On Wednesday, I popped into the wonderful little space that is the Condé Nast World Wide News shop which is round the corner from Vogue House in Hanover Square. I’m so glad I did my research because walking into Vogue House looking to buy a magazine would have been the most embarrassing mistake everrr. Seriously.
Around the corner from that infamous HQ is the shop, the first of it’s kind and it’s pretty much Condé Nast Heaven. Building on the idea of a modern newsagents, it’s an overwhelming sight when you walk in because despite Condé Nast being the publishing powerhouse that it is, you don’t really get to see just how many different publications that they have. The magazine wall is such a feast for the eyes, incredibly visually stimulating and I’m such a sucker for brightly coloured magazine covers. How awesome would it be to have a room in your house set up like this?
Looking super happy with a copy of Vogue China, Thanks Nina for the photo!
I was amazed to see such an array of magazines stocked in such a small space but here you’ll find 130 of their worldwide publications (with more titles constantly being stocked) ranging from British Vogue (of course!) to Vogue Australia, Modern Bride China, Tatler Russia and Romanian GQ all with corresponding flags noting their country of origin. Obviously many of the magazines are imported so be prepared to shell out at least £16.50 for far off magazines such as Vogue Nippon. Speaking of Japanese Vogue, I thought that the Asian magazines were all super thick in comparison to British Vogue.
Vogue Korea and Vogue Girl Japan
I spoke to the lovely Nina who told me that one of her favourites included Vogue Bambino, which is as the name suggests, a magazine devoted to kids. Super stylish ones obviously and this goes for Nina too! I don’t think she expected me to take a photo of her when I visited but I was loving her cosy blue jumper and her moustache necklace from Tatty Devine. She also told me about the editor of Vogue Brasil who once bought a staggering £300 worth of magazines for research into making her magazine the best out of all the Vogues. So crazy. I had a good browse through Vogue Brasil and looks like the research was well worth it as it did look pretty awesome.
Greek, Brazilian and Australian Vogue
I also got to check out the hotly anticipated Style.com magazine which is full of great editorials. Given it’s background, I think it was pretty smart to have an online vibe when it came to the layout inside.
The battle between Print and Digital is an interesting one. While some claim that digital is taking over, when you step into a place like Condé Nast World Wide News it’s a reminder that the two can blend together seamlessly! Among the magazines, you’ll be able to spot video screens showcasing the corresponding magazine websites.
There are also iPads for you to browse all the different Vogue Apps. I thought this was great as it does allow you to try some of the apps before deciding to buy them on your own iPad/iPhone.
The shop has been open since February and if the store is a success then you can look forward to seeing a store like this opening in other fashion capitals! I was pretty content in there among so many amazing magazines. I loved reading through magazines that I’d heard of but was never able to get my hands on like Korean W Magazine but also discovering new ones like the adorable, Vogue Bambini. Given that it’s a stones throw from Oxford Circus, it’s most certainly well worth a visit but you’ll leave wishing you could read about 30 different languages! Definitely a place I will be popping by whenever I am in London from now on.
Of course, I couldn’t help myself and HAD to buy a copy of one of their many magazines. I have to admit, I was pretty torn with which issue to go for. In the end I settled for Vogue Girl Korea and I can’t wait to share some of the editorials with you guys!
