Harper’s Bazaar—the oldest fashion magazine in the U.S.—has undergone its first major design renovation in a decade, prompted by a 12% decrease in ad sales last year. The new design debuts in the March 2012 issue, which boasts a subscribers’ cover that masks Gwyneth Paltrow’s biggest moneymaker: her face.

On the cover, Paltrow stands statuesque in a revealing floor-length dress by new designer Anthony Vaccarello with her face veiled by long blonde waves.  “It’s a very daring thing to do, where you don’t immediately see her face,” Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, told WWD.

However, the newsstand version will be more familiar to readers with Paltrow pictured head-on, smiling, and surrounded by teaser headlines. The two-different-cover approach was the brainchild of Bailey herself, and one of the many major changes that comes along with the redesign, which was first announced in November.

The new Harper’s Bazaar will be a significantly lengthier and less-cluttered magazine. The redesign issues will be thicker by one inch, boast higher-quality paper, new typography, and a sleeker look thanks to tighter editing and utilizing white space.

One of Harper’s Bazaar’s most popular online features, the “Best Dressed List” curated by Editor-at-Large Derek Blasberg, whose wit and impeccable taste make for an entertaining and eclectic list, will be a monthly column. Beauty-lovers have a lot to look forward to as the beauty section has been increased from four pages to 10 going forward. For globe-trotters, or at least those who hope to be, Bailey has introduced a monthly travel section entitled, “The Escape.” Lastly, there is a promise for more reporting on the latest in art, film and books. One of the most refreshing overall changes will be less of an emphasis on celebrity and popcorn stories.

When the March 2012 issue hits newsstands February 14th, it certainly promises to be celebration-worthy with contributions from the biggest names of A-list fashion set. Longtime contributor, and arguably one of the most in-demand photographers of our time, Terry Richardson shot the Paltrow cover and accompanying spread. The remaining features were shot by Karl Lagerfeld, Dan Jackson, Karim Sadhli, and artist Liu Bolin who literally painted his designer subjects, which included Alber Elbaz and Angela Missioni. Feature stories include a piece on the daughter-in-law of Bernie Madoff, Stephanie Mack, and a look at the controversial lifestyle of French journalist and love interest of Daphne Guiness, Bernard-Henri L�vy.

Beyond the redesign of the print magazine, Bazaar plans to rejuvenate the publication’s digital presence with a larger focus on online coverage and social media. “We’ve started to redesign online and we will see that continue,” explains Bailey to WWD. Towards the latter end of this year, Bazaar will launch an e-commerce which will literally sell the products they feature.

The unveiling of the March 2012 is shaping up to be a monumental move for Bazaar’s and it’s exciting to see the world’s oldest and most esteemed fashion publication employ a more modern design and embrace the latest technologies.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by LEXUS via Glam Media.�The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of LEXUS.

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