If you love fashion, fashion designers and exclusive editorial content, then a Vogue VIP membership might be right for you! Last Wednesday Vogue magazine, part of the Condé Nast media empire, introduced its first members-only program, called Vogue VIP, giving members special access to the world of Vogue including:

• A limited-edition Clare V. clutch
• A one-year all access subscription to Vogue
• A six-month gift subscription to Vogue to share
• The 2016 Met Gala Special Issue
• Facebook Live Q&As with Vogue editors
• Special perks and digital offers from Vogue-friendly fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands

According to Fashionista, Vogue VIP is available by invitation only and is reserved for “friends of Vogue.” There’s no word on when (or if) the offer will be open to the public.

For the rest of us, there is the traditional Vogue magazine subscription. Currently, Vogue is running a print + digital access special to new subscribers at $6 for 6 issues. The offer includes a free Vogue coaster set, instant access to the digital edition, and a daily digest newsletter. Subscribers can sign up using their Amazon account or directly on Vogue.com.

What Vogue doesn’t disclose, however, is what that subscription will cost you after the first six issues. In tiny print on the Subscribe page after you’ve input credit card information, Vogue explains that subscriptions will auto-renew unless the subscription is canceled. Prior to each renewal, subscribers will get a reminder notice “stating the term and rate then in effect.” We could not find any mention on the website of Vogue’s current annual subscription rate or what that rate could be after the initial term ends.

If you subscribe through Amazon, the renewal terms are a bit different. In text the same size as the offer, Amazon explains renewals this way:

So how many of these “regular subscribers” (non-VIP) does Vogue magazine have? In its Vogue media kit, Condé Nast reports that Vogue has “paid/verified subscriptions” of 1.1 million and single-copy sales of 200,000 for total average circulation of 1.3 million.

Insider Access:

We love the Vogue VIP idea. The price point may be high for the average consumer, but Vogue has a targeted audience with a median age of 38.3 (87 percent female, 13 percent male) and median income of $62,394. Sixty-six percent of its audience has had some college, and 63 percent are employed at least part-time. In other words, Vogue readers probably have the disposable income needed to purchase a $200 VIP membership, particularly if they value the exclusivity – and the stylish purse – that come along with it.

In this regard, the VIP membership is a great way for Vogue to leverage its loyal audience by giving them something extra. This adds another revenue stream, while also creating additional marketing opportunities for Vogue and Vogue’s partners. This revenue could also help offset any declines in print subscriptions and single-copy sales.

What we don’t like, however, is the lack of transparency of Vogue’s traditional subscription offer. Sure, the six issues for $6 is a deal, but we don’t want our subscription to auto-renew without having any idea what it will cost later, and we’ll probably forget about the renewal in month 7 until we get the reminder notice.

We also don’t like that Vogue.com offers one set of terms, and Amazon offers something else. We recommend that Vogue at least offer a price range or state its current price, and it should make the auto-renewal terms more obvious, like Amazon. These are industry best practices which may cause some unexpected churn in month 7 for new Vogue subscribers who didn’t realize what they’d signed up for or who end up paying more than they expected.

So two thumbs up on Vogue VIP, but we’d love to see some improvements on the way Vogue handles its traditional subscriptions.