I subscribe to several, probably too many, fashion magazines. I love everything about them: the glossy pages, the infamous ads, the fabulous editorials, everything! I’m sure that most fashion savvy women would agree that plunking down with a stack of unread magazines is a favorite past time. I’m also a semi-collector of my favorite issues—hoping that one day it will look like Anna Wintour’s personal Vogue September issue collection.
Apparently the people at WGSN, a trend forecasting company, knew what I and other fashion magazine lovers were thinking, and hoping, when they partnered with American Vogue to create a website called Vogue Archive. The Vogue Archive went live on December 8th and digitally houses every single issue including every single page of Vogue since 1892. I for one appreciate that they kept all of the advertisements as they are often just as inspiring as the best fashion editorial.
The 400,000 pages are easy to navigate thanks to the ability to search by brand, designer, model, photographers, and sort by articles, images, covers or ads, and even by year. Vogue and WGSN didn’t just put the archive together so that we can all look at pretty pictures, they wanted us to take an extra step—research, analyze and get inspired by details, garment types, and fabrics.
One of the more exciting features of this website is the ability to build, organize, and save your own creative resource, a look book or mood bored you could say. Share your inspiration with colleagues, clients, or your fellow fashionista! Even better, and my favorite part of the archive experience, is the ability to print your creations—it’s like a high-tech scrapbook with some of the best photos of all time. Though I wonder what kind of copyright and use rules come with this function.
Now, you may be thinking this is all too good to be true, and in a sense it is. Access to this impressive archive costs a pretty penny. An individual, whom is defined as photographers, stylists, small business or individual by the Vogue Archive website, will be charged $1,575 for only one year of access. If your business requires multi-user access you can fill out a form to request a call-back for further details. The subscriptions are being handled exclusively by the WGSN. However, Vogue subscription holders will receive limited access to the archive in the near future. Perhaps this access will drive magazine subscription sales for the magazine in 2012.
What do you think of the Vogue Archive? Will you be purchasing a yearly subscription?
By Kristianne Young
