Great mix of gossip and hard news

"Vanity Fair" is head and shoulders above anything else on the magazine rack. On the one hand, it has loads of fun, gossipy stories on celebrities - past and present - combined with state-of-the art work from the premier photographers in the business, including Herb Ritts and Annie Leibowitz. While the articles on entertainment celebrities are usually pure PR fluff pieces, there are also more in-depth articles about the power players behind the scenes and old Hollywood legends. These voyeristic guilty pleasures sit comfortably side-by-side with some of the best serious journalism in print. Month after month, "Vanity Fair" addresses important issues that are only covered superficially in most of the media. The editors aren't afraid to allow their reporters to do long pieces on foreign affairs, politics and the economy. If it's been a major event on the world scene, "Vanity Fair" has covered it, and covered it well. I almost always read it cover to cover, and always come away feeling like it was time well spent.

Good magazine overall

I'v read Vanity Fair for the past several years or so, and I am mostly impressed with it. This magazine features some of the most exquisite and first-rate photography one can find in any magazine of its kind. But Vanity Fair is about much more than pretty pictures. I have also been quite impressed with the articles, which are surprisingly quite good. Not only is the writing exceptional but Vanity Fair manages to cover a remarkable array of issues and current affair topics, all of them relating to upperclass social life. The only problem I have with Vanity Fair is that its mission seems a bit open-ended, at least from my experience. For example, on several occasions I have found that stories ran in Vanity Fair were covered in greater depth in other publications - such as the New Yorker or even the NY Times magazine. This can be especially frustrating particularly for someone who reads broadly but also wishes to keep abreast of pop culture happenings. Even so, Vanity Fair is overall a magazine of superior quality and I would therefore recommend Vanity Fair to all those interested in the affairs of upperclass life.

Not just a woman's magazine.

You just have to know when not to buy the magazine. Two or three times a year. Otherwise it is a very good international magazine.
I would advise subscribing if you live in the U.S. Its price is ludicrous compared to what we pay in Europe at the newstand. Here is approximately 6 Euros per issue. It more than makes up for the smug letters from Dame Edna and assorted insider's navel watching that you find every month.