This is the last blog post in my mini-series of magazine reviews. This blog post will be a comprehensive, full-year review of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Harper’s Bazaar states that it “has everything you need to stay current with the latest style trends… everything from seasonal makeup looks to nail trends, Harper’s Bazaar covers your style from head to toe”. A one-year subscription to Harper’s Bazaar retails for $12 from Magazine Store and contains ten issues. Harper’s Bazaar has thirteen reviews and a rating of 4.7 stars on the magazine store website.
Harper’s Bazaar is the nicest quality magazine out of the three magazines in this mini-series (versus InStyle and Shape). The pages of the magazine are thick and glossy. This high-quality paper does come at a price; Harper’s Bazaar has the most advertisements out of all three magazines. Personally, this is a negative of the magazine. Sometimes it feels like there are more advertisements than actual articles or fashion advice. Maybe it is a combination of high-quality paper and a large number of advertisements, but Harper’s Bazaar is always the heaviest magazine issue out of the three magazines. If you want to take a fashion magazine with you while traveling, heavy issues like Harper’s Bazaar may not be your friend. Each issue of Harper’s Bazaar has a few perfume samples which I personally enjoy in a magazine.
Another thing to note about Harper’s Bazaar is while it does feature many brands, it mainly features high-end brands that are unattainable by most consumers. Both InStyle and Shape magazines try to feature both low and high-end fashion brands in their monthly issues. InStyle went so far as to try and call out sustainable fashion options. Very rarely does Harper’s Bazaar call out sustainable fashion brands.
While the first half of Harper’s Bazaar magazine is mainly just advertisements, each issue does feature some inspirational fashion photography in the last one-third of the magazine. Harper’s Bazaar usually does a good article on whoever graces the cover of the month so if you are interested in the cover star you might enjoy picking the magazine up.
The image on the left is one of my favorite covers from the past year – Gigi Hadid.
The September 2021 issue states that boxy blazers, pleated mini skirts, slip dresses, bomber jackets, and pointed slingbacks will be trendy this fall. I will keep my eyes out for these pieces around London and will evaluate the accuracy of these trend forecasts.
Overall, Harper’s Bazaar is a good fashion magazine. It was never my first choice to read when it came in the mail with my other fashion magazines, but this does not mean it is a bad magazine. If you enjoy big, glossy magazines filled with high-end fashion advertisements, this magazine is for you!
Happy Reading! XO, Alicia
