Read InStyle's 30th Anniversary Digital Issue

Editor's Letter

In June 1994, the first official issue of InStyle was born. Originally an offshoot of People magazine, InStyle was launched "to explore the choices people make in their lives about their homes, fashion, parties, pastimes, and passions," as Martha Nelson wrote in her editor’s note. One of the first fashion magazines to regularly put a celebrity on its cover, InStyle took readers inside stars’ homes, shared their favorite actresses’ beauty secrets, and soon became known for lifting the invisible velvet rope to give its audience access to the exclusive halls of Hollywood.

Since then, the fashion world has changed dramatically—and with it, so has InStyle. Fashion is no longer limited to runways and red carpets—and never the twain shall meet. In the ‘90s, “most celebrities would still go to Maxfields and buy their own Oscar dresses,” stylist and former InStyle contributor Phillip Bloch tells writer Faran Krentcil in our retrospective, The Entertainmentification of Fashion. Today, with the help of stylists, stars use their moment in the spotlight to tell a story—sometimes quote literally, taking a character off-screen to make the most of a globe-spanning press tour. Previously, celebrity style appeared only in magazines like this one. Now, it’s well documented from sunrise to, well, sunrise, thanks to social media and the popularity and profitability of street style. What makes a style star has changed dramatically in the last three decades—just look to our list of the 30 Most Stylish People of the Last 30 Years for proof.

It was not just the fashion industry that was seeing momentous change 30 years ago, the beauty world was about to experience a huge shift as well. One defining factor: The introduction of Iman Cosmetics in 1994. An already-minted fashion legend, Iman founded her beauty company, the first to offer a range of inclusive foundation shades for women with skin of color. Today, the model, founder, author, and activist reflects on that time in her career and looks ahead at the future in conversations with Precious Lee, Aurora James, and Keke Palmer. The definition of an icon, I cannot think of a better person to appear on this cover to celebrate the last 30 years of style and beauty—and usher in the next.

A huge thank you to Pandora for powering this issue and kicking off our big anniversary. Like any good 30-year-old, we’ll be celebrating our birthday over the next few months, and, in true InStyle fashion, I invite you to come along for the whole experience and join in on the fun.

Cheers!

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