Magazines

I’ve been away on holidays recently, first for a long weekend away camping and then for 10 days to New Zealand. I know, lucky me. When I’m on holidays I always buy a few magazines and it’s generally the only time I get to read one from cover to cover. I have loved magazines from when I was young, graduating from Dolly at high school through fashion mags like Cleo, Cosmo, Marie Claire, In Style as I grew up and then moving onto home magazines like Inside out, Home Beautiful, Wallpaper then more arty or green magazines. More recently I have started buying Frankie, Smith Journal and Peppermint which are a great mix of culture, craft, fashion and sustainability with lots of unique stories, interesting photography and quirky characters. I have heard that Australia is the magazine buying capital of the world, a staggering 172 million magazines are sold here a year.

I definitely contribute to that figure, buying my fair share of magazines which are sometimes left by my bedside leafed through but unread. Renegade Collective is quickly becoming my current favourite. It’s a mix of all the movers and shakers in the world, from entrepeneurs starting amazing businesses to inventors, bloggers, artists and generally anyone getting out there and successfully doing what they love. Which is very appealing and inspirational when you’re interested in doing your own thing. That’s what I took with me on holidays and have pretty much read the whole thing.

You can tell a lot about a place from it’s magazines, about what people value, what they are passionate about and what they find appealing. Because I love magazines and need to keep my finger on the pulse, and I’m always looking for inspiration for the hillscene, I picked up a few New Zealand magazines at the airport on the way home, for research purposes. Here’s what I got.

Metro

Full of well written, researched and thorough articles that are a decent length. This issue featured Gay pride festival in New Zealand which included some interesting personal stories about the gay scene and cultural events relevant to this topic. There were also other stories, about a local political hopeful, the strange death of a hacker and the de-regulation of meat processing plants. With a food section, guide of events, music and book reviews and a design feature, it’s very comprehensive. Definitely not a light read, it’s for those who are interested in more serious news and in depth features.

Next

A much glossier magazine, this one was the fashion issue. It has a lot of articles about fashion forward people like personal shopper and arbiter of style the rich and famous Betty Halbreich  who is 86 years old, three real life women who live and breathe vintage style, and even a story about a luxury fashion brand in Brazil creating great opportunities by recycled drink can tabs in it’s clothing range. There’s also stories about well known local interviewer, inspirational new businesses and creative power couples, and more diverse features on iPads in classrooms and the link between genes and health. There’s the usual home, food and beauty sections as well. My favourite part was a fashion illustration feature, where ten designers shared a piece from their upcoming collection which was then illustrated by Kelly Thompson.

Good

My favourite magazine from New Zealand though is Good. I’ve been subscribing to this one for a while. It’s not just the articles that appeal to me, it’s the great design and use of photography that I find so inspiring. For starters the paper is recycled so it has a beautiful matt quality and feels rich and thick and the design on the pages feels lush and warm. No stark white pages with glossy photos, it’s all muted and inviting tones. It’s full of homespun goodness and environmental features, a bit of crafty advice and how-tos and lots of people doing upcycled, vintage or designers that use sustainable principles. I like it’s mix of in-depth features and smaller bites of people, products and information.

This issues’ features include an expose on the negative effects of sugar on our health and it’s environmental impact for indigenous cultures, an A-Z of fabrics, how to save money and conquer your debt, and even the story of Maggie Eyre who gave up her successful career in Europe to care for her 93 year old mother. There’ a gardening section, simple parenting and home tips and a great seasonal food section with amazing photography.

This is one magazine I don’t always get to read properly but I love getting each issue and devouring it’s visual feast. I love it because it’s, well… good.

What are your favourite magazines?