Are Fashion Magazines Useless?

Sep 13, 2007 @ 1:24pm

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This week's Time Out New York pronounces fashion magazines useless and irrelevant to the real lives of fashion-forward New Yorkers.

Here's what they have to say:

"Flipping through the September issue of Vogue, we realized something we always knew but never got pissed about until now: The magazineâ€™s useless. Itâ€™s pretty to look at, for sure, influential and impressively heavyâ€”this monthâ€™s was their â€œbiggest issue ever,â€? part of a record fall for fashion mags in general.

But New Yorkers looking for actual clothes to wear had to sift through 727 pages of ads, only to find a spread featuring an amazon in an explosion of â€œdyed fox fur spliced with plaid taffetaâ€? and Sienna Miller wearing what looked like a turkey stitched to her back."

Of course, we're not cancelling our subscriptions anytime soon (then we would just get bills), but Time Out is right, in a way. It's not exactly news that fashion trends hit the streets before you see it on the runway, that the expensive clothes sprawled across the glossy pages of fashion mags are not really what the fashion cognoscenti wear in real life.

But the article does raise some interesting questions about fashion magazines in general. Clearly magazines can't keep up with the speed that information is moving across the internet through myspace, blogs, party photos websites, and all the rest.

So why do we keep reading them?

--ALISON COOL

posted by Cynthia C

Sep 13, 2007 1:25PM

Fashion magazines have evolved to nothing but advertising for the masses. They do nothing to promote new designers or hard-to-get designers. They're also very similar...it's the same people over and over.

posted by Lacroix

Sep 13, 2007 1:34PM

We read them for articles on Pat McGrath and glossy photo shoots for Halloween costume inspiration ( Natalia, Alice in Wonderland December 03).. and to liven the doldrum that is a cubicle.* sigh*

posted by Megan

Sep 13, 2007 1:34PM

We read them for the same reason we look at famous art. Not necessarily to get any practical use out of them, but because we like them and they're part of our culture. The photographs and typography just look really good in glossy print.

posted by

Sep 13, 2007 1:54PM

We keep reading them because they smell good and weigh so much that they feel like "real" books. I don't read "real" books so Vogue, etc, are the substitute!

posted by Designer

Sep 13, 2007 1:55PM

Definitely agree that the mags are lacking, although it is nice to see how photographers like Miesel, Weber, Leibovitz, Testino, and Seliger interpret the clothing. Also the article on Lartigue and Avedon was great...Also I was excited to read the article on Pat Mcgrath.

But all that aside, it's much more exciting to see blogs like fashionista.com and The Sartorialist who keep the clothing and style at a max and the advertising at a minimum!

posted by Autre

Sep 13, 2007 1:57PM

Is this article the influence of Cathy's blog where we lambasted Vogue numerous times now? Advertising is the problem, one of them, besides poor work and deplorable "worldview", dumbing down fashion design through Fashion On The Rocks and similar big business idiocy: as for the ads - we just might want to realize that the way advertisers get to us is by tricking us into actually buying their ads. Literally - how much does Vogue cost now?

posted by Wind

Sep 13, 2007 1:59PM

because there are no computers in waiting rooms! i find magazines incredibly annoying and would never pay for a subscription to what essentially amounts to a book of advertising, esp when i can get more current info from blogs.

posted by Magda

Sep 13, 2007 2:07PM

Blogs are great, instant gratification, but a post rarely exceeds 200-300 words, while a magazine can provide a thorough, researched and hopefully well written 2,000-word article on a given topic. Sometimes you want that in-depth information. And most blogs don't have the budget to stage those gorgeous photo shoots.

So while magazines may have little influence on your personal style, they can be, at the very least, brain candy.

posted by Laia

Sep 13, 2007 2:14PM

Total lie.
The thing that most people who aren't into fashion realize, is that the ads are just as important as the layouts and the article. As a little girl I used to collect Versace ads, and they've had as much an influence on me as anything else.
Plus it's not just about the clothes with fashion magazines; it's also about the photographer's and the stylists and the fantasy worlds that they create for us.

posted by trust me

Sep 13, 2007 2:34PM

I have not read the Time Out article... but what's ironic is that true "new yorkers" don't look to Time Out magazine for what's in and what's out- so it's kind of funny that they are saying such things about Vogue. I see Vogue as something you just pick up...for the pictures, awards/benefit coverage, etc. It's fashion lifestyle. But if you want true fashion coverage, you look to V, French Vogue, the internet, ANOTHER magazine, etc.

posted by Captivating_Stray

Sep 13, 2007 2:37PM

@Laia: Exactly!!! art directors, stylists, and photographers interpret the designs using their filtered view of what is happening on the street, in museums and other important cultural happenings. That is the service and added value these people provide and why designers are paying them ridiculous amounts of money to do so. Fashion and fashion media are more than ever service industries in this way. The reader (In NYC or Omaha)then has an idea of what is modern and now in 500 pgs, and is able to choose which of those interpretations aligns with their own existence.

posted by donna

Sep 13, 2007 3:16PM

Personally, I think Vogue's Sept. issue is getting ridiculous. I mean, I worry that my poor postman is going to chuck it at ME when he has to deliver it.
Secondly, it is impossible to read in bed because it is too heavy!
And lastly, I loved Meisel's recent work but if it weren't for the fact that a friend got me a gift subscription I'd just be perusing it at the newsstand because Vogue has become utterly boring in the last couple of years. I'm tired of the photos of plucked chickens (no, I don't mean the models or aging socialites, but the photography that accompanies the food column), and the same articles about the latest injectionable or cosmeceudical year after year.

posted by rachel

Sep 13, 2007 3:39PM

"no, I don't mean the models or aging socialites, but the photography that accompanies the food column)"

that gave me a good chuckle
lol

posted by j'adorekapusta

Sep 13, 2007 3:39PM

oh what a lame point of view. are fashion magazines all similiar to us vogue? come on!
it is this bad bad bad stereotype that vogue's the best (most influentional? in what? cutting edge? oh please. fresh? um... no!) fashion magazine. today us vogue is something similiar to beyonce in the music world: something working good, something bronging up loads of cash, something everone knows, everyone's watching for, something glamorous, sparkling and billions-$$$-worth.
but is this what a real Fashion has to be about?
i adore lots of fashion magazines which are an eye candy for itself. they do not provide a recomendation or a to-do list (come on, you can do it yourself, baby), but they create a vision. its a product of an endless creative minds, it's all about moving fashion forward, making an art from the pathetic need of dressing your body up. it's about imagination and rebellion. and who told that us vogue has that? oh god!
you guys better think of V mag, Preen, Numero, Dansk and Plastique, selfservice, 10, Tank, Pop, Dazed&Confused, i-D etc. These are the magazines that make art of themselves. it's always new, always bold and hysterically outrageous. and when was the last time us vogue left you breathless?
these talks about 'boring boring fashion industry and magazines' really freak me out. you can find a fat 850-pages national glossie super-boring but i must admit that even a tiny london mag at price 1 euro has much more to say and to show about fashion. you just have to hold your eyes wide open not to miss all this happening. and its not as simple as subscribing for vogue.
and dont expect us vogue to be cutting edge or fabulous. it's for italian, french and japanese editions. that's what it is.
god bless anna w. i still think she's amazing.

posted by Brendastarlet

Sep 13, 2007 4:10PM

With blogs and magazines like InStyle showng what's current, Vogue and the other fashion magazines need to be more future focused. Tell us what we're going to want, and what we can do with it, not what's being worn and which stylist selected it. That takes imagination, and that's where the great photographers and editors can have the most impact.

I still haven't waded through the entire September issue of Vogue, where in the past I would have zipped through it the night it came. I simply got bored and that is a sign it isn't doing its job.

posted by Kat

Sep 13, 2007 4:38PM

I remember the day that I cancelled my subscription to Vogue. I had been getting Vogue since my high school days -- maybe middle school. And sometime, after college, there was a beautiful photo shoot on clothes that were professional and stylish and beautiful. One would think that this would ENCOURAGE readership, but it suddenly occurred to me: in 10 years of reading Vogue, this was the first time the magazine had printed something I wanted to wear. And I cancelled my subscription.

I recently picked it up again, curious about the article about Hilary Clinton's advisor, Hama whatsherface, and was impressed by the magazine -- it doesn't chronicle trends or things to buy, the way Lucky does. It chronicles STYLE, and people of style. I'm considering resubscribing.

posted by Stephanie

Sep 13, 2007 5:35PM

I am new to blogging and this is the first time I have visited your blog and I find your posts are something to talk about. I appreciate your point of view however I donâ€™tâ€™ understand what all the talk about Vogue is. Personally I have never been I reader of Vogue. I am a Glamour girl and itâ€™s one magazine that no one else even mentioned. I think it always has great articles and fashion forward for the average fashion consumer. I donâ€™t know if this means I am behind the game or ahead.

posted by Laia

Sep 13, 2007 6:25PM

Glamour isn't really a fashion magazine though, it's more of a lifestyle magazine and that's why it hasnt been mentioned.

posted by Bonnie Lass

Sep 13, 2007 8:04PM

I agree with the post about the ads being as important as the actual editorial content.

I buy Vogue at the stand and subscribe to Elle and Harper's Bazaar. But for me, it's more about having a handy-dandy encyclopedia of current fashion ... Something I can pick up in 5 years and reflect back on the trends. So, advertorial content is of no concern. (You make money however you can in print media these days.)

And seriously ... Does anyone actually READ fashion mags for important information or current topics? I think it's nice when Elle and their counterparts can stop kissing celebrity ass long enough to write a decent article on someone who's not a model (i.e., piece on Jill Abramson).

Just my two.

posted by Autre

Sep 14, 2007 5:55AM

There is nothing wrong with ads. Just the way you get them should be questioned. You're paying for ads here, not a magazine. When the ads surpass all content, it's not a good thing.

posted by Bobby

Sep 14, 2007 11:49AM

Magazines like Vogue are fairly useless in the realm of creating trends and reporting on influential fashion. But I still regularly subscirbe to magazines like V which do just as much for fashion as contemporary art. In fact, these publications are THE DEFINITION of modern art. They create something beautiful and though-provoking with the intent of being disposable. Does it get any more modern than that? --B

posted by tahl

Sep 14, 2007 12:53PM

For me, reading Vogue is like indulging in triple chocolate mousse cake - not really doing me any favors, but still extreeeemmmmeeellllyyyyyy enjoyable at the time.

posted by Heidi

Sep 14, 2007 3:10PM

I enjoy almost all the big fashion magazines for the sheer indulgence and wish fulfillment element to them. Most articles (when you can find them among the advertising-so true Autre!) are well written and researched and provide some added substance to the frothy pictorials. What I find bothersome is that lately Vogue and Elle have become virtual twins in their content. Vogue has a behemoth edition for September, Elle turns out the same. They even managed to both have pieces on Michelle Obama. I don't find either one very cutting edge at this point, just more of the same old same old. I think that those who enjoy fashion as art are looking for magazines that are much more cutting edge. Publications that can find and profile upstart designers and artists are the ones that will get my hard earned dollar. I bought the September Vogue for the article on Pat McGrath, so at least they did something right!

posted by Jeanne

Sep 14, 2007 6:13PM

Aside from commenting on Vogue or other fashion mags, I have to comment on TONY. I can't stand it. I used to have a subscription, but I had to end it. It's my least favorite mag, and not nearly as good as getting info at NYmag online Agenda. Of particular distaste is TONY's fashion aesthetic, which is great if you like to wear duct tape and go for that rough/punk look. Different does not equal cool.

posted by luisa

Sep 15, 2007 6:38PM

I was going to post something about how fashion magazines are about fashion and style and selling clothes and shoes and lipstick and not about, say, discussing the insurgency in Anbar province or whatever. But i was extremely amused by all the comments here. They're....interesting, to say the least. Specially the "looking at famous art" comment, and the "US Vogue looks and feels like a real book" comment. I thought the comments section was edited/moderated.

posted by lady coveted

Sep 16, 2007 3:16AM

What about the styled photoshoots? I love looking at how they put together some outfits, and hairstyles. The runways shots during fashion week are boring because it's just one designers concept.

Magazines are just another outlet for the interpretation of style. Blogs and magazines aren't opposed to each other, the just have different functions.