First Issue Review: InStyle

Imagine a magazine that combines the serious style elements of Elle and Vogue which keep the upmarket advertisers flocking in, the “finger on the pulse of high street trends” that retains Cosmopolitan’s winning position with young women and the “celebrities in frocks at premieres/at home with their reclaimed oak kitchen units” voyeurism that helped the celebrity/TV Listings market put on a dazzling performance in the latest ABCs. What you’ve dreamed up is probably close to Time Life’s new launch, InStyle.

Already a confirmed success in the States, in basic terms the title aims to make the reader feel part of the celebrity world via their credit card. Pages and pages of award ceremony, film opening, after-show party and backstage-at-the-collections shots teach you who the current A-listers are and what (or rather who) they’re wearing. Flip the page and chances are you’ll come across where they bought the outfit/make-up, the high street alternative, what the designer looks like or an ad for the signature perfume. Clever stuff.

The longer interview spreads follow the clunky but accessible style championed by Hello and OK!. Flattering photography and relentlessly gushing editorial go some way to explain why the stars allow InStyle to peruse their beautiful home/crash their party/accompany them on holiday. The worry with a British version of the magazine was that we don’t produce enough A-listers to support it. The way the title has avoided resorting to soap stars, obscure European royalty and footballers is to draw heavily on the Hollywood set (presumably fed from the US title) and sprinkle in credible British actors, designers and models to make it feel home-grown. Luckily, in terms of shopping, restaurants and so on, London’s status as a “Fashion Capital” is enough to back this up. Once again, clever stuff.

InStyle, with its US-proportioned format, seems to have achieved the impossible in the women’s monthly market – a fresh approach and feel. Its design and paper quality avoids the tacky feel of other celebrity titles, a fact which has obviously convinced advertisers, as the opening issue bulges with big name perfumes, designers and cosmetics, alongside the upper end of the high street retailers. The only sticking point is its relentless sincerity – this magazine loooooooves celebrities, so there’s no chance of a sarcastic remark or a “God, she looks rough there!” paparazzi shot.

We live in a country with comfortable economy (for now) that really seems to care whether a famous footballer wears his popstar wife’s underwear. Celebrity magazines are riding the fluffy wave of our appetite for celebrity tit-bits for all they’re worth. InStyle slickly combines stars and style without the tedious recycled sex tips and stodgily serious reportage that plagues the current women’s market. How can it fail?

Reviewer: Anna Wise