Fashion magazines hold a special place in my heart. I’ve never seen one until I was about 14; Western magazines were a rarity in Russia, not to mention quite expensive. A friend of a friend happened to have a whole stack of Cosmopolitans — about five or six! Some issues were as ancient as half a year old, but it didn’t matter; they were a collector’s item and borrowed frequently by friends. It was something that girls shared between each other and bonded over. What struck me about Cosmo is that it was nothing like my mother’s Burda Moden – which catered to sewing and filled with boring patterns. Instead, it was young and discussed issues girls wanted to know about, not to mentioned featured a glamorous female on the pink-tinted cover! I was in heaven! Getting lost in the world of beauty, clothes, and makeup was a newfound escape and made me feel like anything was possible.
First thing I did when I moved to the US was get me a Cosmo. I must have read that September 1998 issue a thousand times. It was heavy on purples — yes, clothes and accessories, but eyeshadows and lipsticks is what I remember the most. They were all a greyish-purple hue. One article featured a list of up-and-coming models: Amy Lemons, Audrey Marnay, the Texan girl whose name I can’t remember right now… I gasped when I saw the face of Gisele Bundchen for the first time — she stuck out!
15 years later, I’m still into it as ever. Having a magazine to read means that I’m in a good place in my life; it’s a small luxury I can afford. In my new apartment, I carved out a space especially for reading magazines — a small, comfy bench with cushions and an old trunk used as a table. I’m not so big on Cosmo any more, but do enjoy a good Vogue, especially the French or Italian variety (they seem to be more about the art and less commercial). When a package arrives at my door, a big smile comes over my face and I feel glee fill my brain — in anticipation to leaf through the glossy, perfume-scented pages and get lost in the world so different from our own.
Deerlings: Do you enjoy fashion magazines? What are your favorites?
I think fashion magazines are the root of all evil. Not only do they bombard young impressionable women with images of the ‘ideal’ female body which are unattainable and unrealistic but they also perpetuate the idea that women can only be happy when they are buying the next ‘on trend’ handbag or lipstick. What a pile of bullshit.
Doe Deere Reply:
May 18, 2011 at 11:10 am
That’s the thing Nikki, to me they represent the opposite of that. I read them to learn about the possibilities & to get inspired, not because I feel the need to follow them to the T.
lily Reply:
May 18, 2011 at 3:28 pm
But that’s also the message here at doedeere blogazine? How many times has Doe said that makeup makes you happier/prettier/that you NEED it? Not everyone agrees with it, but it has a right to be said.
Sparklewolfie Reply:
May 21, 2011 at 5:21 am
I definitely don’t like the commercial aspect of magazines either :o But I didn’t have any magazines until I was 18 (my first magazine I bought was the English Gothic and Lolita Bible!) Before that, I borrowed other people’s magazines (most notably Seventeen, and Beauty, and Taiwanese magazine). I never really felt like I had to buy anything to be pretty like the girls in the magazine. It was fun to read the tips and real life stories (and do the dumb quizzes *shifty eyes*)
Magazines should be style inspirations, not Bibles! I don’t think magazines are inherently evil, but it depends on the people who read them, too. If you look at magazines and think “I HAVE TO LOOK THAT PERFECT!” then you will not enjoy them at all!!
Sarah A. Reply:
May 30, 2011 at 1:10 pm
*facepalm* Oh, Nikki.
Oh I love my magazines. Especially Elle and Marie Claire (British editions of both please). I am a complete hoarder of my magazines and have been putting together style notebooks from the things that catch my eye in them. Elle is particularly good for accessible fashion and I find the articles in Marie Claire to be well written most of the time.
suzyspellbound Reply:
May 19, 2011 at 3:20 am
I love the idea of your style notebooks…not done this since college, I think I will start one today! Thanks
I’m not big on fashion magazines, but I totally agree that having a subscription or two on a topic you care about is a wonderful little luxury. I have a couple of literary quarterly subscriptions and it’s always so exciting when they come in the mail.
I love W magazine. There’s enough glossy ad space and beautiful fashion and photography, but also usually some thought-provoking or at least intelligent articles.
I miss having my subscription to National Geographic, even if its just to flip through and admire the beautiful photography.
I love reading magazines! I can’t afford to subscribe to any so every week I go to the library and take out 5-10 magazines of a variety including vogue, glamour, W, inStyle, Elle whatever really. I love Italian and French vogue as well. Sadly any vogue that’s not American is more creative actually. I’m subscribed to many blogs that show the editorials from all over the worlds including fashioncopious, and fashiongonerogue! Both sites are amazing! I’m always contemplating whether or not my obsession with beauty and art is vain but I just love everything about it! Thanks for sharing!
I really like Zipper, Nonno and Kera (they’re all japanese)
Doe Deere Reply:
May 19, 2011 at 1:59 pm
I’ve heard of Kera but not of the other two! Are they all fashion magazines?
Cindel Reply:
May 25, 2011 at 2:27 pm
They are!
Japanese fashion magazines tend to be really nice to look at!
(i can’t read Japanese so i only look at the pictures)
If you can’t find a place to buy/order them you can download loads of them here:
http://jmagazinescans.livejournal.com/
Gothic Beauty is the only magazine I go out of my way for. I love the alternative models, the reviews of independently owned clothing and accessory companies, bands, makeup, and intelligently written articles about a variety of subjects. I have a stack of them in a Demonia shoe box in my bedroom, and I flip through them periodically. And the models aren’t all figureless stick people!
Honestly, I hate how bland and generic a lot of fashion magazines seem to me. To me, most of the models lack the personality and instant recognition of alternative models.
Whit Reply:
May 23, 2011 at 12:48 pm
@Typhoid Mary, I have to track down that magazine! Where can you get a subscription from?
Amamizu Reply:
May 30, 2011 at 1:13 pm
http://www.gothicbeauty.com/
I used to read a lot of fashion and beauty magazines when I was younger, like Teen Cosmo and Marie Claire. I got really tired of them though, especially the articles that told me how to live my life, the way they told me how to look, and the endless advertisements for things I either couldn’t afford or would never want. I love the magazine as a format though, and recently got into magazines like Zink and Bust. Zink is full of the most luscious art photos, and I get so much inspiration from it. Bust is a fun magazine with a feminist base with some really great ideas and articles. They’ve made me regain hope in magazines!
Oh, I LOVE magazines… Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle are some of my favorites. I keep up-to-date on high fashion, so these magazines are a must. Plus, they’re so inspiring! I also subscribe to fitness magazines, home magazines (like Martha Stewart Living) and bridal magazines. I’m always scanning up inspiration. Plus, they’re fantastic to read on my frequent road trips home to Iowa from LA! :)
Doe Deere Reply:
May 18, 2011 at 5:37 pm
So funny you should mention Martha Stewart Living! I love home decor magazines, I can never resist picking up a copy when I’m shopping at Home Depot…
I love the french and Italian vouges, W, noi.se , and my personal favorite is id it is such a great magazine! p.s. the . in noi.se is very importamt to the name it will only show up on google if you look it up that way.
I found these online and the first thing that popped in my mind was you, I didn’t know how else to share them with you besides a comment.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/72322733/baby-unicorn-horns
suzyspellbound Reply:
May 19, 2011 at 3:23 am
Cara, I love these, thanks for sharing!
I love reading Fashion magazines too! I love to sit in the bookstore with my mom, sip on frappuicinos, and read a whole bunch of them. :) One of my favorites to read is Vogue Italia; I love the articles and gorgeous editorials, and it helps me brush up on my Italian.
Check out my blog: Principessa Gabriella
I am a huge Cosmo fan. I have about four or five years worth that I plan on organizing into one GIANT Cosmo, just for fun. I also just subscribed for another two years. :/
I remember when I was a teen, my must have magazine was “Seventeen”. I really loved the Prom fashion issue. Back in the 80′s those magazines were god, cause they were huge issues. I thumbed through one the other, and it was thin.
Now do I have a favorite magazine. I must admit I have Yoga Journal, beauty from within. Now fashion magazines, I buy where ever one of the shelf catches my eye.
I have a subscription to ‘Frankie’.
I absolutely adore the fashion and articles inside. The clothes are so amazing and the articles often have me in stitches. Brilliant. (:
I like magazines, but I hardly get them anymore. I used to get Seventeen a few years ago, and my Dad would get National Geographics. I also like to look through the catalogs in Jo-Ann’s (mostly VOGUE) for sewing ideas. c:
I love VS magazine! I don’t know if it’s available in the US, but it’s a copenhagenbased fashion magazine and they have so many gorgeous pictures and great interviews. It’s much less about trend and more about style :) Only problem is that it is printed in friggin huuuge a3 format… :)
Oh that’s such a lovely little story with a big message ‘enjoy the little things in life’…its easy to forget what a luxury mags can be! Slightly off topic but I used to enjoy going to Borders (now closed down in the UK) they had such a vast selection of magazines, including all the ‘other’ Vogue magazines including Italian, French, Australian? And and number of other special publications that were always very expensive. We would spend many happy hours of an evening down at Borders sipping Starbucks and browsing the magazines (and often buying way too many, I have friends who went in to debt for the likes of French Vogue!) Borders is sorely missed because there is no-where you can get good fresh coffee after 8pm in my area and most of those magazines I will never get the chance to flick through again because I would have to go to a specialist book shop in London to find them! I used to collect Vogue but since trying to de-clutter my life I have recycled them, although I do have a small 6 months back issues collection. I think this magazine a real luxury at nearly £5 an issue (not on a subscription) and mainly full of advertising it always has something special, and its beautiful, un-attainable images all represent the ultimate in luxury living and I consider it a real privilege to be given a peak inside once a month!
I love fashion magazines. I think people jump to the conclusion that magazines tell you how to live or look. You have to realize that a magazine has as much power over readers as readers do over the magazine. A magazine is a book, a series of images and stories all compiled by people like you and I. If you look at who WROTE the magazine, and not who’s modeling bikinis in it, you realize it’s a team of like-minded normal people (not all necessarily attractive or fashionable) just like you, trying to create something attractive that readers can enjoy and get lost in.
Like ANY media, fashion magazines should serve as inspiration and not be taken too much to heart. Don’t let anyone tell you how to be, but realize that a bunch of pieces of paper sealed on one edge cannot dictate ANYTHING in your life unless you let it.
I love high-fashion magazines, but I also like strange artsy publications like Nylon and Miss Behave
The only mag I really pay attention to is Gothic Beauty, I used to read ‘Dark realms’ (now out of print, i think) which was a lot like gothic beauty except more focused on music and books. I like gothic beauty because im so heavily inspired by gothic looks. I also spend a lot of time with my anthropologie catloge because its pretty. I only pick up vogue if theres an epically inspiring annie lebiwovits photoshoot. :)
Magazines are great sources of ideas and inspiration. I enjoy them all the time. My current fav is Glamour.
I read Nylon religiously. It’s actually where I first discovered you! I’m surprised it isn’t your favorite as well! <333
Doe Deere Reply:
May 19, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Nylon is a good one!!!
I love love love magazines. Like a few other people mentioned, getting a frapp and sitting in a Barnes and Noble reading is the best. I have subscriptions to Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, InStyle and Marie Claire. My roommate has one to Glamour and usually buys Cosmo. I like to read Seventeen, Allure, Nylon and People Style at the store.
My faves are Glamour and Marie Claire.
I couldn’t find another way to contact you so i just thought I’d comment! I browse your blog and I LOVE your outfits. I live in a small town so I try to find unique things online. What websites do you recommend? I’ve searched ebay but I have to sift through pages and pages of junk before I find something. Any other suggestions? Thanks:)
“I’d never seen one,” not “I’ve never seen one.”
Sorry if that’s at all impolite, but I have a bit of a thing with grammar =)
Zink usually has some really unusual, unique fashion shoots that I’m rather in love with, but also include some fantastic articles. I also love browsing wedding magazines simply because I love the styled photoshoots. The gorgeous accessories and hair pieces that are trendy in weddings right now make for fun images.
I looove fashion magazines. I don’t subscribe or buy them, I mostly like to buy old fashion magazines from flea markets. Much cheaper! And as I’m not really following the trends, I don’t care what’s ‘in’ at the moment, it doesn’t matter that t hey’re not the newest issues. I lvoe lookinf at the editorials, and I usually cut the most beautiful and inspiring pics and glue them to my inspirational book!
Jonna xx
I love Glamour (US) and have been buying every single issue for the past five months. I also like InStyle and Bazaar. Elle US used to be my favorite, but I got tired of all that pastel-neutral clothing. Glamour is a lot more colorful. In general I love magazines when they do not show too much, if any, white space in their pages.
I don’t generally buy them, but I do admit that I enjoy reading or flipping through them when presented with a big pile in a waiting room. I do occasionally buy one when I’m at the airport and have accidentally checked my book!
I love fashion magazines! I’m hoping my dad bought me some for my birthday tomorrow! Elle and Glamour are my favorite! :)
Naomi
Check out our blog! http://www.rhiandflea.blogspot.com
PS. I entered your contest!
I read the magazines (mostly Vogue, People, Cosmo, etc.) then, when I’m done with the magazines, I cut out the ads, articles, pictures, and sometimes even perfume samples, that make me happy. Then, I put those ads and pictures etetera in a binder. Whenever I’m feeling down, I just look at the pictures, read the articles, and smell the perfume, and my day is automatically better! It’s like having that Sound Of Music song, “My Favourite Things”, in binder form!
Nylon!
I’m not a fan of fashion magazines. I think they become a real confidence crutch for girls and women who depend on them for inspiration and validation. I used to read them until I found that I no longer identified with or aspired to be the ‘ideal woman’ that they portray, every month in repetitive articles. They treat women solely as consumers and slaves to fashion, always in need of a boost in sex appeal or self worth. Never as fulfilled, confident, and successful.
I understand that magazines are essential to those concerned with fashion, however I don’t find the vacuous stares of the models in adverts aspirational. And the amount of trees cut down to produce the reams of glossy paper together with the rising price of magazines and the content-to-advert ratio is enough for me to back away from the newstand. Why should I pay £4 to be advertised to?
Blogs however have at times provided a refreshing alternative with real women establishing their voices and styles. I’m all for art and expression, not the notion of having to subscribe (sometimes literally) to a way of thinking, dressing and being.
I love reading fashion and digital magazines on iPads and iPhones. I use Other edition’s newsstand for reading digital magazines.
I do like fashion magazine, but the quality is in decline. The modells are boring and the designers too, The make up artists, photograpehers and stylist are working under the worse conditions and the modells do not even get paid now adays.
There are no visions and passion anymore within the establishement anymore, and that is way I am so grateful for your blog, Because where are we, the creative people without our passion for what we truly love and sacrifice more or less everything for?