September cover of Architectural Digest
Louis Vuitton and Hermès are among the luxury fashion houses “always in style” that grace the pages of Architectural Digest’s September edition.
Although Architectural Digest is a shelter publication, fashion and home interiors and design go hand-in-hand for affluent consumers who strive for luxurious aesthetics among all aspects of their lives. To continue this natural relationship, Condé Nast’s Architectural Digest visited the homes of various fashion designers to bring the point home.
“Our advertising partners love the Architectural Digest fashion issue franchise, which is now in its fourth year,” said Giulio Capua, vice president and publisher of Architectural Digest, New York.
“They know that, through the issue, they can reach a discerning audience focused on and interested in fashion, luxury, and great design,” he said.
“Those are all hallmarks of Architectural Digest’s print edition throughout the year, but with the focus on the homes of fashion insiders in our September issue there’s a particular appeal to consumers interested in the fashion industry.”
Architectural Digest has a total circulation of 819,155. The median household income of its readers is $93,852.
Fashion in the house
The 198-paged issue of Architectural Digest began with an inside front cover from Louis Vuitton’s “Series 1” campaign which marks Nicolas Ghesquière’s first collection at the brand’s helm (see story).
Louis Vuitton’s effort features two images, one shot by Juergen Teller and the opposing page was photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
Louis Vuitton’s inside front cover ad
This spot was followed by an apparel and jewelry effort by Hermès. The ad, which channels the leather brand’s heritage in making equestrian goods, is part of a new element of Hermès’ Metamorphosis campaign.
Hermès Metamorphosis effort
Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe was also seen in the front of the book where the brand propelled its 175th anniversary by showing readers an 1989 pocket watch and a letter from president, Thierry Stern.
Bulgari to continued to represent the jewelry realm before Bottega Veneta was seen opposite the table of contents.
Bottega Veneta campaign with the table of contents
Also framing the table of contents were efforts by skincare brand Sk-ii and Fendi Casa. Of the advertisements seen up to this point, Fendi’s is alone in bridging fashion and home interiors directly.
Fendi Casa opposite the table of contents
After the table of content brands such as Clive Christian’s kitchen design, Dior’s timepieces and Brunello Cucinelli were featured. Gucci looked to stand out among its competitors by choosing to market its Made to Measure fragrance with a scent strip.
These ads were followed by efforts that fall more in line with a shelter publication such as Italian furniture by Flexform, The Rug Company, Vi Spring mattresses and Tai Ping rugs.
Vispring’s single page effort
The September issue ended with an outside back cover effort from Breguet, where it showed off the Classique chronograph 5287.
For its fashion coverage, as many September issues do, Architectural Digest visited the homes of Dee and Tommy Hilfiger, Natalie Massenet, Francisco Costa, Tory Burch, Isaac Mizrahi, Carlos Souza, Adam Lippes and Steve Klein. In addition, the issue took a peek at Marella Agnelli’s Italian villa among other interior design focused topics.
A look inside
As a form of jogging inspiration for its readers, Architectural Digest often visits the homes of well-know personalities whose style and lifestyle may be similar to the publication’s audience.
For instance, Patek Philippe, Bulgari and Clive Christian aimed to capture the affluent lifestyle in Condé Nast-owned Architectural Digest’s March issue by appealing to the shelter publication’s male and female readers.
The 154-page March issue took readers inside the homes of actors, musicians and business professionals to show their tastes in interior designs. For affluent readers who may have similar means to those featured in the issue, the insider look may inspire redesigns and style updates (see story).
Architectural Digest’s combination of fashion and home interiors for its fourth annual September issue has resulted in ad paging increases.
“The September 2014 issue of Architectural Digest had 114 pages of advertising — up a little more than 1 percent over our September 2013 issue,” Mr. Capua said.
“Luxury advertisers included Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Brunello Cucinelli, Bottega Veneta and Gucci fragrance,” he said.
Final Take
Jen King, lead reporter on Luxury Daily, New York