COVER WARS: Blonde On Blonde On Blonde… Taylor Swift, Cate Blanchett and Blake Lively Bring Snow

Leave it to Vogue to snag the Oscar winner. Their December cover corners the classy and grown market, epitomizing what the last cover seems to be moving toward. That is, a laudable acting career, ownership of one’s womanhood and the ability to wear a gown in the middle of a grassy field. Last week, we wondered what Vogue was thinking lately, design-wise, but this is decent.

Mediaite Grade (B+): It might not have the edginess a Vogue reader has come to expect, but the cover serves its purpose. Except — where the hell is she in a formal dress with a red… what is that… a shawl? Cate Blanchett looks positively statuesque (just in time for Oscar season!), but something about the cover still seems off. Maybe it’s the boring blue sky? Or the odd orange accented headlines? Yeah, it’s probably those.

Sarah Jessica Parker certainly has the dirtiest blonde of our December cover stars. And that should count for something. It’s a subtle look this month for Elle, catching SJP looking coy on a colorless cover, but it’d be a wonder if, set next to these rival covers, anyone opted to pick up this particular issue.

Mediaite Grade (B-): It’s not that it’s a bad cover, but the black, white and gray aren’t doing anyone any favors. The cover star’s head looks a bit oversized and the pseudo-midriff-baring top just piles on the dull. Her smile is authentic enough and the hand placement is endearing, but none of the headlines pop, leaving a cover-centric selling point nowhere to be seen.

BONUS:
We can’t forget Allure! As if four wasn’t trend enough, the magazine shelves this months are also populated by an angelic shot of Kirsten Dunst, playing her paleness off of pink. Perhaps aimed at a slightly younger audience than our other covers, Allure dresses Dunst in an innocent white top and opts for an over-the-shoulder glance and half smile on a cover plugging beauty, beauty, beauty.

Mediaite Grade (B):Safe and effective, this Dunst cover does nothing to offend, playing pretty safely into the women’s mag template. But coloring inside of the lines isn’t necessarily bad, so long as some bright colors can catch eyes. While the other covers find their stars obscuring the logo, Dunst sits behind the text in a way that makes the brand more central than the saleswoman. Then we’re asked, “Who’s Allowed In Her Bed?” Good question!

COVER WARS WINNER: Vogue

It was actually quite close, if only because the covers were so similar across the board. More than just blonde cover stars, the end of year covers found the titles playing things pretty safe, with no risks or surprises to be seen. Even the possibility of a three dimensional Taylor Swift fails to excite the eyes. And we’ll see if it does anything for sales. But Blanchett shines in the winter — on screen and apparently on covers — and Vogue couldn’t have asked for more if distinguished was their aim.