Vogue, WSJ, and Elle Ran Nearly Identical Covers This Week and Fashion Is Buzzing

Fashion’s biggest magazine just got called out for looking a little too familiar. Vogue unveiled its November cover starring Jenna Ortega on Thursday, shot by photographer Szilveszter Makó in his signature painterly style. The catch? WSJ Magazine ran a Gigi Hadid cover with the same photographer and concept earlier this week, and Elle published a Hunter Schafer cover using Makó three days ago. Add in the same Balenciaga Couture feather dress appearing in both the Ortega and Hadid spreads, and the internet had plenty to talk about.

The reaction from inside the industry was blunt. One fashion media insider called it a giant screw-up, saying it’s unheard of for Vogue, the industry leader, to be last to a trend. A source close to the matter pushed back, noting that Hadid’s cover was conceptualized in March and shot in July, and that the visual overlap reflects Makó’s well-known aesthetic, which also appeared in Interview’s September issue and several Vogue international editions this summer.

So what does it all mean? It’s a rare look at how competitive magazine publishing really is, and how photographer exclusivity and originality function as currency in that world. Whether this was bad timing or a genuine creative rut, the conversation around it isn’t slowing down.

Do you think this is copying, or just one photographer everyone wanted at once? Sound off in the comments.