Printed media: why we still need fashion magazines?
I'll openly confess that the full article is on my substack only. Substack is free. Here's a preview
Media are records of history. They show what was relevant for art and fashion at the time. A magazine is more than printed words. Someone wr
Recently I've been packing to move countries and my dad was judging my collection of Vogue magazines. Each of them bought in a different country during my travels or brought by a friend from abroad. Each of them in a different language, with different photos, layout, and ads inside. I refused to throw them away.
Media are records of history, a sign of the times. They show more or less what was relevant for fashion, art and media in the time of the release. Obv everybody has their own definition of relevance, but Vogue is probably the biggest mainstream fashion magazine, so they do have something to say, regardless of whether we wanna listen or not. Even if I don't agree with the content or aesthetics, it's good to know what the biggest fashion stakeholder has to offer in this issue. Aside from the paid editorials, print media do have a hold of art and culture of the time. They report on movie releases or get the hottest artists on covers sooner or later, so I can't think of a better archive to reconstruct history of fashion, culture, and media.
"Do you read those magazines? - my dad asked me, trying to convince me that I don't need them. No, I don't read them. Each is in a different language, I'm not a polyglot. But I browse thru them for inspiration and information. When I had a fashion editorial assignment, I was comparing Vogues, Elle's, Glamours and Kmags, to decide which editorial aesthetic I wanna follow. I assess the layouts, I judge the covers, I compare them, and I draw conclusions. When I like something, I read the credits column, I like to know who's done the work that inspired me. If one day I want to get a job in media, I need to understand how it's constructed.
A magazine is more than printed words.
The rest to be read here: Printed media.
