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Left: The September 1, 1926 modern cover; Center: The controversial cover from November, 1988 when Anna Wintour paired
a $10,000 Christian Lacroix jacket with a $50 pair of faded jeans on model Michaela Bercu; Right: The 125th Anniversary
Collector’s Edition of Vogue, 2017, featuring a painting of Jennifer Lawrence selling for $80 at Poshmark.com

Wintour moved to New York in the 1970s, working in a the magazine’s offices, thinking it was the wrong print. Years later,
progression of editorial positions, starting out as a junior fashion editor Wintour admitted the photo had never been planned as the cover shot.
at Harper’s Bazaar in New York City in 1975, and moving on to stints In 2011, when Vogue put its entire archive online, Wintour was quoted
as fashion editor for a women’s adult magazine, fashion editor for a new as saying, “I just said, ‘Well, let’s just try this.’ And off we went. It was
women’s magazine named Savvy, and fashion editor of New York. just very natural. To me, it just said, ‘This is something new. This is
There, the fashion spreads and photo shoots Wintour had been something different.’”
putting together for years that had turned off her publishers That same philosophy, trying something new and different to help
finally began attracting attention, including the attention of the Conde lead rather than just report on fashion is what continues to keep
Nast company. Wintour at the top of the Vogue masthead, and her and Vogue’s
Wintour attained her first editor- influence on the world of fashion, unmatched.
ship at Vogue in 1985, taking
over its UK edition. Once in Collecting Vogue
charge, she replaced many of the Vogue readers save their issues, not so
staff and exerted far more control much as intentional collections but
over the magazine than any previ- because they enjoy looking back at them
ous editor had, earning the nick- and referencing them for inspiration. Yet
name “Nuclear Wintour” in the there is value, sometimes 10 times the
process. Those cover price, for older issues in good
editors who were retained began to condition, and especially for special covers
refer to the period as “The Wintour by noted illustrators and photographers, and
of Our Discontent.” collector editions.
Wintour became a troubleshooter Vogue, like many publications, started
for Conde Nast, returning to New publishing special editions to commemorate
York to take over House & Garden, moments in time, designer retrospectives,
whose circulation had long lagged celebrities, and publication anniversaries in
behind its rival, Architectural Digest. the 2000s. Collector’s Editions can be found
Again, she made radical changes to on eBay for anywhere from the cover price up
staff and look, canceling $2 million Left: A very Art Nouveau cover for to $50 or more.
worth of photo spreads and articles in Vogue, November 6, 1902 issue Rare, early cover issues in good condition
her first week. She put so much fashion Right: April 1, 1910 cover of the command the highest value in the market. At
in photo spreads that it became known April 1, 1910 issue of Vogue thecarycollection.com, a September 15, 1935,
as “House & Garment,” and enough illustrated cover by the fashion illustrator,
celebrities that it was referred to as “Vanity Chair,” within the industry. “Eric,” is selling for $350, as is a September 1, 1938 cover featuring
Here, she had less success. “Paris Openings & American Fashions,” cover artwork by Edouard
When Wintour took over the editorship of Vogue from Mirabella, a Garcia Benito. On 1stDIBS, a 1934 Art Deco Vogue magazine illustration
negotiation that took place behind the then-editor’s back, the magazine by Benito is selling for $5,000, and a Frank Xavier Leyendecker
had been losing circulation to the recently introduced American edition Millinery Number framed 1913 Vogue magazine cover is selling for
of Elle. True to style, Wintour cut staff and made radical changes, most $89,000 on 1stDIBS.
notably on the cover. In her first issue as Editor in Chief, dated If you don’t have the room to hold a historic collection of vintage
November 1988, the cover featured a Peter Lindbergh photograph of Vogue magazines but enjoy looking through back issues, Vogue now hosts
19-year-old Michaela Bercu in a $50 pair of faded jeans and a bejeweled its complete archive of magazines dating back to Conde Nast’s first
jacket by Christian Lacroix worth $10,000. It was the first time a Vogue publication of Vogue at www.archive.vogue.com.
cover model had worn jeans; when the printer saw the film they called

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