Under the background of globalization and cross-cultural communication, fashion magazine covers are not only the wind vane of trends, but also the key carrier of cross-cultural visual symbols translation. In this study, the covers of VOGUE magazine from 1909 to 1932 are selected as subjects, and the significance differences of 9 visual features among 113 covers are analyzed through nonparametric Friedman tests and post hoc tests with multiple corrections. These findings are further combined with Kress and Van Leeuwen’s visual grammar theory to reveal the priority of core visual symbols in cross-cultural translation. The results show that color, lines and shapes, compositional layout are the most important features affecting the perception of artistic style, indicating that the cross-cultural translation of “Oriental” design elements is highly dependent on the symbolic appropriateness of core visual features. Adopting a multimodal framework, the study analyzes “Oriental” design elements from the dimensions of image, color and composition, and explores how they convey cultural messages through Representational Meaning, Interaction Meaning and Compositional Meanings. It is found that “Oriental” design elements are not only introduced as cultural symbols in cover design, but also form a unique cross-cultural visual language through symbolic translation and aesthetic reconstruction (e.g., cultural symbols of colors, cross-contextual translation of symbols such as folding fan). These findings validate the explanatory power of Visual Grammar Theory in cross-cultural design and provide new historical and theoretical perspectives on symbolic adaptation in cross-cultural design.