[ot-caption title=”A model posing for a photo spread in Alexander McQueen for a past Vogue September Issue. (via Flickr/ Google)”]

In the world of fashion, the September Issue is the issue that makes or breaks a fashion magazine.  With an array of cover stars, articles, photo spreads, and overall content, one thing is for certain: a lot of hard work goes into this momentous issue.  Vogue, Vanity Fair, and W Magazine are three of the many magazines that are basking in the spotlight this September.

Vogue is arguably the comprehensive style bible for everything fashion. The September 2015 issue is both literally and figuratively huge. It contains 832 pages of fall’s most desired fashion trends.  Filled to the brim with advertisements of coveted clothing selections and elaborate photo spreads, it is nothing short of spectacular. In other words, if you dropped this issue on your foot, you wouldn’t be a happy camper.  This fall’s trends are heavily 70’s inspired, with floral prints, fringe, fur, and button-up denim skirts. Oh, did I mention the cover star this month is Beyoncé, the one and only Queen B? Vogue’s main focus is writing to the fashion, by putting the art into words. Some of the standout articles are: an interview featuring Beyoncé entitled “Just B,” a beauty piece titled “Saint Lucia” about Lucia Pica, the new global creative director of makeup at Chanel, and “En Plein Air,” an article about the sculptor Marie Christophe who moved to the old-fashioned countryside of France after living in contemporary Paris. Overall, the September issue of Vogue is the largest and most recognized of the bunch.

Like Vogue, Vanity Fair’s cover star is a wildly successful female who is a country-turned-pop megastar. Yep, you guessed it: Taylor Swift. However, unlike Vogue, Vanity Fair is less focused on fashion, and more so a magazine of cultural observation. It focuses on celebrities, modern behaviors, and popular cultural themes. The articles are in-depth and expository. The article about Swift is focused around her “squad” of best friends and her newfound influence in the mainstream music industry. The other highlights of this issue are the international best-dressed list and an exposé on Tinder’s various effects on our society.  In addition, it includes a report on the unfortunate suicide of celebrity plastic surgeon, Dr. Fredric Brandt who is portrayed as plastic surgeon Dr. Franff on hit Netflix Series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; the article examines his negative portrayal on the show and it’s impact on this plastic surgeon to the stars.

A friend of Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, another crossover model and celebrity, graces the cover star for W Magazine’s September 2015 issue.  Hadid, part of Swift’s “squad,” makes up the new generation of the more humanized supermodel.  What differs most obviously about this magazine from the other two is it’s enormous size and length. The layout displays the magazine’s theme and goal, which emphasizes the visual aspects of fashion. Although the issue features minimal articles scattered throughout, it is all about fashion photography. The best way to describe this magazine would be  avant-garde, in relation to their topics, and edgy and risqué, in reference to their clothing choices. The perk of the magazine being so visual is that a reader can get the sense of the season’s trends and the clothing’s detail without having to read article after article.

The most common thematic thread running through all three publications: advertisements. From Prada, to Chanel to Etro, these same ads pop up.The clothing, cosmetics, and accessories industries see these magazines as a major access point to the broadest possible audiences. Fashion expresses the concepts of beauty at a specific point in time.  It is an art by which we see ourselves as individuals but, with accessibility to others, and it provides us with a way to show beauty in the design and movement, or even the static nature of our dress. The September 2015 issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and W Magazine will influence the season to come, and if they are lucky, seasons to follow.  With the most important issue of the year at hand, it’s time to get reading!