Codes and conventions of a fashion magazine - final

1. History of fashion magazines:
 FashionmagazinesemergedinEnglandinthe 1840’s, aimedat a popularaudience,where
interestinfashionwaswidespread.Theyoriginallyincludedillustratedcontent andfocused
on beautyandwomen’spositioninthe publicworld.
 Many earlyfashionmagazinesmostlyappealedto anaffluent,aspirationalsociety
 By the 1870’s, magazineswere glamorisingclothes+illustrationsof womeninpublicplaces,
influencingtrendsforthe readerstodraw inspirationfromandwearthemselves.
 Theycommonlyreflectavisionof freedomandindependence,whichisstill anappealing
factor intoday’spublications.
 By the early1900’s, magazinesbegantouse photographsratherthan illustrations,andby
the 1920’s, magazinesfurtherevolveintothe featuringof journalisticarticlesaboutfeminist
topics.
 The majorityof fashionmagazinesfocusedon,anddrew inspiration/sourcesof newsfrom
Paris,and,alongside the evolvementof the fashionindustry,the BigFour(large focusupon
fashion housesanddesigners).
 Magazinesmostlyexcel inthe 1960’s, where progressionincolourprintingsaw growing
availability,andadvancementsin loweringprice and betteringquality,therefore generating
a largeraudience. There wasanoverall increase inliteracylevels, furtherincreasing
readership.
 From the 1960’s, female editorsbecamethe normative,furtherstressingthe femininityand
ideasof independencepromotedinmost fashionpublications(DianaVreelandbecame
editorof Vogue in1963, where beforehand,male editors,suchasConde Nastwere in
control,and femalessometimeswrote someof the articlesfeaturedinpublications).
 The magazine audience declinedasa resultof the uprise of television,seeingmanyeditions
shiftfromweeklytomonthly publications.
 By the 2000’s, magazineswere beingbothcompetedagainstandcollaboratedwithonline
fashionsites,aswell asthe emergence of technologyasawhole.
 Conventionalfashionmagazineshave become hugelydependentonadvertising,aswell as
the necessitytoconformtoestablishedtrends.

2. Codes and conventions of a fashion magazine:
 Mastheadswithlogo,usuallyincapitalsanda blockfontusuallyfeature acrossthe topof a
magazine cover.Partsof the mastheadare sometimescovered,due tothe recognisabilityof
the magazine andthe audiences’familiaritywithit,therefore causingthe brand tobe
recognisedwithouthavingtodisplaytheirfull title,anddraw
emphasisuponothersellingpoints,suchastheircoverstar
instead.
 The cover usuallyfeaturesone mainimage,wherethe cover
star usuallyisa celebrity/model associatedwiththe fashion
industry, wearingdesignerclothingormodellingaparticular
trend.The image isusedto attract the audience,especiallydue
to the star qualityusuallyassociated withthe model/celebrity –
additionallydrawinginaparticularfanbase. The cover star can
be usedby the magazine inan aspirational manner,where the
audience will view the celebrityseemingpowerful and
attractive on the coverof a magazine,andreflectthese values
as an aspiration/desireof theirsintheirlives(MirrorAspiration
Theory).
 A maincoverline/anchorage textusually referencesthe coverstar,andthe story/feature on
themincludedinthe magazine,providingthe audience withaninsighttowhatthe magazine
isincluding,aswell asdrawingfurtherelaborationuponthe starqualityof the coverstar.
Thencorrelationof an image of the coverstar anda story/interview withthembeing
referencedonthe cover(withspecificdetail,suchasan upcomingevent) causesthe
audience tofeel agreaterrelationtothe coverstar, and therefore the magazineasa whole,
causingthemto be an active audience,engagingwiththe magazines’content.
 The cover alsofeaturesplugs,whichpromote the mainstories/contentof interesttothe
audience –enticingthemintobuyingthe magazine andreadingthesearticlesfurther.
 Magazinesalsofeature acontentspage,informingthe audience of whatcontentthe
magazine includes –drawinginonspecificinformationsuchas
page numbersandthe article headlines.The contentspage
commonlyfeaturesafew images,eitherpromotingcontent
withinthe magazine,suchasan editorial shoot,ordrawsa
furtheremphasisuponthe cover,where additional imagesof
the cover star,or sometimesbehindthe scenesimagesare
used.The contentspage furtherincludesamagazine’smulti-
platformbranding,where social mediapagesandwebsitesare
oftenreferenced,enablingthe audience toaccessthe brands’
digital platform, aswell asdrawingawarenesstodigital
featuresof the magazines’digitalplatform, suchasaudio-visual
contenton websites.
 Most coversuse a subtle colourtheme,where the mastheadandtypographyonthe cover
match elementsof the mainimage,suchasclothingorbackground,creatinganoverall
professionalandcleanappearance.The coloursare usuallyrelativelybold,standingoutto
the audience.The colourschemescouldperhapslinktothe seasoninwhichthe editionof
the magazine isreleased –forexample,Autumnal issuesusuallyfeature ared/orange colour
theme,andSpringeditionscommonlyfeature pastelcolourssuchaspinksandblues.

3.  The cover star of the magazine usuallyfeatureseitheramidor
longshotof the model,directlyaddressingthe audience through
directeye contact intothe camera – almostactingas a selling
technique,tomake the audience feel personallyaddressedbythe
model,andtherefore wanttobuythe magazine asa resultof
theirsyntheticdevelopmentof apersonal relationshipwiththe
coverstar.
 Highfashionmagazinestypicallypromote designercollectionsand
brands,conformingtoa specificdemographic. Thiscanbe seen
throughthe featuringof high-end,expensiveproducts –appealing
to an A/Bdemographic,whoare able to affordthe productsand
are alsoconscioustostyle themselvesinacurrent,trendymanner.Some magazinesalso
feature high-street/cheaperalternativestoaddressayoungeraudience,suchasstudentsor
juniorworkers,whoare perhapsunable toaffordthe expensiveproductsfeatured.This
couldalsoappeal to a secondaryaudience of those of alowerdemographicwhoaspire to
conformto more expensive stylesandtrends.
 Intertextual linkssometimesoccurinmagazines –a most commonexample beingthe
featuringof a singeroractor ona cover,where afilm/songwillbe referenced,orelements
of an alternative mediaproductwillbe present.Thisprimarilyoccurstodraw in fansof a
differentmediaproduct,suchasa certainfilm, andto increase the audience’sfamiliarity
withthe content – increasingtheirlikelinesstopurchase the magazine orbe interestedin
certainfeatures. Some intertextualityoccursmore subtlyoncovers,where typography
sometimesreferencesacertain momentortheme – commonlyinthe formof a pun/playon
words.Thiscausesthe audience tofeel asense of self importance,where theywill
understandthe referencebeingmade,anddraw positivityfromthis.