The titles that shaped how fashion looks on the page, from glossy to underground.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
Which are the big glossy magazines?
Harper’s Bazaar, launched in New York in 1867 and the oldest American fashion magazine, which under Carmel Snow and art director Alexey Brodovitch set the standard for fashion photography. Vogue, from 1892. And Elle, founded in Paris in 1945 by Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, which spoke to younger women and is now published in dozens of countries.
What were the British style magazines?
In 1980 two magazines changed fashion media: i-D, founded by Terry Jones, with its winking-face covers and street-cast portraits, and The Face, founded by Nick Logan, which mixed music, club culture and fashion. Dazed & Confused followed in 1991, started by Jefferson Hack and the photographer Rankin. They launched careers including Kate Moss, Corinne Day and many stylists.
And the art and culture titles?
Andy Warhol’s Interview (1969), built on celebrity conversations; W (1972), known for oversized pages and daring shoots; Paper (1984), downtown New York’s magazine, which “broke the internet” with Kim Kardashian in 2014; Purple (1992) in Paris; and 032c (2000) in Berlin. Independent titles like these are the references Ayerhs looks to.
What about India?
Elle India arrived in 1996, Vogue India in 2007 and Harper’s Bazaar India in 2009, along with titles such as Verve and Femina, the oldest. They have helped make Indian designers and models visible internationally. Many magazines worldwide have cut print issues and moved online; read how digital magazines are rewriting the rules.
Read on Ayerhs: ‘Break the Rules’ Rihanna for Paper Magazine · ‘A Sexual Revolution’ W Magazine September 2004 · Steinberg in Prada for POP Magazine