Customer Reviews

Harper's Bazaar (2-year)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

THIS is the best magazine for those of us who LOVE high fashion! Not full of soft-porn like Cosmo, or teeny-bopper oriented fashion like Lucky, Glamour, etc., and not patronizing and politicized like Elle! Also not ALL about celebrities like In Style, although the non-trashy celebs are of course there. No stupid tips on how to manage life in your early 20's!

This is for the women who love the Style Channel, Vogue, and even Allure (a wonderful beauty/cosmetics mag). I've been a devoted reader since I was about 30; I wish I had found this sooner because I couldn't stand the magazines aimed at the 20- somethings even when I was that age!

AND...by the way, Amazon is the best source for subscriptions, in my humble opinion. I have ALWAYS gotten my new sub issues EXTREMELY quickly!

When funds were tight I had a difficult time deciding which magazine subscriptions to keep. Each women's magazine has a slightly different feel in the writing, though with increased competition, these styles seem to be in flux. I finally decided that I preferred the writing in Bazaar and was getting tired of what I felt was Vogue's Cosmopolitan attempt to catch a larger readership (if I want to subscribe to Cosmo, I'll bloody well subscribe). The featured designers are more cutting edge and less mainstream than what is found in Vogue. It's a bit snottier (though there are far snottier magazines if you are looking for extreme fashions). Among my complaints: Bazaar is an obviously thinner magazine, and while most of Vogue's content is adverts, it does seem to have more articles. Another item that I find highly irritating, is Bazaar's society items. I really don't give a ---- who is wearing what at what charity gala, especially when I don't play footsies with these people. Those complaints aside, this is still my favorite fashion magazine.

"Harper's Bazaar" has been running a losing race with "Vogue" for the past 40 years. The magazine should play to its strengths. Its graphics and photo layouts are terrific. However, the articles are insipid and superficial; not worth a read. "Bazaar" unfortunately went downhill when Liz Tilberis took over the top spot; in the 60s and 70s the look was all about elegance and glamour. Ms. Tilberis stated in an editorial in the 90's that fashion was all about "youth and ectomorphism" and featured human Barbie dolls in grunge outfits. Okay, it looked funny, but what woman over 25 would spend good money to look like that? The impression one gets from reading "Bazaar" now is that it's still trying to find its target audience. When "Bazaar" stops acting as if it were afraid to compete with Vogue and emphasizes its strengths, it will be a much better magazine.

I have been reading Harpers for about a year now and I love it.It has everything from current trends in fashion to politics.I love the celebrities they use for the covers and the photography is wonderful.It is one of several magazines I get every month that I read from cover to cover without putting it down.It rates as one of my top 5 favorites.If you like fashion then you can't go wrong with Harpers Bazaar and the price of a subscription can't be beat for this type of magazine!

... in the U.S. is Harper's Bazaar. You need only check out the recent covers in black and white, featuring Charlize Theron and Demi Moore, to see why this mouthwatering magazine is the high water mark for the best of the best of what's on offer at the supermarket check out stands stateside.

In a market crowded with magazines which look increasingly the same and seem to recycle the identical set of celebrity photos over and over again (snooze), Bazaar has cast an eye on the illustrious typography and design sense of its own past years. The results are evident on every glossy page, with very little of the guilty aftertaste here that you'll surely feel after flipping through the advertising book that is any issue of its bloated, mainstream market competitors.

Are the clothes ridiculously expensive for all but the richest among us? Of course. Do we really care about who showed up at what swanky party in NYC? Probably not. Will we ever look like any of those models? Darlin', you jest! But we do care (admit it) about the fantasy, the luxe, the allure of beautiful clothes on beautiful people -- they're lovely to behold, it's only natural, and it's fun -- you could do a lot worse than dropping a few bucks on this class act and its peer in the "shelter" magazines group, House and Garden. Another magazine not overstuffed with ads and perfumes and heavy on design sophistication, also highly recommended.

I'm sure she's a perfectly lovely person, but I have to say that the recent spread featuring the Duchess of Cornwall (that'd be Prince Chuck's new wife, Camilla) sitting at her vanity with an iPod in her ear was somewhat less than captivating ... unless you count all of the delicious little Corgis showing off at her feet (and I do) ... I don't understand how this got in, but sometimes these things are random, and she is after all the royal consort. Ho hum. Just a blip on the Bazaar radar.

Excepting things like that, way to go, Bazaar! Show them how it's done!

Harper's is the best if you enjoy high fashion. Yes, most of the items featured are completely unaffordable for the average person. However, by looking at the featured designer items and the gorgeous photo layouts, you can get an idea of what's fashionable or will be fashionable in about 2 months. If you want to stay ahead of the trends, this is a must-have.

I started reading HB 6 years ago, when the incredible Liz Tilberis was editor. Back then my eyes lit up everytime I opened an issue; the layouts and photography were awesome - way better than it is now. These days the beauty and fashion images are mostly dull and tedious. Some of them are really 60's, and not in the good way. I think it has a lot to do with who's in charge. They need to bring in somebody who will actually make the contents of the magazine attractive to the reader. Anyway, like another reviewer, I just buy it for the ads.

I have subscribed to this magazine for many years, and as the reviewers have stated, the articles leave little to be desired. They are far and few between in useful information. I do, however, love Bazaar because of its photography. Graphically, the magazine is able to create an art of fashion. I too find myself cutting out pages and archiving back issues. Some spreads are actually worth framing to be hung on my wall. Don't buy Bazaar if you are looking for makeup tips or love tips (although they are featured). Buy Bazaar because fashion is an image - not just how you apply your lipeliner.

I guess I'm too old for this magazine now. It was so much better in the late 70s to mid 80s. Now it's too celebrity oriented, and many of the models are too thin and alien-looking--and too young. Back in the day, I enjoyed looking at the hair and makeup on the cover model, whose name I might know, but I didn't know her backstory, because she was not an overexposed celebrity. I don't have any of the old Bazaars to compare with the new, but I can sense that something is off about the design layout--too busy? too jarring? It used to be a pleasant distraction from everyday life; I used to look at this magazine over and over. I wish I had saved every old copy.

Would it be too expensive to do a retro version of this mag for us older women? I'm still thin, I work out, I love to dress fashionably and try new products--and I have money. I'm not 20 any more, but I'm far from frumpy, so don't dismiss this market too quickly, publishers. The magazines out there for mature women are condescending and do not appeal to those of us who still have a young body and, more important, a young mind. Also, they're full of pharmaceutical ads, which I hate. I do not want to be reminded of troubles when I am being entertained by my magazines.

I gave it a chance, then I canceled my subscription.

In the decade since Liz Tilberis reinvented Bazaar, the magazine has had its share of ups and downs. The tragic loss of Ms. Tilberis was a crushing blow the fashion tome, and it never quite recovered to its former glory. Under the helm of Kate Betts, the magazine ventured into realms that Vogue was already covering, and while I didn't think it was as much of a Vogue doppelganger as many did, the sales figures spoke for themselves.

So in comes Glenda Bailey, the woman who brought Marie Claire to the U.S., and the woman slated to bring Bazaar to the top of the fashion heap. So far, what she has done is turn Bazaar into sort of an upscale version of Marie Claire. Obviously she's courting the mainstream. She loves a color theme, she loves an accessory feature. Apparently she hates articles, because they are much fewer and further between. I have to admit that I have enjoyed a few articles in recent issues, and each issue has shown some improvement over the last. Her first official issue was a bit "gimmicky" (the front and back covers with Giselle), and her ideas weren't exactly NEW, but I guess only time will tell. She did manage to sign Stephen Gan as creative director, so some bright new days could be just around the corner.

Will Glenda Bailey be the woman to revitalize Bazaar? I think the jury's still out on that issue. I've got my subscription paid up until late 2005.....maybe the picture will be clearer by then.