Fashion publications

[Mike C.]

Since GQ, by all means, has been sucking for the past year or maybe even longer, I've started reading other publications. I'd like to know what you read, or think is the best periodical for information about men's fashion. Surprisingly, the non-US editions of GQ are light-years ahead of the US version.

I voted for FHM Collections, because out of the ones listed in the poll, it always has the most amount of clothes pictured.

If you selected other, then please state what magazine it is, and why you chose it.

 

[Timothy]

One of my favorite magazines has to be Spruce, I find it has great information in general beyond clothing, and is unique to most other magazines with their fashion coverage. Too bad it only comes out twice a year though. Another magazine I like is iD because it seems to be more linked to art culture through a fashion slant or vice versa. I personally enjoy magazines that have a different take towards fashion than those of the likes of GQ, or even Maxim, whether it deals with art or more inside details of fashion design and the fashion industry itself. For pure fashion coverage with little or no other "distractions" I would recommend a magazine called Uomo Moda Book. It is similar to the Gap Press books, if you ever saw them, which just shows pictures from the runways and fashion shows. In other words it's sort of like a Firstview.com in print form, but the negative is that it runs from $90 to $112 a subsciption (which is just two issues). Lastly I also like Vogue Homme, Arena Homme, Another Magazine, V, and Intersection. Even though they are women's magazines I do also check out my Mom's issues of W, and while at Border's I check out Nylon to see what is coming up on the fashion horizon since women's is a few steps ahead of men.

 

[LabelKing]

I subscribe to GQ, and also like Esquire, and Robb Report.

To add I find that Vogue L'Uomo is rather nice, and sometimes W.

 

[thc]

I like Spruce a lot too. That would have to be my favorite magazine. It's a serious magazine that has articles about everything relating to fashion, from design, to personalities, to the business and historical aspect of it.

 

[LA Guy]

I agree with CTGuy - hate the Robb Report. Its target demographic is either the rich and self-congratulatory, in which case I feel quite justified in loathing them, or the poor and pretentious, in which case I feel profound pity not unmixed with a healthy dose of loathing.

I do like Spruce, although it puts on airs too, at times. And I enjoy the cheek of Arena and British GQ, as well as their very well put-together fashion sections. For a pioneering men's fashion mag, American GQ's fashion sensibilities are surprisingly bad.

 

[pstoller]

 For a pioneering men's fashion mag, American GQ's fashion sensibilities are surprisingly bad.

If only it stopped there. The writing is incredibly uneven, from departments to features. In particular, Farenheit is predominantly atrocious, as are the "humor" pieces; the Guy Food column is mostly about how to die young from cardio-pulmonary diseases; and Joe Queenan, while an occasional hoot, is also a nearly complete waste of space (and I'm not sure that just applies to his column).

How about the editorial cluelessness? In the 12/02 issue, we've got Lucy Kaylin going inexplicably ga-ga for "the goddess" J. Ho (maybe Lucy is "Elizabeth" from Gordon Bass' inane "I'm Dating a Lesbian" piece), while Jennifer Egan's more measured piece on Madonna"”you know, the last generation's non-singing, non-dancing, non-writing, non-acting superstar"”makes valid points about why Madonna is nonetheless important, which loudly begs the question of why anyone would think Lopez is. I guess because her nearly nude body sells magazines, and once again hammers home GQ's relentless "we're not gay, honest." message.

Of course, when you finally do get to the fashion pages, there are too few of them, and much of what is there is photographed so you can't tell anything about how the clothes look. I have no idea how they pick which items to feature, but it certainly has nothing to do with stylistic vision.

But, hey, my wife gave me a subscription, so I read Glenn O'Brien and, otherwise, hope for the best each month.

 

[Timothy]

Seriously I can't see much that GQ has to offer anymore. I used to read (actually more like buy since I read only a few articles that appealed to me) the magazine but totally lost interest since I feel there are way more uniquely informative magazines out there. Though within the last week my mother gave me two issues they had at her work, the November and December issues. Paging through them almost seemed a chore, and a waste of my time. Some of the things written in them made me laugh, but it was more the laughter of pitiful disdain. One example for me was the whole rant against Hollywood's degradation of the tux, and the so-called SPIFF group. More like STIFF to me, even though I know it was meant to be a joke it was a lame one at that. I just found the lack of imagination and willingness to "Play" with fashion amazing and appalling. It seems that both the vision and opinions of the contributors are outdated, not to mention the file photos. Did anyone else catch the big picture of the old version of the Burberry jacket with the S still on it in the article on said jackets. You'd think that a mag like GQ would able to acquire the latest version of designer wear for photo shoots, and also know when it's time for them to be retired to the vintage pic file. Anyways GQ needs to put EE's in between their two letters for it just seems a joke to me now.

 

[Joe G]

If only it stopped there. The writing is incredibly uneven, from departments to features.

Good points. I recently picked up the December GQ. What a waste. Is it just me, or is the only thing even worthwhile reading in it Jamie Kitman's column? And even that, by the standards of his work for CAR or his "NVH" column in Automobile was pretty sad. Just informtative, with none of the interesting progressive commentary that makes him such a hoot to read alongside the political dinosaurs at Automobile.

Oh, I will say that O'Brien's worth a read (but getting repetitive), and the pic of Ms. Szish in the white and plastic thingy showed her to have quite a nice body. (I think it was her because I saw her face on VH-1 once.)

The fashion pages were, umm, I dunno 'cause I couldn't find them. They showed a few dinner jackets but didn't show any of the interesting ones from this season. Never mind that they suggested Tod's patent driving moc's as formal shoes. (sigh).

Peace,

JG

 

[pstoller]

Is it just me, or is the only thing even worthwhile reading in it Jamie Kitman's column?

I wouldn't know about Kitman's column. I'm definitely not a car person"”a mark of my NYC upbringing that hasn't been erased by my decade in LA. (I have owned two cars, both Honda Civic EX sedans.) I did, however, like Andrew Corsello's "The Electric Boy Genius."