Blogger Hearts Worn! Worn hearts you!

Update from the ‘osphere - Serah sent me this online review she found of Worn. She knows I like to hear what people have to say about it, and how my secret neurotic ego likes to hear buzz about the book review. I’m one of those people who pulls their hair out, moans melodramatically, paces and twitches with angsty angst while writing, blogging’s a bit different, but the book review is no exception. The process of editing down the interview with the author of “What Marie Antoinette wore to the Revolution” for the last issue, was long and incredible because our conversation with Webber the author was long and incredible too. Shaping it into a book review was a gnarly but good time, so it’s really cool to hear that people dug it and get what Serah and everyone with Worn is trying to do. The best is when people feel like it was made just for them. Because guess what, it is!! We make it just for you!! You guys and gals who are smart AND love fashion art… especially anyone in a town that doesn’t see any local art or design, or kids that get beat up for what they wear. We make it for you guys the most.

Here’s the bit about Worn… Forgive my recklessly enthused bold-ing.

While in Ottawa I went to Mags and Fags and I bought Worn fashion journal to read on the way home. I first heard of it recommended in a positive review by Nathalie Atkinson at the National Post. For the first time in a long time I found myself happy to spend money on a magazine. The girl at the store and I chatted about the launch party Worn had in Ottawa, and how the publisher drops off her magazines to the store in person.

Worn is published by Serah-Marie McMahon out of Montreal. When I first heard of it I was already impressed because creating an indie mag in Canada is a heroic endeavor for anyone. The challenge is so great it generally kills off the mediocre efforts in an issue or less. Worn is now on its fourth issue and is still being… worn.

Like many, I have daydreamed for a moment and imagined the impossible - a fashion magazine that would actually reflect what I want to read. I may even have considered making one at that point but succumbed to inertia on that count when I discovered blogging. Here I can aggregate the content I like readers-digest style, socially network, as well as indulge in some writing and image making, which I find pretty satisfying even though it is a voluntary, amateur pursuit.

So the other thought I had when I heard about Worn, was a kind of incredulity at launching a wood pulp publication for young people in this day and age. In an era where fashion mags for people 15-25 are on death row (RIP Jane and Fashion18), magazines are flailing to catch eyeballs of young people who get all the information nuggets they want off the internet for free. The barrier to entry for an paper publication is so high compared to starting a website that I couldn’t help but wonder why smart young things are still launching such things.

Reading Worn reminded me why. There are things you can do in magazines that the internet does not replace. Large scale, beautiful images. The inventive page layouts reminded me of the famous British ‘zines of the eighties, like i-D. Plus you can read it without wires, wireless, clicking, or expensive equipment. Worn makes it clear they understand and exploit all the great things about the medium.

The articles are all smart, personal, intriguing and curious. The writing in this magazine is top notch compared to most contemporary lifestyle journalism for people my age. Oddly enough, it suits my own quirky taste in articles very closely. It is almost like the magazine was made for me! There is a lot of illustration and some interesting collaborations between the magazine and various designers. The dialogue that emerges, a kind of call and response between the editor and the subject, rocks my world. Being somewhat peripheral, it is apparent to me that this magazine really truly reflects the downtown fashion scenes of both Montreal and Toronto without being narrow. It also manages to balance a bit of boosterism with a sense of creative challenge, which I think is a good angle.

Of course I had a few subjective reactions. The font snob in me hates the typewriter font. The Sonia Delauney article’s layout was so… exhuberant… even though it was a good article, it was almost impossible to read, and didn’t include any visuals of Delauney’s work. That the communication is a little mixed is to be expected while the magazine finds its voice. Personally I love really creative layouts but I also believe a well designed magazine should be readable. As for the content, I love the historical articles and enjoyed the first persons. The book review and interview was terrific. I would also like to see more industry analysis specific to Canada as well as street style. I am really looking forward to checking out other issues.

This is the kind of thing I that is remarkable and ought to be brought to everyone’s attention. When I read Worn, I get excited for all the awesome things that are possible.

So cool. Read the rest of this great article here, and check out this gals blogging in full, it’s called Final Fashion.