Vogue France

Background

Vogue France is the French edition of the American fashion magazine Vogue. The magazine is published ten times per year with merged June/July and December/January issues as is traditional for French fashion publications.

Editors

Editions

• Vogue Collections (since 2005)
• Vogue Beauté (from 1951 to 1952; from 1983 till closure)
• Vogue Décoration (from 1985 to 1992)
• Vogue Hommes (from 1973 to 1996; 2000 to 2022)
• Vogue Sport (1983 to 1986)

Circulation

History

1920–54

The French edition of Vogue was first issued on 15 June 1920, the first editor-in-chief being Cosette de Brunhoff (1886–1964). Her brother, Michel de Brunhoff (1892–1958) took over, following a brief period of Main Bocher (from 1927 to 1929) editing the magazine and Brunhoff served as editor-in-chief from 1929 until 1954. Duchess Solange d'Ayen (1898–1976) was a fashion editor of Vogue from the late 1920s until the early 1940s.

Publication of French Vogue was put on hold in 1940 after its permission to publish was not granted by the occupying Nazi authorities. The assets of the magazine and French Condé Nast's other fashion publication Le Jardin des Modes were liquidated and both publications were placed under the protection of the Tribunal de Commerce. During the publication pause Brunhoff created l'Album de la Mode du Figaro based in Monte Carlo to fill the market gap left from the closure of Vogue. Regular contributors to Vogue including Germaine Beaumont, Paul Valéry, Georges Duhamel, and illustrators Bernard Blossac, Pierre Mourgue, and Pierre Pagès all contributed to the publication. Vogue Paris restarted publication with a special 'Liberation' issue in early 1945.

Under Edmonde Charles-Roux (1954–66)

Edmonde Charles-Roux (1920–2016), who had previously worked at Elle and France-Soir, became the magazine's editor-in-chief in 1954. Charles-Roux was a great supporter of Christian Dior's "New Look", of which she later said, "It signalled that we could laugh again - that we could be provocative again, and wear things that would grab people's attention in the street."

She was dismissed from Vogue in 1966, as the result of a conflict for wanting to place black model Donyale Luna on the cover of the magazine. When later asked about her departure, Charles-Roux refused to confirm or deny this account. A black model on the cover of French Vogue did not come until 1988 when Naomi Campbell was featured on the cover.

1968–2000: Crescent, Pringle, and Buck

Francine Crescent (1933–2008), whose editorship would later be described as prescient, daring, and courageous, took the helm of French Vogue in 1968. Under her leadership, the magazine became the global leader in fashion photography. Crescent gave Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin, the magazine's two most influential photographers, complete creative control over their work. the "prone and open-mouthed girls of Bourdin" were pitted against the "dark, stiletto-heeled, S&M sirens of Newton". At times, Bourdin's work was so scandalous that Crescent "laid her job on the line" to preserve his artistic independence. The two photographers greatly influenced the late-20th-century image of womanhood and were among the first to realize the importance of image, as opposed to product, in stimulating consumption. Through the power photography within fashion both Bourdin and Newton were able to create new avenues within the world of fashion as well as advance the image of Vogue.

By the late 1980s, however, Newton and Bourdin's star power had faded, and the magazine was "stuck in a rut". Under Pringle's watch, the magazine recruited new photographers such as Peter Lindbergh (1944–2019) and Steven Meisel, who developed their signature styles in the magazine's pages. Even still, the magazine struggled, remaining dull and heavily reliant on foreign stories. When Pringle left the magazine in 1994, word spread that her resignation had been forced.

Joan Juliet Buck, an American, was named Pringle's successor effective 1 June 1994. Her selection was described by The New York Times as an indication that Conde Nast intended to "modernize the magazine and expand its scope" from its circulation of 80,000. Though rumors circulated in 1996 that the magazine was on the verge of a shutdown, Buck remade the magazine in her own cerebral image, Carine Roitfeld, who had been the magazine's creative director,

Under Carine Roitfeld (2001–2011)

Roitfeld aimed to restore the magazine's place as a leader in fashion journalism (the magazine "hadn't been so good" since the 1980s, she said By April 2002, she had rid the magazine of foreign staffers, making it "all French for the first time in many years". It aimed to make the title appear more hand-crafted and organic, particularly through the use of collage and hand-drawn fonts. Continuity was created through the use of loose theming for each issue, smooth pacing, and visual uniformity in the shopping pages.

The magazine's aesthetic evolved to resemble Roitfeld's (that is, "svelte, tough, luxurious, and wholeheartedly in love with dangling-cigarette, bare-chested fashion"). Roitfeld has periodically drawn criticism for the magazine's use of sexuality and humor, which she employs to disrupt fashion's conservatism and pretension. Advertising revenue rose 60 percent in 2005, resulting in the best year for ad sales since the mid-1980s.

Under Emmanuelle Alt (2011–2021)

On 7 January 2011, Emmanuelle Alt, who had worked at the magazine as its fashion director since 2000 was announced as the new editor-in-chief. Under Alt the publication was simplified, the magazine was redesigned to eliminate "cluttered layouts and typography" along with the introduction of more feature articles. Her appointment was seen as the "safe" choice with The New York Times stating that it did not look like Condé Nast executives were looking for a change to the publication.

Valentina Sampaio was featured on the March 2017 cover and became the first transgender model to be featured on the cover of an edition of Vogue.

Alt was dismissed from her role as editor-in-chief in May 2021, this followed the firing of multiple high-profile Condé Nast staff members.

Under Eugénie Trochu and rebranding (2021–2024)

Eugénie Trochu was appointed as the Head of Editorial Content for Vogue Paris on 6 September 2021. The first issue under her leadership was November 2021 featuring Aya Nakamura on the cover. This was also the first issue of the magazine to be branded as Vogue France after 101 years as Vogue Paris.

Under Claire Thomson-Jonville (2025–present)

After overseeing the December 2024/January 2025 issue Claire Thomson-Jonville was appointed as the magazines Head of Editorial Content following Trochus departure. Under her leadership the magazine had a design overhaul and in February 2025 Alastair McKimm (ex-editor-in-chief of i-D) was appointed as the magazines Fashion and Image Director-at-Large. McKimm left the position following the December 2025/January 2026 issue.

The first Vogue France Wellness retreat occurred in June 2025 hosted by Thomson-Jonville and Deepak Chopra, Vogue called the three-day retreat 'A transformative journey to awaken your body, empower your mind and nourish your heart guided by Vogue France*'.* Speakers at the event will include Jessie Inchauspé and Léna Mahfouf. Thomson-Jonville previously ran the Out of State wellness retreats.

References

References

1. [[Vogue Paris]] p.110 to p.118 - October 2021 (in French)
2. [http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/110107-emmanuelle-alt-new-french-vogue-edi.aspx Emmanuelle Alt new French Vogue editor-in-chief] {{Webarchive. link. (10 January 2011 - ''Vogue UK'', 7 January 2011)
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22. Philips, Ian. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n14093086 "The Look that shocked the world"]. ''[[The Independent]]'' (11 February 1997).
23. In August 1956, the magazine issued a special [[ready-to-wear]] (''prêt-à-porter'') issue, signaling a shift in fashion's focus from [[haute couture. couture]] production.{{in lang. fr Sanchez, Anne-Cécile. [http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites-societe/et-saint-laurent-aima-la-femme/920/0/120671 "Et Saint Laurent aima la femme"] {{Webarchive. link. (16 July 2011 . ''[[Le Point]]'' (11 January 2002).)
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27. "The groundbreaking Black models who changed fashion · V&A"%20%E2%80%93%20aged%20just%2018.).
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33. Braunstein, Peter]]. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb337/is_/ai_n5796223 "Shoot to chill"]. ''[[W (magazine). W]]'' (1 October 2001).
34. Colombe Pringle replaced Crescent as the magazine's editor-in-chief in 1987.[[John Colapinto. Colapinto, John]]. [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/may/27/fashion.features3 "You'll think I'm a madman"] {{Webarchive. link. (5 January 2017 . ''[[The Guardian]]'' (May 27, 2007).)
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37. Daswani, Kavita. "Out of vogue". ''[[South China Morning Post]]'' (4 February 1996).
38. link. (21 September 2023 . ''[[The New York Times]]'' (11 April 1994).)
39. Buck's first two years as editor-in-chief were extremely controversial; many employees resigned or were fired, including the magazine's publishing director and most of its top editors."How two Americans shook up French 'Vogue'". [[CNN]] [[Business Unusual]] (8 May 1999). Transcript via [[LexisNexis]].
40. link. (21 September 2023 ''[[The New York Times]]'' (12 December 2000).)
41. tripling the amount of text in the magazine and devoting special issues to art, music, literature, and science. Juliet Buck announced her decision to leave the magazine in December 2000, after her return from a two-month leave of absence. The ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' later compared her departure, which took place during Milan's [[fashion week]], to the firing of a football coach during a championship game.Wilson, Catherine. "Strictly black and white". ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' (17 November 2001).
42. link. (8 May 2020 . ''[[The New York Times]]'' (16 April 2002).)
43. link. (16 September 2016 . ''[[The Observer]]'' (25 February 2007).)
44. link. (27 December 2010 . ''[[Creative Review]]'' (2 June 2003).)
45. Larocca, Amy. [http://nymag.com/fashion/08/spring/44215/ "The anti-Anna"] {{Webarchive. link. (10 February 2009 . ''[[New York Magazine]]'' (25 February 2008).)
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48. Horyn, Cathy. (2011-02-10). "New Star in the Front Row". The New York Times.
49. (2017-02-14). "French Vogue gets first transgender cover star". BBC News.
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51. (2021-09-06). "Eugénie Trochu is appointed Head of Editorial Content, Vogue Paris".
52. Champenois, Sabrina. "Avec Aya Nakamura, "Vogue France" prend la vague".
53. Fraser, Kristopher. (2021-10-28). "Vogue Paris rebrands as Vogue France".
54. Marain, Alexandre. (2025-02-18). "Qui est Alastair McKimm, nouveau Fashion and Image Director-at-Large de Vogue France ?".
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56. "WELLNESS RETREAT: Vogue 3 Days of Wellness".
57. "Vogue 3 Days of Wellness".
58. Cleary, Mary. (2023-02-25). "Editor Claire Thomson Jonville launches exclusive wellness retreats for creatives".