Elle

Elle magazine is one of those women's fashion glossies which has stood the test of time (It was started in 1945!). Costing £3.50 an issue if you buy it off the newstands (and costing a bit less if you subscribe - you pay £6 for the first 6 issues/6 months, then pay £16.80 for subsequent 6 issues every 6 months, which is around 20% less than its usual price) it is not one of the cheaper magazines on the market, but for what it does, it does quite well. Out of the 274-page May 09 issue, about 147 pages are completely devoted to ads and promotions. That means about 53% of this issue was just ... more

I'm not a big buyer of magazines; usually only doing so when I'm at the airport and desperate for something to take my mind off the flight - which is why I bought this one. I have to admit, I was swayed by the fact that it included a free make-up bad thingy; (yes, yes; I know that is a little sad!!!) but my own make-up bag was looking a wee bit shabby, so I decided to go for it. I was also partly convinced to part with my money because it looked like a pretty hefty read, - emblazoned over the front page was "420 page Big Sexy Fashion Issue", so I thought it would keep me going throughout my ... more

Elle is a women’s monthly fashion glossy, which costs £3.00. It is, according to the magazine itself, ‘The biggest selling fashion magazine in the world’. I purchased this publication in April 2003, for the purpose of reading on a long car journey. I was attracted by the picture of Drew Barrymore(an actress I have grown up with and respect)on the front cover and the sheer size of it, 362 pages! Surely this magazine would provide hours of reading and entertainment? So what Features does it have? Hmm well, there’s articles about fashion models, fashion stories, fashion pictorials and I’m not ... more

I am quite wary of buying magazines. Usually they will give out headlines on the front cover that reflect nothing of which the articles are about. And nine times out of ten, the stories you can find in the magazines are readily available for you on the internet free of charge. However on this particular day I was in the mood for a magazine, and as soon as I saw 'Elle', I knew it was the one I wanted. I'd never really bothered with fashion magazines, apart from the odd Grazia, so I was keen to find out what this one was all about. The first striking thing about this glossy is the fact that it ... more

Oh please! If this is a magazine for contemporary women then I've been on the planet Zarg for the past decade. I would ask who on earth buys this - but I know. It's bought by the folks lured by the freebies on the front. I confess - I am one (the book wasn't bad either). Such freebies are currently the subject of a publishers' inquiry - concerning whether or not magazines like Elle can claim accurate circulation figures when 'inducements beyond the incidental' (to use their words) are on offer. In other words - would we have bought it if we hadn't been bribed? I would certainly hope not. I am ... more