I first found out about Mademoiselle magazine through a book on Cipe Pineless. Apart from having a lovely name, she was a great graphic designer and broke the ground for women on women’s magazines. There aren’t too many books on mid-century women designers, a few on fashion, but graphics? No. So I started browsing on eBay to see if I could spot any copies of Mademoiselle from her reign as art director there, from 1959.
Instead, I found what I think is one of my all time favourite magazine covers. January 1952. The art director at that time was Bradbury Thompson. Thompson was equally awesome and along with Pineless and Alexy Brodovitch at Harpers, one of the best magazine designers, like, ever.
Mademoiselle was aimed at the new working girl (like Glamour magazine and particularly Charm) post-war, emancipated and newly worrying about how to conduct and dress herself in the workplace. All well before the Mad Men years.
What a lovely piece of self-referential design this cover is. Minimum text, minimal colour palette and maximum design. I’m not good at identifying typefaces but I know a nice one when I see it. And the typeface for this title bespeaks modernity. I like the fact that (pre-Photoshop) the model stands in front of a huge-blow up from a Victorian fashion plate. ‘Against her 1850s prototype, a 1952 model’ as they write. Can I just say I love blown-up images. Particularly nice here is the fashion parallel of tiny waists on both outfits. The ‘New Look’ that wasn’t.
All in all it’s a bit of graphic theatre, combined with fashion photography and sharp typography. This would still zing from a shelf in the newsagents. It makes me very happy.
N.B. I have been reliably informed (see comments) that the Mademoiselle magazine font is News Gothic Condensed.
I like the parallel of the Victorian wasp-waist on the poster with the similar New Look waist on the model. And matching 3/4 sleeves!
And the red hat, the red hat..
Oh this is joyful truly wonderful now why don’t todays young ladies look like that instead of dressing like toddlers in jeggings and ugg boots?
It gets worse. M&S have on sale something called Treggings. I despair.
such poise! hoozing with style.
I presume you mean the Mademoiselle cover, not me? 🙂
i did mean the cover though your posts are a fine display of your poise and writing style!!
Fab photograph (is it not credited?) but it certainly would not zing from the shelf today. Because the butchers would plaster type all across it from top to bottom in a variety of style and ruin the image. Pah. Try News Gothic Extra Condensed for the title font by the way, designed in the early 1900s but various weights added to right through the 50s. Sad that I should be able to pick it out from my reference books but still.
I will look up News Gothic Extra Condensed but online. As mercifully I don’t collect type books, I pass them on to you!
He’s right – it is! But not extra…
Ah, you learned sods, you.
Red hat that perfectly matches her lipstick 😉 .. i can’t wait until you write something about treggings… i am sure it’ll be fun.
Never. Treggings. Never. 🙂
How about juggings? Specially high-waisted. For the older lady with low-slung chesticles. I’ve had too much coffee.
Don’t tell M&S that, they’ll be on the shelf, as it were, before you know it.