Have I told you about my friends? Knowing of my habit of buying fashion magazines every time I travel, they don’t even ask me anymore if I want them to bring me an edition I usually don’t find here from their journeys and instead have made a habit of it too and surprise me as it happened last week: Vogue Italia, Vogue Russia and Harper’s Bazaar Russia, all October issues and all arriving from their mother countries. I speak Italian, so there was no problem there, but Russian I don’t and although I enjoyed the fashion pages and the editorials, I felt I was missing on a lot from those editions.
I’ll just enumerate a few subjects approached in the Russian issues: fabulous Jane Fonda, aged 74 and wearing the Stella McCartney dotted sheer dress, Ewan McGregor, the beginnings of the Gucci house, Emilio Pucci and a short interview with Tommy Ton (in Harper’s Bazaar), a history of the Max Mara coat, interviews with Tomas Maier, Christopher Bailey, Peter Copping (Nina Ricci) and Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli (in Vogue). And these were only the ones I figured out what they were about, I am sure there are so many more things worth learning about tucked in those pages that I wish I could understand.
Do you sometimes feel trapped in the language barrier when it comes to fashion? Or are there some magazines so visually powerful that you feel fashion is truly an international language? I have to admit that this was the first time I fell in the first category, the first time I didn’t understand absolutely anything from the language an edition is written in and I really felt that the beautiful photos, styling and clothes didn’t fill in the gaps left by the undecipherable words.
photos by me from: 1-4,7,8-Harper’s Bazaar Russia, October 2011; 5 (having on top my previously talked about Roeckl gloves),6-Vogue Italia, October 2011
P.S. Don’t forget to enter the ECCO giveaway, you can win a pair of ECCO shoes from the Autumn-Winter collection
I don’t speak Italian, but I feel that Vogue Italia is usually so visually strong that it doesn’t matter for me. Vogue Italia may even be the Vogue I buy most of all! (absolutely loving the Karen Elson cover as well, can’t wait to get my hands on this issue!)
Your friends sound great btw, lucky you ^.^
Friends like that are fabulous!
Holy moly, is that Jane Fonda?!! Wowsa! All the exercise over the years obviously paid off!
Sometimes it bothers me when I don’t understand the language but usually the visual feast leaves me quite content.
Have a wonderful day Ada 😉
Hi Ada, Yes I do sometimes feel stuck behind a language barrier. Often the photos help which is good but sometimes I need to find more info! grrrrr! Oh well, what can you do? I need a gorgeous looking multilingual professor to translate for me! Lol. It won’t stop me buying French or Italian Vogue though!
Helen:)
@Helen
Helen, this doesn’t stop me either. I would buy a Russian fashion magazine again even if I feel so trapped behind the language barrier. I feel very strange not being able to understand one single word. I speak English, German and Italian and Romanian being a descendant of the Latin language it’s very easy for me to understand pretty much of French and Spanish too, so I haven’t really felt this impediment so far. It’s like when I’m watching Bergman’s or Kurosawa’s films, I read the subtitles, but it’s not like when you understand the actors’ language, you’re missing something. And I would also buy Italian Vogue even if I didn’t speak the language, because I think that is the best edition of Vogue.
I love the Stella McCartney dress!
I know how you feel – it’s like when I read French Vogue. I’m South African…so I know English and Afrikaans haha.
xxx
Oh I do feel trapped if I can’t understand something that I’m interested in. Makes me feel sort of disabled. xxx
This is so interesting! I’m usually the type that wants to know and understand everything, but sometimes I like looking at just images and not worrying about the words. I think it frees me up for more unique interpretations — at least for a little bit : )
Can I borrow your friends? 😉 Now I will tell you a secret, maybe you won’t believe it, but it is so true and I am so ashamed :)))) I have no patience for reading an entire magazine, I have had this problem since college and did not understand my roommates, how they could read every line of the magazines! Usually I was more interested (and still am) in the images. Now, do not think I don’t read it at all, I do! But only if the images transmit something interesting for me…What a shallow person I am :)))) But there’s a good thing about it: if you are frustrating you can’t read that Russian Harper’s Bazaar, you know who will be happy to admire the images :))))) 74? Ohhh, my, that’s an amazing polka dots dress and I can’t believe it how good she looks! I’m going to the gym tonight :)))) and have another water with lemon!
@fashionsensitive
Actually I know what you mean. I can’t say that I find every single fashion magazine I buy (although I’ve limited my purchases to a few that are really worth it) interesting enough to read every single article in it. Far from it. But when you don’t understand one word (like in my case with the Russian editions) I can honestly say that my curiosity reaches very high levels and I’m sure I would have plenty to read in those pages. I have always wanted to buy Russian fashion magazines, as they have some amazing editorials and a great sense of style, I would not hesitate in buying these again, but I feel sorry I’m missing the words. 🙂
What lovely friends you have! When I was a teenager my father used to travel to Europe a lot and he’d always bring me back European fashion magazines. My absolute favorite thing in the world. I only knew French but I would “read” the Italian, German, Spanish and any other language magazines he would bring me. And I still do to this day. It doesn’t matter that I can’t understand the words. The fashion speaks for itself 🙂
Fabulous post, Ada! xoxo
Great piece. I absolutely love magazines as well. And somehow am able to get them delivered all the way to Curacao by my many friends all over the world. Such a delight. Such a luxury.
Have a beautiful day Ada!
I always read italian vogue but don’t speak any italian. The images and the way they lay out their pages is interesting enough without the words.
Fashion mags are so fun to look through, though it is hard to grasp everything if you can’t understand a little of the language. I speak some Italian, but not enough!
Vogue Japan i adore but i do not speak japanese – i do feel i miss out though – how gorgeous is jane fonda?? x
https://fashionandfrank.blogspot.com/
You are making me want to subscribe to Russian Vogue with your description! Marveling over Jane Fonda’s body! And I know what you mean about powerful photography–Italian Vogue has always been that to me. I still have a few issues I picked up years ago and every time I’m in Italy I get more. I also have a French Vogue that Terry Richardson shot that I got a decade ago–I fell in love with his work when I saw it and have loved him ever since. Love this post!
xo Mary Jo
Those Ewan McGregor photos are fabulous! I have never read Italian Vogue but judging from the comments, I might go pick up a copy! I find shelter magazines quite easy to follow in other languages as it is easier to spot the store name or designer (French and Swedish ones are my favourites).
Great post darlin! I’ve never read international fashion mags, only perused them for pretty pics. I would love to have a subscription to every vogue mag, but I would feel so bad about the trees! x
amazing pics!! Happy Tuesday xx
I do know what you mean because I really do want to read some of the stories, even if all of the fashions an advertisements are stunning!
Oh I have a Designer Pillows Giveaway! I hope you will join! ( a great resource as well)
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Fashion and classy
In spanish una imagen vale más que 1000 palabras more or less, it’s somenthing like: an image is more than 1000 words\n
alex b
For me, reading is essential. Images are powerful, but still not enough.
I’m curious about the history of Max Mara coat, maybe you’ll post something about it 🙂
I bought Vogue Italia before. I didn’t care if I don’t understand it, it’s the photos that speaks to me. I do agree, it is sooo visually powerful!
You’re right, Jane looks really nice in that dress!
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