Magazines Have Gone To Rags.

With the recent passing of Gourmet magazine and Domino's death earlier this year, i'm kind of sick of magazines. CORRECTION. i'm sick of magazine publishers. Conde Nastique needs to take a minute to conduct an attitude check. When a magazine starts to dip you don't just cut it because you don't feel like weathering the storm. Gourmet has been around for almost a century. A CENTURY. And honestly, i hate Bon Appetit's format, i liked Gourmet and there are a HUNDRED ways to try and save something worth saving! I'm positive that if Conde Nastique had put out a call for help, people would have jumped. I would have subscribed, companies would have bought ad space, they could have just cut the budget. But no, there was no call for help, Editor In Chief Ruth Reichl was shocked when they shut her down, and it was like they didn't even bat a lash. And as for everyone else, Nylon is selling out, if you took all the ads out of Art Forum it would weight as much as a feather, and i wouldn't touch Vogue with a ten foot pole these days. Quality has just gone out the window. And i'm sick of it, so here are my favorite magazines right now.

BTW I'll admit, i hardly read fashion magazines, they are alright but i'll be honest none of them are really that interesting, they have no heart when it comes to style because their afraid they'll fall into a niche market and won't sell enough copies. So i stick to blogs, it's easier this way. Plus, you can get inspiration from everywhere, you don't need to only look at fashion magazines to find something interesting you can integrate in your wardrobe, look up, i'm sure there is something right in front of you you could use.

Art Lies - Excellent writing and really in depth coverage of what's going in the art world. It's like a litmus test of what people in the art world are talking about and their opinions. Each issue is a different topic and it's like a starter kit. It's great cause I read it, get educated and if i'm really interested, i can go and find out more. And they don't sacrifice anything for what they do, it's all about the message.

Monocle - Current events and such for the NPR listening/humanities major/world traveler in us all. Really smart and saavy with a hand on the pulse of culture. They never miss a beat. Plus they do great features on politics and world news that get you thinking about what's going on in the world around you.

Edible LA - It's easy to ignore the touch of amateur behind this Los Angeles food publication because of their whole hearted dedication to the community of food lovers in LA. They have a great section on the Farmer's Market and mention whenever there is a food related art show in town. Plus they're writers profiles are so fun to read at the end of each article. A real publication by real people who clearly care about what they are writing about. Kudos.

Wall Street Journal - Be smart, it's sexy.

Sunset - Ok, i'm a total mom. I love Sunset magazine for it's food tips, wine tips, decor tips, gardening tips (even though i don't garden), day trips tips, tips tips, etc, etc. It's just very insightful and i love to read it and bookmark it and know that one day i will go and do all those things. PS my mom hates me cause i always steal her copy haha.

Dwell - I love their whole modern day take on architecture and interior design. It's chic and contemporary plus it's interesting to read for everything else they mention. From their reviews of ice cream making machines to news about a swimming deck in the middle of the ocean in Northern Europe and everything in between. Also their latest publication Afar, a travel magazine, is pretty cool too. They've only come out with one issue but the article about England and Brick Lane was pretty interesting. I'm definitely keeping an eye on that one.

Also I love Magcloud! It's a self publishing website where anyone with internet access can publish their own magazine! Copies are printed to order and start at $0.20 a page up to 100 pages plus whatever the author wants to charge for profits. I just ordered a magazine from Australia called Strange Light that featured photographs taken on September 23rd 2009 in and all over Australia during a sand storm of sorts. it's GORGEOUS! Check 'em out publish your own, whatever, but the best part? Magcloud doesn't tell you you can't print something because it's over budget or not profitable! Yay!

As for other internet finds Title Magazine, an Orange County internet based publication, is pretty fine if i say so myself, plus it's free, so check them out. They have wonderful coverage of what's new in indie music and art from all over and their style is great. It's the kind of thing I would pass along like a scribbled out note of gossip or a party invite flyer to all my friends. It's pure eye candy.

And even though this post is about magazines not blogs I have to mention i've recently discovered IMBOYCRAZY, an honest, raw and whimsical blog about being a girl in LA and having boy fever, Alexi Wasser is really cute and fun and silly and her writing hits me hard, it's great. She isn't afraid, she's confidant and brave and says what needs to be said. I love it and would make it necessary reading for every girl in high school going through puberty if i could. So check her out too.

By the by, contrary to popular belief PRINT IS NOT DEAD. It is simply experiencing a revolution of sorts. With the environmental stance that has overcome the nation - AMEN sister(!) - print is changing into a medium of art. Like painting and pottery, it will not pass on like a phase of technology caught between software updates (see the beta tape) but rather move up on the ladder and occupy a space of elitism. I welcome this change. No longer will print be soiled by the gossip and ads that clutter our daily lives but rather it will enrich and accentuate the written word in and around us all. I subscribe to this theory because like many out there, i adore print. I collect magazines, coffee table books on art and such, hardback classic novels, various posters and stationary. Since the first papyrus reeds in Egypt people will always go back to paper.

Oh and Kindle sucks.

<3 stay classy