The Big Four (Vogue)

Last updated
VogueMagazine1Feb1923.jpg
US Vogue cover from 1 February 1923
Vogue SM.jpg
British Vogue cover from May 2000
Further Fantasy - Exhibition Galleria Gio Marconi, Milano, March 1999, catalogue Associazione Italiana Pellicceria by Vogue Italia.jpg
Vogue Italia supplement cover from March 1999
Frans mode-tijdschrift "Vogue Paris", No. 610, in zwart-wit en kleur met couture-foto's, oktober 1980, objectnr 22618-10.JPG
Vogue Paris cover from October 1980

The Big Four, is the name given to the four most notable editions of fashion magazine Vogue . These editions ( American Vogue , British Vogue , Vogue France , and Vogue Italia ) are considered to be some of the most important magazines to the fashion industry.

Contents

The term is most commonly associated with fashion models being featured on the cover of all four editions. A model being featured on the cover of all four editions is considered one of the most significant achievements in the modelling industry. [1] If a non-model is featured on the cover of all four editions it is considered a significant achievement in the fashion industry due to the notability needed in the fashion industry to be on the cover of all four editions.

The Big Four are considered to be notable due to their coverage of the four fashion capitals (New York City, London, Paris, and Milan). An editor-in-chief of a big four Vogue (as of 2025, Chloe Malle, Chioma Nnadi, Claire Thomson-Jonville, and Francesca Ragazzi) is automatically considered to be an important fashion tastemaker.

Records

Most Big Four covers

The model who is featured on the most Big Four Vogue covers as of 2025 is Kate Moss, Moss has been featured on 78 covers. [2] Gisele Bündchen holds the record for the most Vogue covers (139 as of 2025), however Bündchen has only been featured on 47 big four covers. [3]

Youngest model

The youngest model to achieve the big four was Karolína Kurková, who was 17 years old at the time. [4] The second-youngest is Kaia Gerber who achieved the record in 2020 at age 18.

Non-Models

In Madonna became the first non-model and musician to be featured on the big four, followed by Rihanna in 2021. [5]

List of record holders and timeline of achievement

List of "Big Four" record holders and timeline of their achievement by date of completion:

1960s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Wilhelmina Cooper UK Vogue, 1 February 1961US Vogue, 15 January 1962Vogue Paris, September 1962Vogue Italia, October 1964First model to complete the Big Four
Brigitte BauerUS Vogue, 15 September 1963UK Vogue, March 1964Vogue Paris, March 1964Vogue Italia, March 1965
Deborah DixonUS Vogue, 15 November 1960UK Vogue, December 1961Vogue Paris, May 1965Vogue Italia, June 1965
Jean Shrimpton UK Vogue, June 1962US Vogue, 1 April 1963Vogue Paris, April 1963Vogue Italia, January 1967
Twiggy US Vogue, April 1967Vogue Italia, May 1967Vogue Paris, May 1967UK Vogue, October 1967
Veruschka US Vogue, October 1964Vogue Italia, July/August 1965UK Vogue, February 1966Vogue Paris, August 1968
Marisa Berenson US Vogue, September 1965Vogue Paris, April 1966Vogue Italia, June 1967UK Vogue, September 1968

1970s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Donna Mitchell Vogue Paris, October 1966UK Vogue, October 1966US Vogue, August 1971Vogue Italia, May 1972
Margaux Hemingway US Vogue, March 1975UK Vogue, September 1975Vogue Paris, October 1976Vogue Italia, November 1976

1980s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Carol Alt UK Vogue, March 1980Vogue Italia, November 1980US Vogue, March 1981Vogue Paris, May 1981
Gia Carangi UK Vogue, April 1979Vogue Paris, April 1979US Vogue, August 1980Vogue Italia, February 1981
Eva VoorheesUK Vogue, August 1979US Vogue, April 1980Vogue Paris, March 1981Vogue Italia, October 1981
Kim Alexis UK Vogue, December 1978US Vogue, August 1979Vogue Paris, November 1980Vogue Italia, January 1982
Renée Simonsen Vogue Italia, November 1982UK Vogue, February 1983Vogue Paris, February 1983US Vogue, April 1983
Rosemary McGrotha Vogue Italia, April 1981US Vogue, January 1982Vogue Paris, September 1982UK Vogue, August 1983
Jacki AdamsVogue Paris, February 1982Vogue Italia, April 1982UK Vogue, May 1982US Vogue, January 1984
Isabella Rossellini US Vogue, March 1982Vogue Paris, April 1982Vogue Italia, February 1984UK Vogue, July 1984
Estelle Lefébure Vogue Paris, April 1986US Vogue, July 1986Vogue Italia, July/August 1986UK Vogue, May 1987
Linda Evangelista Vogue Paris, September 1987US Vogue, December 1988UK Vogue, January 1989Vogue Italia, February 1989
Cindy Crawford US Vogue, August 1986UK Vogue, January 1987Vogue Paris, February 1987Vogue Italia, 15 February 1989
Tatjana Patitz UK Vogue, October 1985Vogue Italia, April 1986US Vogue, May 1987Vogue Paris, June/July 1989
Naomi Campbell UK Vogue, December 1987Vogue Italia, June 1988Vogue Paris, August 1988US Vogue, September 1989First black model to complete the Big Four

1990s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Christy Turlington Vogue Italia, March 1986UK Vogue, July 1986Vogue Paris, November 1986US Vogue, April 1990
Claudia Schiffer UK Vogue, October 1989Vogue Italia, March 1990US Vogue, August 1990Vogue Paris, May 1992
Madonna UK Vogue, February 1989US Vogue, May 1989Vogue Italia, February 1991Vogue Paris, October 1993First celebrity to complete the Big Four
Nadja Auermann UK Vogue, January 1992Vogue Paris, June/July 1992Vogue Italia, July 1992US Vogue, November 1993
Meghan Douglas Vogue Italia, November 1991US Vogue, January 1993UK Vogue, October 1993Vogue Paris, February 1995
Stephanie Seymour Vogue Italia, June 1987US Vogue, March 1988UK Vogue, December 1988Vogue Paris, May 1995
Kate Moss UK Vogue, March 1993Vogue Paris, March 1994Vogue Italia, October 1994US Vogue, July 1995
Shalom Harlow US Vogue, January 1993Vogue Italia, May 1993UK Vogue, April 1995Vogue Paris, March 1996
Amber Valletta US Vogue, February 1993Vogue Italia, May 1993UK Vogue, December 1994Vogue Paris, September 1996
Carolyn Murphy Vogue Paris, February 1996Vogue Italia, October 1996US Vogue, April 1997UK Vogue, May 1998
Gisele Bündchen UK Vogue, August 1998Vogue Italia, June 1999US Vogue, July 1999Vogue Paris, August 1999
Angela Lindvall Vogue Italia, June 1997US Vogue, February 1998UK Vogue, September 1998Vogue Paris, November 1999

2000s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Bridget Hall Vogue Italia, June 1993US Vogue, April 1994UK Vogue, September 1998Vogue Paris, November 2000
Frankie Rayder Vogue Italia, January 1999Vogue Paris, April 1999UK Vogue, July 1999US Vogue, November 2000
Karolína Kurková US Vogue, February 2001Vogue Paris, March 2001UK Vogue, May 2001Vogue Italia, July 2001Youngest model (age 17) and shortest time (6 months) to complete the Big Four
Carmen Kass Vogue Paris, November 1997US Vogue, May 1999UK Vogue, January 2001Vogue Italia, January 2002
Karen Elson Vogue Italia, February 1997Vogue Paris, December 1997/January 1998UK Vogue, January 2002US Vogue, September 2004
Natalia Vodianova Vogue Italia, December 2002Vogue Paris, March 2003UK Vogue, September 2003US Vogue, September 2004
Daria Werbowy Vogue Italia, July 2003US Vogue, September 2004UK Vogue, January 2005Vogue Paris, March 2005
Gemma Ward UK Vogue, April 2004US Vogue, September 2004Vogue Paris, February 2005Vogue Italia, April 2005
Jessica Stam Vogue Italia, September 2003UK Vogue, August 2006Vogue Paris, November 2006US Vogue, May 2007
Sasha Pivovarova Vogue Italia, December 2005Vogue Paris, September 2006US Vogue, May 2007UK Vogue, September 2007

2010s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Lara Stone Vogue Paris, April 2007Vogue Italia, December 2007US Vogue, May 2009Vogue Italia, December 2010
Arizona Muse Vogue Italia, January 2011Vogue Paris, November 2011UK Vogue, February 2012US Vogue, September 2014
Edie Campbell UK Vogue, April 2013Vogue Italia, April 2013US Vogue, September 2014Vogue Paris, February 2016
Gigi Hadid Vogue Italia, November 2015UK Vogue, January 2016Vogue Paris, March 2016US Vogue, August 2016
Helena Christensen UK Vogue, March 1990Vogue Paris, November 1992US Vogue, January 1993Vogue Italia, October 2016Longest time to complete the big four (26 years)
Vittoria Ceretti Vogue Italia, July 2016US Vogue, March 2017Vogue Paris, May 2017UK Vogue, May 2018

2020s

ModelFirst IssueSecond IssueThird IssueFourth IssueNotesRef.
Adut Akech Vogue Italia, April 2018UK Vogue, May 2018Vogue Paris, April 2019US Vogue, April 2020
Kaia Gerber Vogue Paris, April 2016Vogue Italia, July 2018UK Vogue, October 2019US Vogue, April 2020
Rihanna US Vogue, April 2011UK Vogue, November 2011Vogue Paris, December 2017/January 2018Vogue Italia, June 2021Second celebrity to complete the Big Four
Imaan Hammam US Vogue, September 2014Vogue Italia, April 2016UK Vogue, February 2017Vogue Paris, June/July 2021
Bella Hadid Vogue Italia, September 2016Vogue Paris, September 2016UK Vogue, March 2018US Vogue, September 2021
Jill Kortleve Vogue Paris, February 2020US Vogue, April 2020Vogue Italia, May 2021UK Vogue, April 2023
Anok Yai Vogue Italia, May 2019US Vogue, April 2020UK Vogue, February 2022Vogue France, October 2024
Joan Smalls Vogue Italia, March 2012US Vogue, September 2014UK Vogue, September 2020Vogue France, May 2025

References

  1. ↑ "Vogue's Covers: THE BIG 4".
  2. ↑ Voguegraphy (14 November 2015). "Kate Moss Throughout the Years in Vogue". VOGUEGRAPHY. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Models with the Most Vogue Covers". 15 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Karolina Kurkova – Model". MODELS.com.
  5. ↑ Blakemore, Peyton (2 June 2021). "Rihanna Goes Braless & Wears Sheer Gown For 'Vogue' Italia Cover". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.