magazine covers

It's been said the simplest things are always best, and it just so happens that Solange Knowles's June 2013 cover for Complex magazine is among the simplest, most beautiful covers we've seen this month. On it, Knowles is seen in profile looking directly up at the magazine's logo in front of a cool blue background.

But that's not the only one of next month's covers that's pure beauty. Kate Upton landed her first cover of Vogue, and Kerry Washington's Elle cover is the first time the actress has fronted a major American fashion magazine.

There are some other stunners, including all eight covers for the independent fashion magazine Ponystep, Gwyneth Paltrow for Glamour UK, Karlie Kloss for Vogue Japan, and Nicolas Ghesquiere and Charlotte Gainsbourg for 032c, in which the designer discusses life after Balenciaga.

A look at those covers and more, here in the gallery.

If April showers bring May flowers as pretty as these magazine covers, let the rain fall. So far, the next crop of glossy fashion magazine fronts don't disappoint: Carey Mulligan channels Daisy Buchanan on the May cover of Vogue, and Beyoncé makes a glittery first appearance on the cover of Vogue UK. The singer, currently on her Mrs. Carter Show tour, also looks stunning on the cover of Vogue India.

Of course the singer isn't the only living legend on one of next month's glossy covers. Lauren Hutton takes a graceful fall for Harper's Bazaar España, and John Malkovich makes an appearance for Arena Homme +. But supermodels more than held their own. A look at Naomi Campbell for Vogue Brazil, Georgia May Jagger for Dazed and Confused Korea, Karen Elson for Harper's Bazaar UK, and the rest of the best covers from May, here in the gallery.

April 4 might as well be National Beyoncé Day. The singer today celebrates her fifth wedding anniversary with Jay-Z and also just released the much anticipated first commercial for her endorsement deal with Pepsi.

But she's also celebrating the recent publication of some truly stellar magazine appearances: she just made her debut appearance on the May 2013 cover of Vogue UK, she's on the April 2013 cover of Shape, and rumor has it she'll also appear on an upcoming cover of V Magazine.

In tribute to the tireless quadruple threat (singer, dancer, actor, and cover girl), we've rounded up a few of her best covers, from the undeniably fierce August 2006 covers of i-D Magazine to the stunning Spring 2013 cover of The Gentlewoman (at left), a look at them all here in the gallery.

Michelle Obama isn't the only lady with bangs and a Vogue cover this month: Tina Turner graces the glossy's German version, and Edie Campbell the British edition.

After a strong showing last month, Louis Vuitton's checkers make a few appearances for April as well — this time in the form of a long-sleeved crop top. Rihanna wears one with a long skirt for Elle UK, while January Jones pairs hers with an itsy-bitsy miniskirt for British Glamour. Despite the fact that some of her past covers haven't performed well, Taylor Swift graces two major magazines this month: Vanity Fair and InStyle UK. She wears wispy pastel outfits on both.

The big Spring issues may have been dominating newsstands for the last few weeks, but with award season and fashion month dominating the news, it's understandable that some of them may have gone unnoticed. No worries; we've gathered them all right here.

There's a definite sense of romance in some of the February magazine covers that have been released so far. Love's black and white shots of Cara Delevingne and Edie Campbell, for example, are used for the magazine's "Clean Issue," while Vanity Fair's picture of Jennifer Lawrence biting a daisy is underpinned by a declaration that the actress is the "world's most desirable woman."

That celebration of youth and beauty will undoubtedly continue as stars like Lawrence and Anne Hathaway (who covers February's issue of Harper's Bazaar UK) head down the many red carpets of awards season. But don't count out the models: Constance Jablonski is adorned with purple and white flowers on the cover of Vogue China, and Anja Rubik's clean and simple cover of Elle UK is no less striking.

If the holidays really are the most wonderful time of the year, then by all logic December's magazine covers should offer some of the best photographs of 2012. So far, this month's crop of glossy imagery isn't disappointing: Marion Cotillard looks stunning swaddled in red silk on the cover of Harper's Bazaar UK, while Taylor Swift makes refreshingly monochromatic appearances on the covers of Elle Canada and American Bazaar. But let's not forget the models — Candice Swanepoel looks hauntingly beautiful on the cover of 10 Magazine, and Kate Moss's enduring beauty graces the covers of Elle Japan and Vanity Fair.


A look at the December covers we've seen so far, here in the gallery.

This was a big year for Jessica Chastain, but judging by the January covers that are starting to trickle in, 2013 might be even better.

The flame-haired actress and face of Yves Saint Laurent's Manifesto graces a lion's share of glossies this month. While all are striking, the very best of them are the four from W created by four separate artists. Each is fantastic in its own right, and each lets Chastain's chameleon appeal shine.

But even if Chastain steals the show with W, that doesn't mean there aren't a few supermodels vying to give the actress a run for her money. Kate Upton on Vogue UK looks as lush as can be, while Carolyn Murphy on Vogue Australia is a sunny blast of fresh air that feels particularly welcome in this hemisphere.

>> Soccer player turned underwear designer David Beckham will make magazine history today when he poses for Elle UK's first cover that doesn't feature a woman.

Elle UK editor Lorraine Candy said the July issue will be pegged to this Summer's Olympic games in London, and picked Beckham because he bridges the gap between British sports and British fashion.

"David Beckham is a national hero, so we saw an opportunity to shoot a celebratory cover to support a historical and patriotic year," she said. "He is an icon and Elle is known for featuring icons on its cover. This is a first for us on the newsstand and I believe he is loved by men and women alike. Anyway, who doesn't want to see a picture of one of the world's most handsome men on the front cover of a magazine? It will be a collector's issue."

Elle has put men on its covers in the past, but most of them have been standing next to (or crouching underneath) women. Beckham, who's never been on the cover of a glossy women's magazine before, said he feels "honored to have been asked to be the first ever solo male fashion cover."

A look at some of the other men who have been on the cover of Elle UK in the gallery.

>> The 2011 results are in: Sarah Jessica Parker, Heidi Klum, and Jennifer Aniston regularly and reliably pulled in the top sales at the newsstand, and Mila Kunis was the year's breakout cover star with some of the best-selling issues across titles. While the biggest-drawing names may not come as a surprise, here's what does: the inconsistent ability of some stars to bring in sales — Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, and Emma Stone all had some of the best and worst performing covers of the year. Click through to see who else had cover hits and misses in 2011, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations and Rapid Report.