Festive glamour has seemingly remained off the agenda of just about every fashion publication this month. British ELLE opted to boycott any sense of celebration and festivity, having done a 90s fashion revival with Rosemary Ferguson as their cover star while Vogue Japan served up models Abény Nhial and Mary Ukech sporting complementing corded Miu Miu looks on a cover which evoked a vibe of the early 00s. Glamour (without the festive) arrived in the form of Nicki Minaj‘s long-awaited debut as an American Vogue cover star, in addition to Emilia Clarke decked out in sequined Giorgio Armani on the cover of British Harper’s Bazaar.
Scroll further to see which December 2023 covers made the cut (and which didn’t) according to theFashionSpot’s unfiltered forum members:
MISS | US Harper’s Bazaar with Lana Del Rey by Collier Schorr:
“If I were a photographer, I would be embarrassed to hand in such work!” [Royal-Galliano]
MISS | UK ELLE with Rosemary Ferguson by Liz Collins:
“What an unflattering cover image! Goodness grief, cannot believe the magazine thought this was a good idea, even more so to be worthy of sitting on newsstands for a whole two months (and over the festive holiday season). Dumbfounded, to be honest.” [vogue28]
HIT | US Vogue with Nicki Minaj by Norman Jean Roy:
“Oh my god! What a cover, what a moment. Stunning! I can forgive and forget a year’s worth of awful covers thanks to this beauty. A timeless, classic American cover.” [aracic]
HIT | D la Repubblica with Mila van Eeten by Nicola Delorme:
“This magazine puts Vogue Italia to shame every single time.” [WAVES]
HIT | ELLE China with Kate Moss & Charlotte Tilbury by Matt Easton:
“Beautiful, even if it’s retouched.” [Ihhbl]
HIT | Vogue Mexico with Paloma Elsesser by Camila Falquez:
“Love the first cover in the sheer black dress. I think Paloma looks Divine.” [MModa]
HIT | US ELLE with Jennifer Lopez by Sølve Sundsbø:
“Phwoar, that Jennifer Lopez cover is absolutely EVERYTHING, I am in love. The gold, the glamour, the sultriness, the warmth, the festiveness, the minimalism, the slight nod to Herb Ritts…” [vogue28]
HIT | Harper’s Bazaar Spain with Indya Moore by Juan Kr:
“I am captivated by Indya’s cover! Very 80s Bazaar with the close up and background. Stunning!” [MON]
HIT | Vogue Australia with Emily Ratajkowski by Lachlan Bailey:
“Spectacular!” [jal718]
MISS | Vogue Japan with Abény Nhial & Mary Ukech by Hugo Comte:
“It’s an awful amateur cover for me. I hate it with a passion: the wigs, the styling, the lighting – everything feels sooooooo cheap.” [Bertrando3]
HIT | Vanity Fair with Greta Gerwig by Norman Jean Roy:
“It is a lovely side portrait. The color palette reflects the winter months.” [MModa]
HIT | Vogue Greece with Anna Cleveland by Richard Phibbs:
“These covers belong to the best of the year!” [Petrus]
HIT | Harper’s Bazaar Italia with Apolline Rocco Fohrer by Nick Knight:
“There was everything that could go wrong, but somehow I like it…” [DK92]
MISS | Vogue France with Ida Heiner by Théo de Gueltzl:
“A magazine that once had Dalí, Fellini, Hitchcock, Chagall, Miró, Hockney and Kurosawa as guest editors of their end-of-year issue is now giving us fashion cosplay in a corridor of an arts center.” [tigerrouge]
HIT | Harper’s Bazaar France with Loli Bahia by Juergen Teller:
“I actually love Loli Bahia’s cover. Juergen is at his best when the subject/model/clothes are more glamorous, hence why I always love his Saint Laurent campaigns.” [Overindulgence]
MISS | UK Vogue by Tim Walker:
“I remember when Tim Walker used to create dazzling editorials with gorgeous clothes. What happened?” [gallianostan]
MISS | UK Harper’s Bazaar with Emilia Clarke by Betina du Toit:
“They’ve made Emilia Clarke look SO Old.” [Kite]
MISS | Vogue Italia with Liya Kebede by Campbell Addy:
“Can you imagine deciding THAT is the best wig for Liya?” [blueorchid]
MISS | Vogue China with Sherry Shi, Mengyao Wang, Huijia Chen & Hejia Liby Felix Cooper:
“This is their worst cover this year for sure!” [crmsn]
HIT | Numéro Netherlands with Jessica Stam by Lea Winkler:
“I love it, specially the dark festive vibe.” [kokobombon]