English Version | The 20th Anniversary issue: Backstage

What happens backstage at Vogue, doesn't stay backstage at Vogue. Here's your all access pass to the 20th anniversary issue.

Porcelain AnniversaryIt would be too easy to link our twentieth with the famous “porcelain anniversary” and, from there, commemorate it with its favorite material, porcelain. At Vogue Portugal, we rarely choose the simplest path and, therefore, we prefer to take iconic pieces — a wallet, a chair, a lipstick, the unforgettable V of Vogue — and reinterpret them with the texture of porcelain, in some sort of wink-wink to metaverse. The illustrations by Miguel Canhoto that give life to the openings of each section of this magazine are (more) proof that, in our pages, there is always room for a harmonious conversation between past, present and future.

Did you know…1. …in older civilizations, the number 20 was known as “the number of man”? This is because it was linked to the physical body, with an argument as simple as the fact that you can count to 20 with your fingers and toes.2. …the number 20 is linked to the energies of renewal, analysis of conscience and judgments that the individual can make towards life? It's no coincidence that, in tarot cards, the 20 is represented as Final judgment.3. …the number 20 is a mixture of the symbolism of the numbers 2 and 0, so its meaning also derives from this duo? The number two is linked to duality, harmony and balance, duty, relationships, diplomacy, adaptability, cooperation, love and receptivity, as well as being the number of divine purpose in life. The number 0 symbolizes God and the universe, amplifying the energy of the number next to which it appears, and is a reminder to listen to your intuition and inner wisdom.4. …that the number 2 still carries the influences of ambiguity and opposite poles? As life and death, man and woman, positive and negative and, religiously, it is represented by Eve, Adam's wife, bringing all the energetic vibration of the feminine to the number 20. The zero, in turn, symbolizes the void and its characteristics are curious, as it can be nothing, but placed on the right side of any other number, it manages to increase it tenfold. That is, it is nothing and everything at the same time, a characteristic that the number 20 also holds.5. …that, considered a universal number, the number 20 embodies the energy of the cosmos and the planets? It represents a period that precedes completion, which requires patience and waiting, and also indicates a time to choose paths.

Lady LisbonIt was not only in the production La Gran Belleza, p. 276, in which the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation served as the backdrop: stage for Max Mara's latest Resort 2023 collection, presented in Lisbon in June, it was also at Gulbenkian that the house's creative director, Ian Griffiths, fell in love with a portrait painted by Natália Correia and which later inspired, along with the Portuguese capital, the country and its traditions, the pieces presented in this line. Vogue was behind the scenes of the show and recorded everything in a documentary with a privileged look, that is, all access, which you can check in the QR Code below. No backstage pass required.

Throwback, not throwawayIt's funny how vintage tends to remind us of old, but not dated. The term vintage refers to something from other decades and times, but it carries a seal of quality and timelessness, and it is said that it comes from the idea that it is at least 20 years old, hence the prefix of the word. Popularized as a term for everything that has the air of another era, the best synonym is “eternal”, because it stands, like a good classic, the test of time. It's no wonder that, like wines, a good vintage only gets better with age.

The twentieth of Vogue PortugalTo best mark a round anniversary, Vogue created a special edition cover limited to 20 copies that transcends 2D to become three-dimensional. Flowers, so common in gifts for birthdays, here take on a peculiar character by being transformed into origami, at the hands of Florence & Josiane, from Origami Factory, that convey a message greater than just the celebration of Vogue - they also celebrate paper and its multiple shapes, which serve as base, in a sustainable way, for us to continue to create collectible editions that feed our love for print so much. This collectible is no exception.

Translated from the original on The 20th anniversary issue, published november 2022.Full story and credits in the print version.