My glorious Fall issue of W magazine arrived this week, and as I hoisted up the hefty glossy and cradled it in my arms, I was reminded of exactly why this has remained my favorite fashion magazine since at least 1998. We're talking 556 oversized pages of the best in fashion, beauty and style. Sure, there are other fashion magazines that are more avant-garde or feature more budget-friendly finds (although I'm unable to name any offhand) but W continues to shine brighter than the rest for its photography, more photography, some writing and, well, the large format.

My only complaint is they seem to be featuring more and more actresses on the cover, rather than models, but at least they style them in fresh new ways. Kate Hudson looks great on the September 2008 cover in a remake of the September 1994 Harper's Bazaar cover of Nadja Auermann photographed by Patrick Demarchelier (click here to see the covers side by side). Some people are up-in-arms about the cover, calling it a blatant knockoff, but to them I say, take an art history class and get a life. And I'm not saying the Kate cover is a masterpiece but I see nothing wrong with reinterpretting a photograph with an entirely new person. The aim was to remove Kate's girl-next-door association, so they put her in Nadja's iconic fierce model pose. It's not groundbreaking, but it's also not a crime.

If you don't already subscribe, I highly recommend W as a supplement to your online fashion news...ya know, when you're not around a computer and can't access The Babe. Anywho, here are more reasons why I love W:

• W doesn't do weird for the sake of weird.
  


• Just enough mainstream material to keep you in the loop.
  


• There's none of the smut you find in other women's magazines, like, "101 Ways to Please Your Man."
  


• Very little celebrity talk, with a greater focus on designers, artists, fashion entrepreneurs, both up-and-coming and the well-established icon. Their homage to the late Yves Saint Laurent brought a tear to my eye.
  


• Gives its reader the illusion of exclusivity and elitism. As long as I realize it's an illusion, let me enjoy my fantasy.
  


• Columns by The Countess Louise J. Esterhazy, a royal snob. Literally.

What's your favorite fashion magazine?