Vogue: November 1988

Vogue: November 1988. Michaela Bercu. Photographed by Peter Lindbergh. Styled by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele. 

This has got to be one of my favorite covers of all time. Not only is it groundbreaking, timeless and sensational even by today's standards, but it was also Anna Wintour's first  cover as editor-in-chief of American Vogue (a position she still holds today). Vogue had previously only birthed covers laden with elegant stills, close-ups and thick makeup. There's no wonder that this cover came as a shock to Vogue's printers and was even thought to be some sort of mistake. There was no mistake. Anna knew exactly what she was doing. Israeli model Michaela Bercu donned an haute couture Christian lacroix jacket fraught with a beaded cross and stonewashed Guess jeans. The jacket was initially part of a suit, but Michaela was unable to fit into the skirt as she had just been on vacation and had gained a few pounds (ha! how awesome is that?). However, this was probably for the best. Because the birth-child of that problem was this breathtaking masterpiece. What resulted was a reinforcement of couture's majestic grandeur mixed playfully with an everyday appeal. Michaela was not looking directly at the camera, her eyes were practically closed, her hair was imperfect, and her elegant couture skirt had been switched out for a pair of washed Guess jeans. It was like having one foot on the runway and the other on the sidewalk. It was high and low, the best of both worlds. Or as Anna Wintour would later say, "The winds had changed." It was perfect.