There’s no arguing that 2018 has been an eventful year for the print industry as just about every major fashion glossy struggles to stay afloat amongst the fierce competition. The publications are now under strict budgets as they battle it out each month at the newsstand.
This year, Interview went bust for a hot minute while Vogue Poland and Vogue Czechoslovakia made their highly anticipated debuts (with a Vogue Hong Kong coming in early 2019 too). We witnessed Samantha Barry take over (and ruin) Glamour while watching Nina Garcia blossom at the helm of ELLE, amid constant rumors that Anna Wintour is to exit Vogue. Digital is allegedly kicking print’s behind with both Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue now producing digital covers to coincide with their traditional print schedule (and much to the dismay of our forum members).
And through it all, global fashion magazines endure the intense scrutiny of our forum members as they fiercely dissect the covers on offer — ultimately either winning or losing our seal of approval. It’s now time for us to reflect back on the year in fashion magazines in our annual list of best and worst covers.
[ Next: It’s Official: Gigi Hadid Replaces Sister Bella as the Top Cover Model for 2018 ]
Year in Review/Best & Worst Magazine Covers
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Best
Vogue Russia March 2018 : Luna Bijl by Luigi & Iango
Sometimes all it takes is a well-assembled team to deliver an utterly fabulous magazine cover and that team involved Luigi & Iango photographing Luna Bijl (who scored 8 Vogue covers this year) for Vogue Russia's March 2018 issue. The Dutch beauty proved every inch her worth in the electrifying cover image. -
Worst
UK Vogue February 2018 : Margot Robbie & Nicole Kidman by Juergen Teller
Edward Enninful received major backlash on our forums when he opted to SHARE a cover shoot with W Magazine for British Vogue's February issue, opting for a dull and lifeless portrait of Aussie actresses Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman photographed by Juergen Teller. -
Best
i-D Spring 2018 by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
i-D hadn't been on our radar for months until they dropped the Spring 2018 edition, which featured the likes of Christy Turlington, Teddy Quinlivan, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Paloma Elsesser and Dara Allen. Not only were we given a plethora of classic and timeless portrait images by Inez & Vinoodh, but it was a pleasure to see such a diverse bunch of cover stars on the newsstand. -
Worst
Vanity Fair 'The Hollywood Issue' 2018 by Annie Leibovitz
Vanity Fair's annual 'Hollywood Issue' for January 2018 featured a whole host of A-list faces shot by Annie Leibovitz. Our forums were quick to point out a list of Photoshop blunders — like Reese Witherspoon sporting three legs and Nicole Kidman morphing into Naomi Watts. -
Best
Vogue Arabia March 2018 : Iman & Imaan Hammam by Patrick Demarchelier
Vogue Arabia made our fashion dreams come true for March 2018 by delivering the iconic duo that is Iman Abdulmajid and Imaan Hammam, who were both photographed by Patrick Demarchelier (pre sexual misconduct scandal) which resulted in a trio of divine and timeless covers for us to choose from. -
Worst
Vogue Italia March 2018 : Remington Williams by Steven Meisel
We expect a lot from forum favorite Steven Meisel, so you can imagine our disappointment to see him serve up a totally lackluster portrait of model Remington Williams for Italian Vogue's March 2018 issue. While the image itself may not be offensive...it was missing the famous Meisel magic. -
Best
Allure June 2018 : Fei Fei, Fernanda & Soo Joo by Solve Sundsbo
Members of our forums couldn't believe their eyes when Allure featured a trio of Asian beauties for June 2018. Asian women are unfortunately a rare sight at the newsstand, so Fei Fei Sun, Fernanda Ly and Soo Joo Park were a much-welcomed addition to Allure's "all about hair" edition. -
Worst
US Glamour May 2018 : Melissa McCarthy by Miguel Reveriego
How could we forget Samantha Barry's first official outing as editor-in-chief of Glamour? Unfortunately for our forum members, there is no forgetting — or forgiving — this mess of a cover featuring actress Melissa McCarthy. Plagued by Barry's atrocious new redesign, it was ultimately the catalyst for the title going all-digital in 2019. Should we be shocked? -
Best
US Vogue July 2018 : Gisele Bundchen by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Surprisingly, models hardly ever make the cover of American Vogue so forum members were quick to applaud Anna Wintour for welcoming Gisele Bundchen back after an eight-year hiatus. Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin photographed Gisele in Tulum, Mexico, surrounded by nature for the beautiful and serene cover image. -
Worst
Vogue Italia May 2018 : Gigi Hadid by Steven Klein
Gigi Hadid not only made headlines on our forums but across the entire globe when she fronted Vogue Italia's June issue, photographed by Steven Klein. In the unflattering cover image, Gigi was captured straddling a male model decked out in a glitzy Dolce & Gabbana number — complete with bizarrely darker skin tone. Not cool Vogue Italia, not cool. -
Best
Vogue Mexico July 2018 : Bella Hadid by Chris Colls
Much to our surprise, it was Vogue Mexico who delivered the summer cover of the year, featuring It girl Bella Hadid. Doing what she does best, Bella gave us everything (and more) in the sun-soaked covers shot by Chris Colls. -
Worst
Vogue Australia June 2018 : Rebel Wilson by Nicole Bentley
It's hard to understand why stylists are in the habit of swamping plus-size cover stars in mountains of fabric and, unfortunately, Kate Darvill didn't break the mold when it came to styling Rebel Wilson for Vogue Australia's June 2018 cover shot. To add insult to injury, an oversized Martin Grant coat was thrown over the voluminous Christian Siriano gown. Why, just why? -
Best
UK Harper's Bazaar August 2018 : Ashley Graham by Alexi Lubomirski
We were delighted to see a radiant Ashley Graham on the cover of Harper's Bazaar UK in August. Captured on location in New York City by Alexi Lubomirski, the model's infectious and joyful smile lights up the page in a floral Dolce & Gabbana dress. -
Worst
Vogue Portugal June 2018 : Jessica Stam by René & Radka
Vogue Portugal had been in our good books until they had to ruin it by submerging Jessica Stam in a pool of water for June 2018. Jessica ended up looking like a drowning victim in René & Radka's cover image. We strongly recommend Jessica NOT add this to her portfolio. -
Best
UK Vogue September 2018 : Rihanna by Nick Knight
Edward Enninful shut it dowwwwn when he unveiled Rihanna as the first black woman to star on the September issue of British Vogue. Always up for something different, the Barbadian songstress sported a quirky makeup look in the vibrant and eye-catching cover image, shot by photographer Nick Knight. This cover will surely go down in history. -
Worst
US Harper's Bazaar September 2018 : Bruce & Jessica Springsteen by Mario Sorrenti
The American edition of Harper's Bazaar forgot it was the most important issue of the year when it allowed Carine Roitfeld to style Bruce Springsteen and his daughter Jessica for the September cover, shot by Mario Sorrenti. You couldn't blame us for thinking the father/daughter cover was a joke at first! -
Best
WSJ September 2018 : The Power of 10 by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
WSJ Magazine stole the show in September with not one, but TEN supermodels! I&V captured Anna Ewers, Andreea Diaconu, Imaan Hammam, Carolyn Murphy, Karlie Kloss, Doutzen Kroes, Tao Okamato, Rianne van Rompaey, Freja Beha Erichsen and Adwoa Aboah, who all went uber-glam with styling by George Cortina. -
Worst
Vogue Turkey July 2018 : Cindy Crawford by Miguel Reveriego
Another disaster at the newsstand came in the form of Vogue Turkey, who somehow made Cindy Crawford look a far cry from her usual self in the awkward portrait cover image. The original 90s super tried her hardest to make the poker-straight hair and minimal makeup look work in her favor. -
Best
US InStyle October 2018 : Janet Jackson by Robbie Fimmano
We love when magazines tap unexpected cover stars and Laura Brown did just that for InStyle's October 2018 issue starring Janet Jackson. The legendary songstress felt like a breath of fresh air in the flawless newsstand cover image photographed by Robbie Fimmano. -
Worst
US Marie Claire October 2018 : Nicole Kidman by Thomas Whiteside
We barely recognized Nicole Kidman as she took to the October edition of American Marie Claire. We did a double take (several times over) as we tried to make out the Aussie actress in an overdose of red and a whole lot of Photoshop.
