Google Glass gets 12-page spread in Vogue magazine

Google is on a mission to make Glass seem less in the way of dorky, and more along the lines of stylish. The latest example: a 12-page spread in Vogue’s September issue (always its largest of the year, this time with a whopping 902 pages).

Nicknamed the ‘tech’ special, this is also the one with that interview with Marissa Mayer in it. And the one that inspired editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to pose in her first official Instagram, or #voguestagram shot, holding it.

See all the Google Glass images – photographed by Steven Klein – below. And do check out this amusing post over at Advertising Age suggesting how Vogue could actually be doing a whole lot more.

 

Digital snippets: Donna Karan, Kate Spade, Natalie Massenet, Tommy Hilfiger, Alexander Wang

Some more great stories from around the web surrounding all things fashion and digital over the past week:

• Anjelica Huston gets behind the camera for Donna Karan hosiery film (as pictured) [Telegraph Fashion]

• Kate Spade’s digital play [WWD]

• British fashion gets a web dynamo: Natalie Massenet [NY Times]

• Tommy Hilfiger launches “le voyage seafarious” campaign, first ever webisode [Vogue.it]

• T by Alexander Wang taps Bon Qui Qui for spring video [AdAge]

• Rachel Roy opts for digital runway show [WWD]

• Whistles launches new website [Whistles]

• Milk Made’s top 10 Instagrams to follow for NYFW [Milk Made]

• How Pose became the ‘Instagram of fashion’ [Mashable]

• Here’s Net-a-Porter’s new magazine The Edit [Fashionista]

• Pinterest’s retail problem [AdWeek]

• Ebay in agency talks over fashion project [Campaign]

• Seven apps perfect for fashion week (or any week) [Refinery29]

• Branded mini-movies as China marketing tool: boom or bust? [JingDaily]

British Vogue hits one million followers on Twitter

The @BritishVogue Twitter handle has just reached one million followers after a period of significant growth off the back of its Vogue.co.uk site relaunch in September 2012.

The magazine added 250,000 followers in the past four months to hit the milestone, a fact it attributes to the “enhanced level of engagement that [its] users now have across platforms”.

“Social media is becoming ever more important and apparent in our users’ lives.  Our aim is to ensure that our Twitter feed remains relevant and entertaining, providing our core followers with up to the minute fashion news and authoritative fashion insight,” said Jamie Jouning, digital director of Condé Nast.

In comparison, @VogueMagazine (US Vogue) has 2.1m followers, @VogueParis has a similar following of just over 1m, @Vogue_Italia has nearly 275,000, and @styledotcom has just shy of 500,000. Alexandra Shulman herself has 11,000.

British Vogue has also just achieved 250,000 followers on Facebook and 10,000 followers on both Pinterest and Instagram.

Digital snippets: Louis Vuitton, Love magazine, & Other Stories, Nike, Caché, Hearst

Happy new year one and all! To kickstart 2013, here are a handful of stories surrounding all things fashion and digital from over the holiday period you may have missed:

• Louis Vuitton pushes spring/summer line with downloadable paper doll cutouts (as pictured) [Luxury Daily]

• Love magazine released a star-studded Fashion Nativity video on Christmas Day featuring Laura Carmichael, Pixie Geldof, Giles Deacon, Henry Holland, Abbey Clancy and more [Love]

• New video from H&M’s forthcoming & Other Stories line reveals craftsmanship of bags in its first collection [YouTube]

• Nike gamifies every day human movement with NikeFuel Missions video game [DigitalBuzzBlog]

• Fashion retailer Caché launches mobile app featuring push notifications [AdWeek]

• Hearst magazines is stealth e-commerce player [Material World]

Love magazine’s saucy video advent calendar: back by popular demand

Love magazine has filmed another bevy of models each sending the camera a saucy Christmas wish in its second-annual digital advent calendar.

Launching today with a Calvin Klein-clad Cara Delevingne (as pictured) as its December 1 star, the concept follows on from last year’s viral success.

Over the next 24 days, the likes of Abbey Clancy (also pictured), Daisy Lowe, Dree Hemingway, Edie Campbell, Eliza Cummings, Jessica Hart, Jessica Stam, Karlie Kloss, Liberty Ross, Lily Donaldson, Pixie Geldof, and Tallulah Harlech, will all make an appearance, with a new film every day until Christmas. Kelly Brook will feature again too, as will her boyfriend Thom Evans.

Katie Grand, editor-in-chief of Love, says: “It’s been super fun working on the Love advent calendar again. We had such amazing figures last year with some girls getting up to a million hits for their festive frolicking. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Cara on roller skates?”

Behind the scenes are the same team as last year: photographers Daniel Jackson and Angelo Pennetta, and stylists Sally Lyndley and Victoria Young.

British GQ launches watch-dedicated iPad app

Condé Nast Britain has launched its first standalone iPad app with the annual GQ Watch supplement this month.

The “essential guide to the world of watches” comes in an interactive digital format complete with special animated cover, enhanced editorial content and media rich ads. It was designed in-house at GQ and is also the first high definition app for the company.

Meanwhile, the main November issue of GQ is a dedicated James Bond special. It marks the 50th anniversary of the franchise and this month’s release of Skyfall.

Levi’s launches first brand magazine on Flipboard

In a press release for the launch of its autumn/winter 2012/13 ad campaign back in July, Levi’s said it would be revealing the “first-ever shoppable brand magazine” on social app Flipboard. Turns out, it’s finally here…

Referred to as a “social catalogue”, the initiative sees full-page spreads of the denim brand’s Go Forth campaign in nine publications already using the iPhone, iPad and Android platform. In style with the nature of the app, these ads then open to a magazine-like entity that pulls in content from across the Levi’s repertoire. The stories and images it’s sharing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Google Plus for instance, as well as the videos on its YouTube page, and the product from its new collection, which can be both shopped (in-app) and shared with friends.

“Using the social underpinnings of Flipboard to create a magazine for individual brands is a great new way for advertisers to connect with Flipboard readers,” said Christine Cook, head of revenue at Flipboard. “For Levi’s they are bringing their beautiful, emotional ads to the specific publications they already know and love and expanding the experience using the social media content they are already creating. There’s very little work on the advertisers’ side, making Flipboard a simple way to reach the millions of people reading on mobile devices.”

The nine publications featuring the ads between now and October 31, 2012, are Vanity Fair, Glamour, Details, Elle, Marie Claire, Esquire, ESPN, Fast Company and Rolling Stone.

As reported by AdAge: “Flipboard has long promised to provide publishers with magazine-like advertising that takes advantage of the capabilities of tablets and smartphones.” With its now 20m users, and 3bn monthly “flips” (or page turns), it’s now doing so with integrated m-commerce too. Expect to see more…

Included below too is the most recent Go Forth film from Levi’s, a gutsy call for people who get dressed each morning with purpose.

Asos introduces interactive mobile mag

Asos has launched an interactive weekly magazine designed especially for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Fashion Up, as it’s called, is a free app released every Monday featuring information on the latest fashion trends, inspiration from celebrity and street star styles, and how-to guides for nail art, make-up and hair. Created by the in-house team behind the e-tailer’s print magazine, it also incorporates click-to-shop technology.

“Available globally, Fashion Up is intuitive, easily digested and image based, meaning you can consume the weekly edition on the move,” said Duncan Edwards, editorial director of Asos Magazine.

The first issue, released yesterday, includes a beauty editorial from WAH Nails, and an exclusive acoustic performance from indie band Two Door Cinema Club.

An Android version will release later in the year. See more in the video below:

Vogue.co.uk relaunches

Vogue.co.uk has unveiled a re-imagined website that ties a new navigation structure with a sleeker, more elegant visual approach for its 1.3m unique monthly users.

Informed by information architecture, it debuts a new left-hand browser bar as well as ‘Topic Timeline’ pages that see everything from news stories and catwalk shows to galleries and Vogue covers come together by brand, people or events. The search therefore becomes an important research tool for users, and the site even more of a “definitive, constantly developing archive of each of fashion’s most influential names”.

Editor, Dolly Jones, said: “Inspiring and informing millions of users worldwide, for nearly 17 years Vogue.co.uk has been at the forefront of fashion online, and this re-imagining is the culmination of all we’ve learnt to date, simultaneously taking advantage of the most sophisticated and innovative technologies available. The visual appeal the site delivers as a result of its expansive and engaging images is immediate.  Retaining the unique Vogue spirit and position as the pre-eminent fashion media brand, while capitalising on the smartest innovation going, we could not be in better shape to continue to dominate the sector.”

The new site also allows the Vogue team to mix image sizes and post videos, music playlists and quotes for the first time.

Meanwhile, during catwalk season, a new immersive gallery will incorporate all aspects of a show at once, including backstage, front row and the collection itself. The top panel on the homepage, which normally features a single large image related to one main story, will also be broken up to showcase multiple designers over this period.

As for the commercial aspects of the redesign, it aims to provide a bigger creative canvas than ever before. Jamie Jouning, digital director of Condé Nast, said: “Full screen, responsive HTML5 ads are available for key sponsors, and our best-in-class gallery experience provides advertisers with the opportunity to run hugely impactful gallery interstitials.  In-depth site analysis also guided us towards the creation of bespoke “in-content” ad formats that sit elegantly within the main article experience.”

Built in HTML5 and CSS3, the site is also device responsive, meaning it adjusts to suit the screen being used. Ralph Lauren acts as launch sponsor with a series of ads taking advantage of the technology to showcase its autumn/winter 2012/13 collection.

January to June 2012 statistics show Vogue.co.uk received an average of 29,945,632 page impressions and 1,292,805 unique users per month.

Smashbox and Look partner on “blipp-to-buy” virtual shopping wall

Smashbox Cosmetics is set to host a virtual shopping wall at a high street catwalk show hosted by the UK’s Look magazine on October 6.

Enabled through a partnership with image recognition and augmented reality platform Blippar, the initiative will allow consumers to purchase products from the make-up brand directly through their mobile phones while at The Look Show event.

They will also be able to do so through the magazine thereafter, where pages showcasing the key make-up looks and products from the show will likewise be enhanced with shoppable augmented reality.

Stephen Shaw, opportunities director for Blippar, said: “From our initial creative briefings with Look it was clear they understood the tangible levels of engagement and interaction that Blippar could deliver for Smashbox Cosmetics. But just as important was that they realised the power of creating a stunning event and entertaining brand content that would compel their celebrity guests and readers to blipp-to-buy direct from the Smashbox Cosmetics virtual shopping wall and the post-show Look magazine special.”

Virtual shopping walls are a relatively new trend – inspired in the main by the Tesco Homplus subway initiative in South Korea last summer. Two further noteable examples include the Net-a-Porter Window Shop powered by Aurasma for Fashion’s Night Out in 2011, and the Glamour US beauty shopping wall in New York in February.

The Smashbox partnership with Look magazine comes as the LA-based cosmetics company aims to expands its UK presence. There will also be print and online display ads, social media, and homepage takeovers.