Vogue Model Conversation featuring Naomi, Christy, Cindy, and Linda – photo Vogue.com
Back in the day, when supermodels roamed the earth, appearing on magazine covers rather than a multitude of increasingly mediocre celebrities, there was a show on MTV called “House of Style.” This show, hosted (some say awkwardly) by Cindy Crawford, served as a significant platform for models, offering them a unique opportunity to share their experiences and insights with a broader audience.
I happened to stumble into the 1993 episode entitled “A Model Conversation: Wisdom,” featuring Beverly Johnson, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Lauren Hutton, which featured the gals just sitting around on an underwhelming Ikea-like set while chatting about how they got their start, what life was like then, etc.
Initially, I saw a more recent Vogue featuring Naomi, Christy, Cindy, and Linda, which is when I first noticed this callback to the aforementioned MTV video. In this Vogue video, Cindy was asked by Naomi about “the iconic moments in the history of her career,” a direct reference to the ‘House of Style’ episode.
Cindy Crawford, August 1986, First American Vogue, photo by Richard Avedon
“For me, I have a series that will be like highlights,” said Cindy. “My first American Vogue cover (1986 shot by Richard Avedon), AUGUST,” as she turns to a seemingly mortified Linda. All laugh at the “inside joke” except for Linda, who looks like she wants to be swallowed up by her giant fuzzy turtleneck. “Wait, wait, wait, Linda–what’s wrong with August?” Christy plays along.
“What’s wrong with August, Linda?’ deadpans Cindy. “Linda famously once told me that August isn’t a good month…” Interestingly, Lauren’s first 1973 Vogue cover was in August, which she mentions.
Linda Evangelista, Vogue cover August 1995
What Miss Shade, “I don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000,” said in all fairness, is “August isn’t a big month. “I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt and guess that she was referring to the issue’s thinner size.
It’s not like the September money maker replete with fall advertising — (we are well familiar with “The September Issue”), however, don’t sneeze at August. It’s what everyone used to tote along to the beach or en route to their summer holiday, giving a preview of fall fashion.
I decided to conduct a deep dive into August magazine covers (primarily Vogue covers, but not all) from the last 50 years to see if any iconic moments (other than the Herb Ritts Playboy shoot model and Pepsi commercial star) resonated.
Beverly Johnson, Vogue August 1974
Going in chronological order, I’m old enough to remember Beverly Johnson’s historic debut as the first black model to appear on the cover of Vogue in August 1974. Last year, she appeared in “Beverly Johnson: In Vogue”, a monologue featuring pictures and music to celebrate the 50-year milestone she had achieved early on.
When Eileen Ford told her she would never get a Vogue cover, she switched agencies. Wilhelmina greeted her at their first meeting with her feet up on the desk, a ciggy in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, according to lore.
Kim Alexis, August 1979, First Vogue Cover
I also remember the August 1979 debut of Kim Alexis’ Vogue cover. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed, she represented the classic American beauty to me. Kim, who bears little resemblance to her modeling days, recently reminisced on Instagram:
“I think this was my first Vogue cover, and I was so excited—even though I had other magazine covers, this one was special. Jimmy Carter was leading the nation, and the airwaves were dominated by Donna Summer’s ‘Bad Girls’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘Off the Wall.’ The disco ball was still spinning, with bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and roller skates as the height of fashion.
Moviegoers were lining up to see ‘Alien’ and ‘The Muppet Movie,’ while TV audiences were hooked on ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘Dallas.’ Gas was just 86 cents a gallon! It was the beginning of a new era in technology with the rise of video games.”
Naomi Campbell, August 1988, photo Paris Vogue
Naomi Campbell got her moment as the first black model on the cover of French Vogue in August 1988. Shot by Patrick Demarchelier and promoted by Yves Saint Laurent, who was instrumental in landing her this honor. She credits Azzedine Alaia and Yves as her top mentors while looking to Iman as a role model in her Tia Maria commercial.
Around this time, after Anna Wintour became editor-in-chief of Vogue in the fall of 1988, cover art underwent a dramatic shift, featuring more than just headshots – it was all about the clothes, not just the pretty face.
Demi Moore Pregnant, photo by Annie Leibovitz
Switching focus to another publication, the two successive August 1991 and 1992 Vanity Fair covers featuring Demi Moore — first seven months pregnant and in the buff, and then the following year in her painted-on “birthday suit”-both shot by Annie Leibovitz- were iconic.
Demi’s Birthday suit, August 1992
The oft-copied nude pregnant pose (Serena Williams, anyone) was shot initially as a private photo for Demi and then-husband Bruce Willis. However, Leibovitz and VF wanted to use it for the cover with her permission.
Christy Turlington, Vogue August 1992
Back to Vogue, Christy cheekily covered August Vogue 1992 in a Gemma Khang t-shirt and a newsboy cap while Linda appeared on a mostly forgettable Vogue August 1995 cover so dull that they had to turn the background blue – maybe she too has forgotten about it.
Kate Moss, August 2008 Vogue, Photo by Mario Testino
Kate Moss, on the August 2008 cover of Vogue, shot by Mario Testino, went against her ’90s grunge image as a prim schoolgirl, and Christy Turlington appeared on a Steven Klein cover for August 2009. I would not call that a great shot of Christy – comments include both that she looks bridal (I think it’s the hair) and also like Jar Jar Binks (due to photo editing), which are unfair to such a great and natural beauty.
Christy name-checks photographers Arthur Elgort and Steven Meisel as early mentors. She’s one of the few who have aged gracefully without a face full of fillers and Botox, as evidenced in the Vogue video.
Winona Ryder, Harper’s Bazaar August 2024
Last August (2024), Harper’s Bazaar featured a Liv Liberg portrait of a strangely contorted Winona Ryder, set against another Annie Leibovitz Vogue cover—this one with abysmal timing. Jill Biden, as a nursemaid in white, is ironic, as her ailing, feeble husband was about to withdraw his candidacy for president after that embarrassing debate. Cringe!
Anne Hathaway, Vogue August 2025.
To bring us up to date, we have Anne Hathaway gracing the August 2025 issue of Vogue, promoting one of her (many) upcoming movies, “Mother Mary,” in which she plays a Lady Gaga/Taylor Swift-type pop star who’s having a “moment”- not a very good one. She put in hard work with music legend Jack Antonoff to learn how to scream-sing for this role.
Her Annie Leibovitz cover was highly criticized in much the same way as the overly lit or photo-edited Simone Biles. Hathaway is depicted as a greenish gremlin/vampire on the cover and inside the magazine, posing in some odd and editorial ways around NYC’s cultural institutions, with some remarking that she looks ill and unhappy, unlike her usually cheerful demeanor.
One commenter said, “Someone should tell Vogue that there are other photographers besides (75-year-old) Annie Leibovitz.” They may give someone else a chance once there is a new Editor-in-Chief.
