Blog Posts by Vogue Magazine

Rebecca Bengal, Vogue

Some, like Pulphead essayist John Jeremiah Sullivan, opted for the desert-island approach, grabbing the works that would prove as sustaining as water, while others' bookshelves, like the one that belongs to designer Sophie Buhai, serve as inspiration boards-the occult encyclopedia Man, Myth, and Magic, she says, is the source of many of Vena Cava's print motifs. Thurston Moore surrounds himself with the aspirational-the books he hasn't yet read-while Dave Eggers keeps close copies of Lolita and Herzog when he writes.

Most of the shelves included in My Ideal Bookshelf (Little, Brown and Company), however, depict the evolution of an artistic sensibility. Junot Diaz's is an A to Z of his understanding of fiction and of the world; unfolding across Judd Apatow's shelf, from Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes to a biography of Lenny Bruce, is the story of the film director's take on comedy. If you read these books, Apatow promises, you will "reap untold benefits:

Considering that James Bond's leading ladies are remembered more for what they're not wearing than what they are, it may seem at odds to celebrate their style. And yet there are two reasons to do so: One, Skyfall, the latest Bond installment opens today; and two, a closer look reveals that these women were extremely well dressed. Tasteful, even. Barbara Bach's elegant white blouse (cut down to there because this is still 007 after all) with simple jewelry and dark pants looks sophisticated and actually quite modern; Michelle Yeoh covered up in all black exudes serious business without sacrificing femininity. Then again, perhaps this shouldn't be such a surprise. Bond is up against incredibly strategic and smart women. No one needs to tell them that sex appeal is as much about what's hidden as it is what's laid bare.

From Dr. No to Goldfinger to Quantum of Solace, see the slideshow below for the best Bond girl looks.

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Esther Adams, Vogue

Before game apps like Tiny Wings or Angry Birds grew in popularity among young and old smartphone users alike, there was Scrabble, checkers, Twister, and a universal love for remote-control cars; all addictive pursuits that pre-dated the tap, tap, swipe of a touch screen. Blame it on the nostalgic nineties theme playing out across the runways, but it seemed to us that those pre-digital era amusements-which undoubtedly entertained many budding young designers during recess-seemed to pop out from spring 2013 collections like subliminal messages (or should that be nineties Magic Eye images?). Whether Louis Vuitton's graphic checkerboard dresses or 3.1 Phillip Lim's Scrabble-effect neo-grunge slogan tee is lingering on your wish list, if your iPhone runs out of battery at any point next season, at least your closet will double as a ultra-chic backdrop for entertainment.

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Meredith Melling Burke, Vogue

Election Day is upon us and no matter who you intend to vote for, there is one point we can all agree on: A little red, white, and blue is always in style. Here, we bring you ten items that celebrate love of country-from Stubbs & Wootton smoking slippers (ideal for the undecided) to a party-agnostic stars-and-stripes scarf-the perfect things to keep you looking patriotic while headed to the polls.

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Courtesy of Living Art EnterprisesJancee Dunn, Vogue

A few years ago, after six weeks of ruthless back pain, I saw an orthopedist, hoping for a relieving jab of steroids. When he suggested an MRI, I was pleased at his thoroughness. I wasn't quite as thrilled when he told me that it could be a herniated disk. Within five minutes we were discussing the possibility of surgery. Friends soon bombarded me with tales of disastrous back operations. Chastened, I decided to try the natural route: daily exercise, ice packs, rest, and physical therapy recommended by my primary-care doctor. A month later, the pain receded.

Had my friends not intervened, I might have ended up under the knife. It was not clear that I even had a herniated disk. Magnetic resonance imaging, routinely ordered for back pain, produces impressively detailed pictures. But a host of recent studies have found that MRI's are easily misinterpreted-and, as a Johns Hopkins team reported in a study published earlier this year, "do not improve outcomes" for

Kayleen Schaefer, Vogue

When it feels like every woman working in fashion-including a slew of Vogue editors and a stylist-suddenly became mothers en masse, Vogue wondered how entering a new life stage has affected their style.

"You can't really worry about accessories-you don't have the time," says Market Editor Virginia Tupker. "It's about focusing on the minimum to pull everything together." Instead, she has switched ostentatious decoration for a low-maintenance look of colored AG skinny jeans and tops by Maje with interesting shoulder construction, which keeps things exciting enough for Tupker without anything being in danger of deconstruction. "I've definitely got a more casual look now," she says.

The same could be said of haute-bohemian stylist Marina Muñoz. "My masculine-Latin look went out the window when my bump really started to show," she says. "I started wearing looser pieces-an homage to an Isabel Marant French-girl style"-not only pulled together, but also

From left: Slanted brushes from e.l.f., Claudio Riaz, Sephora Collection, and Sonia Kashuk.Kayleen Schaefer, Vogue

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. These new makeup brushes are crooked on purpose-specially designed to make applying liquid and cream liner as foolproof (read: steady) as possible. As Chicago-based makeup artist Claudio Riaz, who pioneered the ergonomic, elbow-shaped design, explains, "It's best to grip the handle in the middle to attain the optimal balance, and hold the brush horizontally with the bent side facing the lashline."

See also: 120 Under $120 Fall Finds

As you drag the brush across the lid from the inner to outer corner of the eye, the 45-degree slant helps keep the movement steady and the bristles positioned flat against the base of the lashes, "giving you a consistent, straight line." Riaz's own Contour Liquid Liner Brush, a top seller at Barneys New York, boasts a longer and thicker brush head to provide more coverage in a single swipe. "If you're going to do a cat eye," he says, the brush "has to be big enough so you can

Vogue

Talk about erratic weather: One day it's so sunny that you're regretting pairing tights with your Rag & Bone boots, and then the next you're stuck hiding out from the unexpected showers under scaffolding. Here at Vogue.com, however, we subscribe to the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. So-along with emergency makeup stowed in your bag, a pair of flats under your office desk, and the flashlight app downloaded on your iPhone-a girl-on-the-go should also always have an elegant, sturdy, not-purchased-from-a vendor-on-a-street-corner-in-a-blind-panic umbrella on the ready. Not only is it civilized, if you do it right, it can also be incredibly chic. Here are nine stylish options to save for a rainy day.

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Angelina Jolie Through the Years in Vogue
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Beauty Looks for All Ages
Vogue's Iconic Models