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In fashion, there’s no greater sin than being behind the trend. And unfortunately for Vogue, that’s exactly where they are with the cover of its November issue.
The magazine unveiled a cover starring Jenna Ortega Thursday, featuring the “Wednesday” star photographed by Szilveszter Makó in his signature painterly, box-like setup.
The problem? The Wall Street Journal Magazine used the same photographer and concept for a cover starring Gigi Hadid earlier this week, and Elle used Makó and his same schtick for a Hunter Schafer cover that hit three days ago.
And that’s not all. Makó used a similar aesthetic for Interview’s September issue with Sandra Bullock, while British Vogue, Vogue Albania and Vogue Philippines have also featured his work this summer.
“This is a giant screw-up,” a fashion media source told Page Six. “Vogue is the leader. It’s bad and unheard of. We don’t know the timing of the shoots, but it’s irresponsible from the photographer’s side not to let the magazines know they’re doing the same concept.”
The source added: “The fact that Vogue is the last — and I love [editor] Chloe Malle and the covers — it’s so unlike Vogue.”
“I have never, ever, ever seen anything like this before,” the insider said.
There’s another eyebrow-raiser: Ortega’s Vogue cover and Hadid’s WSJ spread feature the same Balenciaga Couture feather dress in their inside pages. “How did Balenciaga lend this dress to everyone?” the source wondered.
The insider praised Hadid’s shoot as the strongest of the bunch, calling it “superior” and singling out its sophisticated styling.
The situation also raises questions about an old fashion-magazine tradition: photographer exclusivity. Vogue once kept major names such as Steven Meisel close to the Condé Nast fold, but tighter budgets have made such arrangements harder to maintain, the source said.
Still, the insider stressed that Makó is talented and deserves a long career — he just needs to learn the etiquette of a business built on exclusivity.
A source close to the matter said Hadid’s cover was conceptualized in March and shot in July as a photo-driven, digital-only couture feature. “Any visual similarities across Szilveszter’s work are a reflection of his well-known signature aesthetic,” they told us.
Another source told us, “There is a lack of creativity with all these magazines. It seems like a big coincidence or a big joke. I don’t hate the photos, but it’s bad timing for them.”
Page Six has reached out to Szilveszter Makó and reps for Vogue, Elle and WSJ Magazine.