Help a non-Cosmo girl find a good magazine

September 28, 2006 11:21 AM

What women's fashion magazine do you like and feel is worth the cost? Or failing that, which ones don't make you hate yourself for buying them?

I'd like to find a fashion magazine that gives me useful and practical advice about how to look good (and any other kind of sound lifestyle advice included is fine too) without treating me like an insecure moron. No (or minimal) "How to Satisfy His Every Secret Fantasy and Look Like Jessica Simpson at the Same Time"-style content, please! Intelligent articles would be a wonderful plus but I know better than to really expect that [sigh].

Mirabella (or am I the only one who remembers it?) used to be just about right before Grace Mirabella retired and it went under. I used to read Glamour as a teenager before I grew up and it regressed circa Bonnie Fuller getting her talons on it.

What say you, fashionistas of Metafilter?

posted by orange swan to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (51 answers total)

Lucky was the last one I gave up on. Just shopping/fashion advice, no real lifestyle articles. It seemed mostly harmless to my psyche, but I realized after a while it was just making me want to buy things, so I stopped the subscription.

Every other women's magazine I've ever tried (and I used to read almost all of them) has assumed (1) that you've never read any of this stuff before, ever, and therefore they must repeat the same information every few months and (2) that they must scare you into buying things, namely the magazine. The body-image stuff actually seemed less awful than the various "Here are ten ways you're likely to be killed tomorrow" investigative articles.

I've actually switched to Yoga Journal for the lifestyle articles, which sounds silly, but I find it satisfies my craving for various "Tips for Living" articles while maintaining a good "you're worthwhile as you are, you don't need to buy anything" tone. But it probably won't help much with fashion, unless you like flowy pants and tanks.
posted by occhiblu at 11:28 AM on September 28, 2006

I'm a complete Fash Mag Hag, but I feel guilty about most of them. The only one I think is truly worth the money is Vogue. God knows that I have neither the figure nor the money for the actual fashion that Vogue presents, but I do like that it tries to capture the moment in the broader cultural world. Unfortunately, that makes it virtually useless in the "useful and practical advice" department.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 11:28 AM on September 28, 2006

I would recommend Blueprint. It is put out my Martha Stewart's company. They have only put out two issues, so far. But the second one I really liked.

Also you might try Domino. It has a lot of fashion advice, but its suggestions are often incredibly priced.
posted by sulaine at 11:30 AM on September 28, 2006

Also, I haven't looked at it in years, but I used to really like the British version of Marie Claire. It seemed less fluffy and scare-mongery than the American version. It might be something to check out.
posted by occhiblu at 11:30 AM on September 28, 2006

Ack! How could I forget Elle! I think Elle is also totally worth the money, for the same reasons as Vogue - they also capture the zeitgeist, but from a slightly more popcult perspective for a slightly younger audience.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 11:30 AM on September 28, 2006

by Martha Stewart's company

not my Martha Stewart's company
posted by sulaine at 11:30 AM on September 28, 2006

Vanity Fair is the only one I'd even consider reading (note: I'm male, and not particularly interested in fashion).
posted by box at 11:33 AM on September 28, 2006

I've read a few issues of Jane magazine, and it at least tries to be both relevant and inoffensive to feminist sensibilities. Although maybe it's a bit too "lifestyle" and not enough "fashion."
posted by muddgirl at 11:35 AM on September 28, 2006

(ugh, and I know what you mean about Cosmo - I like the fashion spreads but the rest of the content is vomit-inducing).
posted by muddgirl at 11:36 AM on September 28, 2006

I second Vanity Fair. Good writers (they recently scored William Langewiesche from The Atlantic), serious articles, pretty pictures. There's a bit too much emphasis on celebrities and socialites, but it's got enough other content that I just skip those articles.

Women's health/fitness-related magazines are good for an occasional read, but they suffer from the same repetitive-content problem as fashion magazines.
posted by magicbus at 11:44 AM on September 28, 2006

Right now I get Lucky & Glamour, and buy Shape on occasion since my sub. expired a few years ago. I love all of the pretty things in Lucky, but like occhiblu it makes me want to buy very expensive things. And I tend to skip over the articles in Glamour that are at all scare-mongery. ("Your Tampons May Kill You!!" on page 153!!)

I've read Jane a few times, and it's OK, but not really my thing. Domino is basically the same idea as Lucky except home stuff. I think the editors of both of them are friends too. (don't quote me there though) For strictly beauty (and the occasional fashion) I do like Allure.

In other words, I'll be watching this thread.
posted by good for you! at 11:46 AM on September 28, 2006

In Style! It sounds exactly like what you are looking for. I LOVE it, and I HATE women's mags/fashion mags.
posted by peep at 11:55 AM on September 28, 2006

For run-of-the-mill American fashion magazines, i definitely recommend both InStyle (an empasis on U.S. celebrity and what they are wearing, with lots of fashion and make-up that is not too haute or intimidating) and Lucky (with an emphasis on stores and bargains, but lots of feasible fashion options for the average working-girl) because neither magazines editorialize too much, or hawk fashion that the average 20-40-something would not wear.

btw, Elle stopped being remotely good after like 1990.
posted by naxosaxur at 11:56 AM on September 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

Personally, I don't need a magazine to combine intelligent content with cute fashion spreads. I can find intelligent content linked from Metafilter -- just show me the newest lipglosses! Jane is the only magazine that even comes close, but their editorial perspective is pretty heavy-handed, even if you like it.

Lucky isn't as good as it was a few years ago, but for only 12 bucks a year it gives me a nice monthly fix, and most of their clothes are so far out out of my affordable price range that it doesn't offer a real temptation. I like InStyle for the same reason; it's also a "magalog," just with a heavier focus on celebrity style. But no lifestyle editorial crap, thank god.

I also like People magazine's special "Style Watch" issues. They come out irregularly (I bought the fall issue in August, then saw a new one on the stands today), and focus exclusively on new fashion, makeup, and celebrity style. Also, the "celeb" magazines (InStyle, UsWeekly, Life & Style) seem to do a better job of showing more affordable fashions than the high fashion mags and magalogs.
posted by junkbox at 12:00 PM on September 28, 2006

I like Real Simple -- it's not got a ton of fashion, but what it does is a nice combination of practical and au courant.

I still have a subscription to Lucky, but I find I don't pore over it like I used to, because I get frustrated by the fact that it increasingly seems to showcase only high-end stuff -- they definitely used to show a much better mix of price ranges when I started reading it a few years ago, but now you're lucky (ahem) to see more than a handful of shoes under $150. (And seriously, if I wanted to see a page of thousand-dollar dresses that I'll never in a million years be able to afford, I'd buy Vogue.) I've started buying Shop instead for that reason -- better array of items for those of us not wishing to go bankrupt keeping our closets up-to-date.
posted by scody at 12:01 PM on September 28, 2006

I like Marie Claire
posted by suki at 12:05 PM on September 28, 2006

Have you tried Self? It's a good hybrid of fitness and fashion. Though it does go for the occasional health-scare article, it's generally quite balanced, and includes beauty features alongside stories about exercise and healthy eating.

I'd also recommend InStyle for a heavy dose of fashion, beauty, and home design--it's very light on articles about anything other than those three topics. It is, however, obsessed with celebrities, which is a downside.

And Marie Claire just hired a new editor-in-chief and has made some editorial changes--it's not as silly as it used to be.

Finally, I have to ask, what's the deal with calling Vanity Fair a fashion magazine? It's not. The occasional mention of clothes and grooming products does not a fashion magazine make. If you're interested in reading about politics and notable people, then you might pick up VF, but it's not exactly chock-full of the latest styles.
posted by serialcomma at 12:13 PM on September 28, 2006

Response by poster: I don't really worry about how much the depicted clothes cost; I can sew and knit and do just about any sort of needlework, so if I really want something I can just copy it. I'm looking for ideas, tips, and inspiration, really.
posted by orange swan at 12:14 PM on September 28, 2006

I'll second Real Simple, although it may be more lifestyle-oriented than you're looking for. I like that their fashion articles tend to feature the same kind of item in varying price points. They also give handy, specific shopping tips.
posted by paleography at 12:18 PM on September 28, 2006

How about Oprah? I've liked what fashion stuff they do, though they don't do a lot.
posted by small_ruminant at 12:22 PM on September 28, 2006

Second, third and fourth Oprah! There's some fashion advice but it's mostly how to be your best you without hating yourself in the process. There's a variety of perspectives and I come away from every issue with some really good morsel of wisdom.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 12:24 PM on September 28, 2006

Oh...and another vote for Marie Claire.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 12:24 PM on September 28, 2006

if I really want something I can just copy it. I'm looking for ideas, tips, and inspiration, really.

Ah, in that case, Lucky may very well be a good option for you. They'll take a particular trend -- say, Victorian blouses or pencil skirts -- and show pages of variations on that theme, or they'll show one item (say, a jersey dress) and show 4 or 5 distinctly different ways to wear it (with different layers, accessories, etc). Since you can sew and knit (I clench my fists in envy!), you'll have lots to choose from.
posted by scody at 12:25 PM on September 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

Vogue, all the way. I read about skin- and health-care tips there months before it's printed everywhere else, and advice seems to be dispensed with a nod toward rationality. It also has good arts coverage and Jeffrey Steingarten's food column. And it definitely does not have the "wow him in bed while losing 20 lbs. in 2 weeks" vibe; I hate that too.
posted by boomchicka at 12:37 PM on September 28, 2006

If you are looking for ideas, tips and inspiration, you should get the Bergdorf Goodman catalog, which is not only full of some of the best fashion photography and art direction in the world right now, but is generally on the leading edge in presenting what is happening trend wise. It will not have advice articles, but you will be blown away by the locations, the clothes, the makeup and the actual art of the photography. Should be chock full of inspiration.
posted by spicynuts at 12:44 PM on September 28, 2006

I just started getting Bust and I love it dearly.
posted by robinpME at 12:53 PM on September 28, 2006

Thirding Real Simple. It's more lifestyle than fashion though, with great practical advice.

Also, another vote for InStyle which is a great mix of celebrity and fashion.
posted by phoenixc at 1:30 PM on September 28, 2006

My girlfriend's favorites are Nylon and Lula

Heck, even I'll read those two.

then again, i love women's magazines. Also see: most embarrassing column in YT.
posted by fishfucker at 1:34 PM on September 28, 2006

I should mention that Nylon and Lula both cover the request for intelligent mag articles. There were some *great* designer interviews in the last one.

my gf works as a buyer in the clothing industry, fwiw.
posted by fishfucker at 1:35 PM on September 28, 2006

Whenever I'm at my parents' house I find myself reading my mother's copies of More. It's intended for "women over 40," but I find this just means "fashionable clothes that aren't weird or tacky," plus it assumes that you've had a little life experience. I also like the articles about women who have started new careers or done interesting things with their lives while well into adulthood. I've got a few years to go before 40, but I've never felt like I was reading a mag for someone older than me. It just has a grown-up attitude and models who aren't 17.
posted by hsoltz at 1:41 PM on September 28, 2006

I like Glamour /Jane sometimes because I feel like they at least spend some time focusing on fashion that isn't totally luxury-good-centric.

Vogue and Elle are for making lists of things I'd buy if I were rich. Both of them tend to focus on fashion beyond just something to wear and a trend to follow. Depending on how you see fashion, you may love their editorial approach or you may think it's "things no one will ever wear." (When my father saw the editorial spread on Yohji Yamamoto in the Vogue fall issue, he had the latter reaction.)

I also remember that I used to read Nylon and Flaunt as an alternative to Cosmo, et cetera, before I got into the actual fashion content of the magazines. I think they still have something to offer.
posted by anjamu at 1:46 PM on September 28, 2006

Seconding robinpME: My wife subscribes to Bust and loves it, although I haven't read enough of it to comment. She started reading it after Jane started blowing goats. I did used to read Jane routinely and often enjoyed it, but eventually it started sucking too much.
posted by Captain_Tenille at 1:52 PM on September 28, 2006

(As an aside, both Bust and Jane are pale next to Bitch. But Bitch has no fashion info, really, aside from some craft stuff. Try ReadyMade instead...)
posted by klangklangston at 2:14 PM on September 28, 2006

This is probably useless to you, but in Australia Madison and Yen are good.
posted by Lucie at 2:29 PM on September 28, 2006

Gotta go with some of the others and turn in my votes for Oprah (great price for the subscription) and Real Simple.

Both do a good job of covering all the bases for me. But, I just could be getting older, too. *sigh*
posted by PsychoKitty at 2:40 PM on September 28, 2006

Bust. For women with something to get off their chests.

It's smart, it's feminist-y, it's got thoughtful articles, but it doesn't make you feel guilty for wanting to look cute and buy things and it still manages to throw in celebrity interviews and album reviews.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 3:10 PM on September 28, 2006

Honestly, I'm kindof a fan of Glamour. They seem to balance the beauty stuff with actual life-advice. There's sex stuff but it's not as in-your-face or ridiculous as Cosmo.
posted by radioamy at 4:10 PM on September 28, 2006

Seconding, Thirding, and Fourthing 'Marie Claire' and 'Self.'
posted by mynameismandab at 4:20 PM on September 28, 2006

I love Allure, it is great for little fashion tricks and tips. Not high intellectual reading though.
For that, I turn to Vogue, W, and InStyle--but I'm also obsessed with photography, design and couture.

Domino and Lucky are great, but focus on shopping and style...I still like them.

I just bought a subscription to Blueprint (A Martha Stewart Mag...it's brand new)
posted by dearest at 4:56 PM on September 28, 2006

For sewing inspiration, I occasionally pick up a Vogue, or the Spanish quarterly catwalk mag Lecturas Moda. Style.com showcases all the latest collections too, but I prefer paging through a magazine.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:58 PM on September 28, 2006

Nylon, definitely, as fishfucker mentioned. You can register to look at old issues here.

In lieu of magazines, there are a bunch of great fashion blogs out there. My favorites are fashionogie, the sartorialist, flickr's wardrobe remix, Asian Leprechaun, and the anti-bad-fashion go fug yourself.
posted by neda at 5:04 PM on September 28, 2006 [2 favorites]

Vogue is my favorite, but InStyle is more real- world.
posted by puddinghead at 5:04 PM on September 28, 2006

Another vote for the Oprah mag. I was skeptical at first, because I don't even watch her show, but she's got some great stuff going on in there (the magazine.)
posted by invisible ink at 5:12 PM on September 28, 2006

Lucky and In Style, hands down.
posted by crabintheocean at 5:31 PM on September 28, 2006

I get almost all the magazines out there on the market today. And I love and hate them all. Glamour and Self probably the only ones that I don't hate in the last bit (although Self is more fitness/health/beauty than fashion). For your question, it depends on what you're looking for- Allure is great for beauty/makeup advice (and totally obnoxious breathy worshipy cover stories of celebrities you already hate). I get Lucky, but like others have said, it just makes me want things I don't really need and can't really afford (plus I'm still pissed they want back on their original promise from waaay back in the day to never put celebs on their cover). In Style feels a little too "old" for me, and is more flash than subtance (no real articles- just pictures of outfits too rich for my blood). Marie Claire, Elle, boring, boring. If you were me looking for a fashion magazine, I would make an uncommon recommendation and tell you to get Seventeen. I am not even joking. Since Atoosa took over, it's gotten really down to earth, practical, and best of all, AFFORDABLE (it's stuff any teen could afford and buy at the mall. I'm not a teen, but I'm cheap and I like to see affordable versions of trendy looks). A yearly subscription is ridiculously cheap, $10 at the most, I'd check it out if I was you.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:05 PM on September 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

Definitely Bust. I think everyone else's descriptions of it are perfect. It's not a magazine that will make you feel guilty for reading it nor will it make you feel bad about yourself or the way you look.
posted by Four-Eyed Girl at 6:25 PM on September 28, 2006

For the same reasons ThePinkSuperhero recommends Seventeen, I'd recommend Teen Vogue - NOT for reading, which a two-year-old child could manage - but for the pictures.
posted by orangeshoe at 7:53 PM on September 28, 2006

I highly recommend the article Sex, Lies and Advertising by Gloria Steinem for anyone with an interest in womens' magazines. "Suppose archaeologists of the future dug up women's magazines and used them to judge Amercan women. What would they think of us - and what can we do about it?"

I read Self and British and French Marie-Claire sometimes and the British magazine Red. But mostly I read the hilarious website Glossed Over and get my magazine fix for free.
posted by hazyjane at 4:17 AM on September 29, 2006

I too had a subscription to Mirabella and I miss it. More is a little too Jamie Lee Curtis for my tastes so I find myself reading, er looking at the pretty pictures in In Style,for the fab pictures of course.
posted by Lynsey at 12:05 PM on September 29, 2006

Glamour insults my intelligence the least. I used to love seventeen. Great thread.
posted by theora55 at 4:43 PM on September 29, 2006

Response by poster: I checked out some of the suggested magazines at Indigo yesterday. I found I just couldn't stomach InStyle's celeb worship. Lucky looked pretty good, but I wound up buying the Canadian version of it, which is called LouLou. I prefer to support Canadian publishing when I can. It would also be rather nice to be able to buy specific things if I really want to. After all, I can't make shoes. And it tells you about deals and provides coupons for deals at certain stores. Also I had my eye on another magazine, called Wish, also a Canadian magazine, which offers a nice little selection of lifestyle advice every month. I'd seen it before and been favourably impressed with its wardrobe advice, tips on how to remodel an old chandelier, and yummy recipes. And at $16 for a two-year subscription, it's a steal.
posted by orange swan at 1:39 PM on September 30, 2006