Blake Lively And Anna Wintour: A Love Story

Another year, another Blake Lively Vogue cover. Anna Wintour loves this long-legged Gossip GIrl, even if the newsstand buyers don’t tend to agree.

According to the Audit Bureau Of Circulations, Lively’s February 2009 cover sold about 50,000 copies less than the same cover the year before, with about 340,000 copies. (Then again, Jessica Biel’s hideous February 2010 cover only sold 250,000 copies. America is Team Blake!) With Lively, Wintour gets a model-esque look with just enough celebrity pizazz.

Onward to the cover, photographed by Mario Testino. As Hortense noted, “This cover looks very catalog to me. Like Blake Lively is trying to sell me a Land’s End tankini or something.”

Or something from Pacific Sun! In the absence of there being much to say about the comely Ms. Lively or her career, Vogue‘s Hamish Bowles goes surfing with her. This photo, it must be said, is splendid. Of Hamish, actually. Blake looks nice too.