US VERSUS UK: MAGAZINE COVERS, JUNE 2012

1. VOGUE

VOGUE US: I get so excited seeing Olympic-themed anything these days! And how fitting is it they're going to be in London this year? Couldn't get more perfect than that. Both Vogues have jumped the gun with Vogue US putting Olympic hopefuls on the cover, and Vogue UK having a perfect symbol of British success and fabulousness, Kate Moss. Of course the UK also had the Jubilee to celebrate as well this month. For US, I think the cover is very patriotic without being overly so, but I can't help but think of Baywatch. Especially because of the man with the muscles in the middle. 

VOGUE UK: I love the gritty and glowing light that illuminates Kate's face and impeccable hair and make up. The use of the rope with its texture and thickness just worked really well for this shot.  

WINNER: Vogue UK.

2. COSMOPOLITAN

COSMOPOLITAN US: It's not very often that I say this, but I really love this Cosmo cover! The blue background is a great color, and the white gradient expanding from Pink's face helps create an extra dimension. I definitely think the dominance of sans serif fonts work. Not to mention Pink looks awesome-- less is more, and she looks flawless. 


COSMOPOLITAN UK: And this is an example of not following the "less is more" idea. There are just a LOT of things happening on this cover. Firstly, there are two people on the cover, each wearing bold (but really cute) printed dresses, there are two bright lipsticks being used, tons of text crowding around them with different fonts and sizes, then the huge "fashion frenzy!" banner. Ah, my brain.

WINNER: Cosmo US.

3. GQ

GQ US: Natural, bright, the colors, the classic feel to it, understated... it's great! See, this reminds me of Bradley Cooper's June/July cover of Esquire. You can compare and contrast and see how classy this looks in comparison. It's true the Esquire one was a bit of a joke since Bradley's photo shoot was with two elderly ladies. I'm just much more attracted to this cover regardless.

GQ UK: I might be more drawn to this cover if there was a natural setting behind Cheryl Cole, or less red. Take out the black boxes, less bold text, different fonts. But mainly a background. 

WINNER: GQ US.

4. GLAMOUR

GLAMOUR US: What do you guys think about the bold Helvetica font being used on Glamour's covers now? I don't know exactly how I feel about it. They usually each have different colors, like you can see above. This cover is a candy confection, which fits Carrie Underwood naturally sweet look, with her blonde hair and perfect smile. I really love the classy and cute styling.

GLAMOUR UK: Though I don't know about the white and navy clothes (it's a little business-y?), Jennifer Lopez looks stunning per usual. I don't know about the fonts and amount of text here, or the hot pink and royal blue color combinations especially with the navy skirt.

WINNER: Glamour US.

5. INSTYLE

INSTYLE US: I honestly think Charlize Theron might be the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm saying this without sarcasm and not as a joke, I really do! She looks amazing here, and an altogether pleasing cover. Though the baby pink might not have been my first choice, I love the copper of her dress, hair and makeup. And they did a great job using that script font only on their main leading line and her name. Any more would have been too much.

INSTYLE UK: I don't know about the styling here, with that thick gold necklace over a plain white collared shirt, but it's not too big of a deal. I like the cover, it's a little plain to me though. I don't know exactly what it is... maybe I would like to see the bottom half of her body, or at least some of it. 

WINNER: InStyle US.

6. ELLE

ELLE US: A double feature featuring Kristen Stewart. I made the mistake of watching Snow White and the Huntsman (what a disaster...). When looking at these two covers I can definitely tell that the styling of Elle US feels more natural to who she is. What with the natural hair, dark eye makeup and black clothes. However, the text is a little overbearing.


ELLE UK: The styling here just seems so awkward, doesn't it? Unflattering. I'm not sure if it was meant to look 1950s, but at least with Kristen, it doesn't look as smashing as it could with someone else. 

WINNER: Elle US.

7. ESQUIRE

ESQUIRE US: A classic Esquire cover. It's so no-nonsense, just how I would want a Bruce Willis cover to be. I can just imagine the Esquire people trying and struggling to get Bruce Willis to do something with a prop, or smile and pose, and he just stands there with his hands behind his back, pursing his lips. Haha, it makes me laugh thinking about it.


ESQUIRE UK: I've said it once and I'll say it again, Esquire UK's redesign looks better and better with each passing month! There is that gradient effect again in the background, and I love how they've worked the text on the cover-- the yellow box, the alternating colors and use of lines on the left side.

WINNER: Esquire UK.

8. HARPER'S BAZAAR

HARPER'S BAZAAR US: I mean, I love Kate Moss, so that helps the cover along. But the gigantic text. "FASHION PREVIEW." And everything else, just hurts me. Hurts me a lot. Without all of it, the cover could be so high fashion. 


HARPER'S BAZAAR UK: Oh my gosh, Cameron Diaz officially looks just like Glenn Close. Am I right?? Despite that rather disturbing realization, Cameron looks sexy with the dress, sweat, and the high class monochrome styling. HB UK does an excellent job, once again.

WINNER: Harper's Bazaar UK.

9. MARIE CLAIRE

MARIE CLAIRE US: With the lighting, hair, dress and overall styling, this cover just looks so dated. Very 90s, and not in a good way. What is with the dark rope dress? The multi-tonal hair and dark lipstick... And why do women's magazines quite often use so much pink as a dominant color on their covers? There is a whole rainbow to choose from! (Plus some!)


MARIE CLAIRE UK: A reprint. From Marie Claire US, January 2012. And I really like the US MC's version better, they used better colors and fonts in my humble opinion. 

WINNER: Marie Claire US, even though I hate it. Reprints usually just make it automatic.

FINAL COUNT:

US: 6

UK: 3

And my favorite for this month is... Mr. Michael Fassbender's cover for British Esquire! I've been so impressed lately with their redesign. It's become so classy but still modern and even fun.

Do you have a favorite for the month? I quite liked Vogue UK as well...