In July 1988, after Vogue had begun to lose ground to three-year-old upstart Elle, Anna Wintour was named editor-in-chief.Noted for her trademark bob cut and sunglasses, Wintour sought to revitalize the brand by making it younger and more approachable; she directed the focus towards new and accessible concepts of "fashion" for a wider audience. Wintour's influence allowed the magazine to maintain its high circulation, while staff discovered new trends that a broader audience could conceivably afford. For example, the inaugural cover of the magazine under Wintour's editorship featured a three-quarter-length photograph of Michaela Bercu, an Israeli model, wearing a bejeweled Christian Lacroix jacket and a pair of jeans, a departure from her predecessors' tendency to portray a woman's face alone; according to The New York Times, this gave "greater importance to both her clothing and her body".
Similar to many women’s fashion magazines, Vogue uses a simple cover layout that reaches the audience by advertising the main articles that are inside, clearly displaying the magazine title, showing a beautifully photographed model, or models, and displaying the publication date.
Vogue covers have transitioned from iconic fashion models on the covers, to now 6 being mainly actresses, singers, and other ce- lebrities. Up until the early-2000s, Vogue featured mostly models on their covers. Among the most popular were Lauren Hutton, Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen, and Karen Graham. (“Familiar Faces,” 2012). Most of these names may not even be recognized by some of Vogue’s readers today. More recent cover girls have been actress, Emma Stone, and music icons, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Adele. Some of their images are just of faces, others are of a group of people, and many of them are the popular three-quarter length photographs.
