RIP

Remembering Franca Sozzani: Her Best Italian Vogue Covers

by W Staff

During her almost three decades at the helm of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, who died on Thursday at 66, transformed the magazine from one simply about clothes into one that championed its photographers, regularly broke boundaries, and never shied away from important issues

1

Vogue Italia, August 1988. The first cover under Sozzani’s editorship.

2

Cindy Crawford graces the cover of Vogue Italia for the February 1989 issue.

3

Vogue Italia, November 1990.

4

Vogue Italia, May 1993.

5

Kate Moss on the cover of Vogue Italia’s March ’96 issue.

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Vogue Italia, November 1998.

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Vogue Italia, September 1998.

8

Franca Sozzani always retained a fascination with the future, a preoccupation often reflected in Vogue Italia’s pages.

9

Vogue Italia rang in the new year with this January 2000 cover.

10

Vogue Italia, December 2009.

11

The infamous “Makeover Madness” cover, shot by Steven Meisel. Vogue Italia, July 2005.

12

Vogue Italia’s All Black issue, July 2008.

13

As Franca Sozzani’s protege, Steven Meisel rose to prominence to become a dominating force in the world of fashion photography. His cover for Italian Vogue in December 2002 exemplifies his black and white aesthetic that made him one of Sozzani’s favorites.

14

Never afraid to broach controversial subjects, Franca Sozzani’s August 2010 issue of Italian Vogue took on the BP oil spill. “Fashion isn’t really about clothes—it’s about life,” Sozzani has said.

15

The ever-beautiful Kate Upton graced Italian Vogue’s November 2012 cover.