‘Vogue’ September Issue Falls Flat

The fashion industry has been abuzz for months about the upcoming documentary release, The September Issue, which follows Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, her cohorts, and her hordes of minions as they put together the magazine's most coveted issue -- its annual September installment. But according to Forbes, the issue itself, on which the film is (and arguably lives are) staked, falls short ... literally. The upcoming Vogue September issue boasts the least number of ad pages in years.

According to the NY Post, “Vogue’s biggest September issue ever was in 2007, when it ran an 840-page total issue with 727 ad pages. Last year, it slipped to 607 ad pages in September.” This year: the magazine has only been able to claim “we’ll have over 400 pages of advertising.” Dodai Stewart at Jezebel penned an interesting piece last week arguing why exactly the magazine might be slipping. The most plausible theory of her five: it’s stale. Vogue’s approach has long revolved around presenting an image of fashion and lifestyle that is both aspirational and exclusive, at least in its underpinnings. Neither translates well to today’s economic climate, not to mention to increasingly educated and critical consumers. That said, if the trailer for The September Issue is any indication of Vogue’s staying power, there’s hope yet.