Lifestyle and fashion blogger Victoria James from The Style Journal tells us why Vanity Fair always leaves her wanting more...
I don’t know about you, but whenever the letterbox flicks and I hear the weighty drop of one of my magazine subscriptions landing on the doormat, I can’t concentrate on anything. I can’t wait to finish the day, run a hot bath and absorb myself in the pages of what this edition has to offer - but the one magazine I can never fail to abandon the day for immediately is Vanity Fair. I have to stop what I’m doing, pour my favourite tea (or wine) and give it my full attention.
The main reason I love Vanity Fair is that it offers so much more than a lot of the other female-focused, popular culture publications on the market. I do love a good injection of passive reading from time to time but this particular magazine makes me sit and consider the words on the pages and what they actually mean for me.
I would class Vanity Fair as a lifestyle magazine that focuses on contemporary culture, fashion and current affairs. With Graydon Carter at the helm, you can feel the desire for diverse articles that strike a chord and get you thinking, rather than articles that you simply flick through without thinking about.
Carter’s editorial style combines high-profile celebrity cover stars with more serious journalism. Not only does he present to you celebrities of substance, he opens the doors to Hollywood and invites you in while provoking thought on issues that matter, such as this edition’s feature, not only on the topic of the Paris attacks, but on the wider issue of the sorrow felt across Europe and the resulting rise of Nationalism.
Using writers and photographers who are never afraid to explore the sensitive and sometimes controversial topics other publications steer away from, Vanity Fair challenges my mind in an addictive way. It makes me inquisitive to issues I may never have thought much about before, and yet still manages to epitomise old hollywood glamour in every edition.
Clare Vivier featured in this month’s Fanfair section (which focuses on culture) and is one of my favourite handbag designers. Here she shares her inspirations, current loves across beauty, tech and home, and discusses her favourite wardrobe staples. Vivier has been a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America since 2004, so her input on lifestyle and fashion is a wonderful addition.
Following Fanfair is this month's Hot Type (a list of books which have caught their eye), which again showcases titles and authors which you may not have considered before. Their choices are diverse, thought-provoking and seriously classy. There are two or three titles here which will be going on my wish list.
This iconic, sophisticated magazine leaves me wanting more with every edition, and I even feel a little sad when the final page is turned. The only way I could love this magazine more is if there were more luscious pages to turn, to keep me enveloped in this stylish world for just a few minutes more.
Subscribing to Vanity Fair is simple: just follow this link to magazine.co.uk and give yourself a reason to take a day off from life each month.
