The July Issue

It's that time of year again, Vogue's Ageless Issue has landed. 

This month it is Vanessa Paradis' turn to grace the cover, a woman known for her modelling but more famous for being half of one of the most closely guarded relationships in show business. With a title that would make any woman blush, the article 'And God Created Vanessa Paradis' pays tribute to a woman whose career has spanned genres and decades, and has won her the much desired Johnny Depp! Although photographed on the beach by Mario Tesino, the Chanel muse still managed to look every inch the archetypal Parisian woman in lace, bodices and, of course, Chanel. The article reads as an ode of appreciation of Paradis, complimenting not only her style and accent, but her diet and ability to keep her relationship with Mr Depp so fiercely private. Jo Ellison has charted the career of one of her France’s most prized celebrities and has reminded us that although she often flies under the radar here in Britain, she is not just the other half of a Hollywood actor, but the closest you are ever going to get to Royalty in her homeland.  

This issue typically rounds up a collection of women of any and every age, who are living in the public eye or working in fashion, and reflects upon their success regardless of their age. However this year, the magazine has focused on the extraordinary lives of real women, which I thought was a nice touch. 'Wonder Women' looks at women that have taken more or less every path in life, from a stunt rider to the Sotheby's chairman to a biomedical genius, this article looks at a collection of real women and their extraordinary lives. My personal favourite was a RAF lieutenant, Charlie Mee. Mee, who is just 29 is from a military family and has chosen to use her role as a female in a male dominated career to her advantage, by attempting to reach out to Afghan women and try improve their lives. Women in such roles often get forgotten or overlooked because they aren't parading their accomplishments in front of cameras for all to see. Vogue turned their back on the easy route for this year's ageless issue and sought these women out. I am very grateful to have been given to the chance to read about these extraordinary women and their achievements.

However, this is still Vogue and its primary focus is fashion! Fitting with the ageless theme, the magazine has paid tribute to the most ageless of colour combinations: Black and White. The feature 'The Timeless Appeal of Black and White', looks at new ways to work monochrome with optic contrasts and points us in the perfect direction should we want to tread the more classic route of nautical stripes. Monochrome manages to pop up season after season, regardless of the key colours at the time. This month Vogue has highlighted the fact that this is a crucial combination that often gets dismissed as boring or "done" by the fashion world, so long as you play it right using their formula you can ensure you look timeless in this complimentary combination.

The last thing from the magazine that I want to talk about this month is Vogue's 50 looks for any age. This, in my opinion, is the perfect fashion feature for the Ageless issue. According to Vogue, these individual garments (even better if teamed together) are eternally chic and will serve you long after you hit the checkout. With most situations catered for, be they holidays, work, weekends or evening, the magazine has pointed us in the direction of Alexander McQueen totes, Chloe sandals and Versace t-shirts that will ensure you look your best no matter your age. Your budget, however, is not catered for on these pages.  So, if a pair of Peter Pilotto pyjama bottoms are out of your budget's reach nothing can be taken but inspiration from these pages!

Sorry this was so terribly late!

F x