", so they are kind of competing for attention.
WINNER: Marie Claire US. As tired as I am of Glee, it is a more nicely designed cover. Since the photo is full with three girls, the text is light, pushed off to the side and still fun with the written "Fabulous Fashion" font.
Here is the final score!
US: 5
UK: 4
Hmm, just like last month! It seems like one can not dominate the other... at least not yet! I guess we will have to see how things are next month. May's covers for the most part were really good! Some were very hard to chose between, which is always fun. (Vogue, GQ, Elle)
My personal favorite:
This cover has a real personality and mood to it. Abbie looks beautiful, and the design is just so clean-cut, retro and visually interesting. I love everything about it.
Which one is your favorite for this month? There are a lot of really great ones! x
I just love this idea, I always enjoy these posts so much!!
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