Mar

26

Sign of the Time, and the ReadyMade, and maybe the Your Prom too.

Filed Under Inside Out | 2 Comments

do you read me?

The recession has already killed a number of mags. Some were short-lived start-ups, others, so far, had been mainstays in the publishing biz. Titles I thought were unfaltering, suffering an unjust demise. Entirely tragic.

To make myself feel a bit better about the whole thing, I’ve adopted the adage, “It’s not the length of life, but the quality of life lived.” Still. It’s the very quality of these mags ending which has me going from shock to depression and back again; stages one and six of the Seven Stages of Magazine Grief.

To wallow a little more in my writer’s gloom, I seem to seek places where I can further confront my denial–stage two–by visiting mag blogs, pour over publishing industry feeds and websites, or by simply walking among Magazines at Chapters, where no one is safe from my stage five anger.

I see a young man in the Entertainment section flip through Photolife. He carefully replaces the magazine when he hasn’t found what he’s looking for, and picks up Flaunt to thumb through next. I decide I respect this man’s choices of editorial fare and figure him to be a magophile. I gather all my mag-loving courage and embark. You see that? Pointing to Arena. April is the last issue. Then no more. Twenty years later and no more. You should buy that issue because it’s the last one. I think I am too. I’m going to start a little museum of sorts of every magazine’s last issue. How about you? Do you think the last issue is good?

I kid you not. I do do this. Read more

Jul

17

Knitpicking

Filed Under Vogue Rogue | Leave a Comment

Vogue Knitting Spring Summer

Leave it to me to think of sweaters in the dead of summer. I just can’t help it! The Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting (VK) has sparked my interest in cropped knit tops and above-the-knee dresses–that can easily be reworked as tunics when fall hits.

The “Ecologic” collection has completely won me over. Repetitive darting on an A-line dress makes for a tailored fit and inventive element of design. Peacoat details on a small, wrap sweater is a clever take on the new summer jacket (and a welcome change to the predictable cam-and-cardi-office-twin-set-then-out-for-Alize-on-the-patio attire). Adherence to pattern (or non-adherence to pattern) make for structured pieces that are casual and elegant; not too precious, but not too plain either. (Just take a look at the golden-coloured short-sleeve top with three large cable knits running through. The sweater looks like stalks of wheat amidst the brilliant sun.)

The Issue also features a bridal section that dares to knit gowns, wraps and accessories like this vintage looking purse. Although I can only manage girly-girl in small bits (I’m just not “lady” enough to pull of saccharine-sweet frills and flowers), I love the purse for its perfect blend of new and old, its whimsy, and its value as a true alternative–what I think accessories really are, and should be called.

But wait, there’s more! Read more

Apr

15

Houses Made out of Straw, Wood, Brick and Tin.

Filed Under I'm a Bookie | Leave a Comment

Tin House Summer Reading 28

Magazines that are books, or books that are magazines, terrify me. The sheer size of the issues provides unnecessary pressure to read the beasts from cover-to-cover (especially when you factor in the Canadian subscription rate for an American publication) even though, magazines, typically, aren’t read in this way (from cover-to-cover).

The book-mags miss the bites most publications have whittled their features down to (surveys, Q&As, Top 10 lists and more) but somehow never really shed the whole I’m-not-a-book-just-a-big-thick-mag status. (Perhaps if these volumes were catalogued in the fiction aisle, instead of the magazine aisle at bookstores, the significance of what these book-mags are all about might change.)

So imagine my surprise when I was actually drawn to a book-mag this last week, neatly shelved at the library. (No deterring context of any kind; and no subscription pressure either!) Read more