1920–54 The French edition of
Vogue was first issued on 15 June 1920, the first editor-in-chief being Cosette de Brunhoff (1886–1964). Her brother,
Michel de Brunhoff (1892–1958) took over, following a brief period of
Main Bocher (from 1927 to 1929) editing the magazine and Brunhoff served as editor-in-chief from 1929 until 1954. Duchess
Solange d'Ayen (1898–1976) was a
fashion editor of
Vogue from the late 1920s until the early 1940s. Publication of French Vogue was put on hold in 1940 after its permission to publish was not granted by the
occupying Nazi authorities. The assets of the magazine and French Condé Nast's other fashion publication
Le Jardin des Modes were liquidated and both publications were placed under the protection of the
Tribunal de Commerce. During the publication pause Brunhoff created ''
l'Album de la Mode du Figaro based in Monte Carlo to fill the market gap left from the closure of Vogue''.
Under Edmonde Charles-Roux (1954–66) Edmonde Charles-Roux (1920–2016), who had previously worked at
Elle and
France-Soir, became the magazine's editor-in-chief in 1954. Charles-Roux was a great supporter of
Christian Dior's "
New Look", of which she later said, "It signalled that we could laugh again - that we could be provocative again, and wear things that would grab people's attention in the street." She was dismissed from
Vogue in 1966, as the result of a conflict for wanting to place black model
Donyale Luna on the cover of the magazine. When later asked about her departure, Charles-Roux refused to confirm or deny this account. A black model on the cover of French Vogue did not come until 1988 when
Naomi Campbell was featured on the cover.
1968–2000: Crescent, Pringle, and Buck Francine Crescent (1933–2008), whose editorship would later be described as prescient, daring, and courageous, took the helm of French
Vogue in 1968. Under her leadership, the magazine became the global leader in fashion photography. Crescent gave
Helmut Newton and
Guy Bourdin, the magazine's two most influential photographers, complete creative control over their work. the "prone and open-mouthed girls of Bourdin" were pitted against the "dark,
stiletto-heeled,
S&M sirens of Newton". Under Pringle's watch, the magazine recruited new photographers such as
Peter Lindbergh (1944–2019) and
Steven Meisel, who developed their signature styles in the magazine's pages. Even still, the magazine struggled, remaining dull and heavily reliant on foreign stories. When Pringle left the magazine in 1994, word spread that her resignation had been forced.
Joan Juliet Buck, an American, was named Pringle's successor effective 1 June 1994. Her selection was described by
The New York Times as an indication that Conde Nast intended to "modernize the magazine and expand its scope" from its circulation of 80,000. Though rumors circulated in 1996 that the magazine was on the verge of a shutdown, Buck remade the magazine in her own cerebral image,
Carine Roitfeld, who had been the magazine's creative director,
Under Carine Roitfeld (2001–2011) Roitfeld aimed to restore the magazine's place as a leader in fashion journalism (the magazine "hadn't been so good" since the 1980s, she said By April 2002, she had rid the magazine of foreign staffers, making it "all French for the first time in many years". It aimed to make the title appear more hand-crafted and organic, particularly through the use of collage and hand-drawn fonts. Continuity was created through the use of loose theming for each issue, smooth pacing, and visual uniformity in the shopping pages. Roitfeld has periodically drawn criticism for the magazine's use of sexuality and humor, which she employs to disrupt fashion's conservatism and pretension. Advertising revenue rose 60 percent in 2005, resulting in the best year for ad sales since the mid-1980s.
Under Emmanuelle Alt (2011–2021) On 7 January 2011,
Emmanuelle Alt, who had worked at the magazine as its fashion director since 2000 was announced as the new editor-in-chief. Under Alt the publication was simplified, the magazine was redesigned to eliminate "cluttered layouts and typography" along with the introduction of more
feature articles. Her appointment was seen as the "safe" choice with
The New York Times stating that it did not look like Condé Nast executives were looking for a change to the publication.
Valentina Sampaio was featured on the March 2017 cover and became the first transgender model to be featured on the cover of an edition of Vogue. Alt was dismissed from her role as editor-in-chief in May 2021, this followed the firing of multiple high-profile Condé Nast staff members.
Under Eugénie Trochu and rebranding (2021–2024) Eugénie Trochu was appointed as the Head of Editorial Content for Vogue Paris on 6 September 2021. The first issue under her leadership was November 2021 featuring
Aya Nakamura on the cover. This was also the first issue of the magazine to be branded as
Vogue France after 101 years as
Vogue Paris.
Under Claire Thomson-Jonville (2025–present) After overseeing the December 2024/January 2025 issue
Claire Thomson-Jonville was appointed as the magazines Head of Editorial Content following Trochus departure. McKimm left the position following the December 2025/January 2026 issue. The first
Vogue France Wellness retreat occurred in June 2025 hosted by Thomson-Jonville and
Deepak Chopra, Vogue called the three-day retreat 'A transformative journey to awaken your body, empower your mind and nourish your heart guided by Vogue France'
. Speakers at the event will include
Jessie Inchauspé and
Léna Mahfouf. Thomson-Jonville previously ran the
Out of State wellness retreats. In 2025, the total yearly circulation of
Vogue France passed one million for the first time since 2019. ==
Vogue Hommes ==