Appearances can deceive.
The mammoth, 758-page Vogue fall fashion special issue that is lurching like a T. rex into metro Atlanta mailboxes and heaving onto newsstands right about now really doesn't weigh more than cover model Kate Moss. It only seems that way.
And the economy may be amid its 99th nervous breakdown, with U.S. unemployment projected to remain above 8 percent until at least until 2014, but in the high-flying world of Vogue and its glossy competitors, there's no deficit that can't be covered up by another layer of pricey, triple-action anti-aging skin cream.
Though it would appear to require a forklift to hoist into one's lap, the always anticipated (by fashionistas, at least) September Vogue weighs in under 4 pounds and is punier than the record-holder: the 2007 fall fashion special, which tilted scales at 5 pounds and killed off 840 pages worth of trees.
Still, critics of fashion overkill have been lining up, with knives sharpened. The shopping and style website racked.com posted short videos in which the new Vogue was dropped on a plastic cup, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers and other food items. Only chow mein noodles survived uncrushed.
The feminist fashion site glossedover.com ran a live blog one day this week in which supremely sarcastic editor Wendy Felton started paging through Vogue at 10:03 a.m. and didn't make her last caustic post until 6:56 p.m. Highlights include: 11 a.m., "One hour in. Where is the content? There is some, right? I'm not just reading 700-something pages of ads?"
Those who fear 758 pages of selling needn't worry, though. On Page 218, Vogue czar Anna Wintour kicks off her Letter From the Editor, assuring readers that "Simply engaging in real life can lead us somewhere delightful and magical." The Letter From the Editor is continued on Pages 234 and 280, to allow readers to enjoy some more ads while anticipating said delight and magic.
About the Author
