Style magazines for ladies?

[Flicka]

I don't seem to be the only one who is less than enchanted with many of the modern magazines. I would really like to find some I could read that maybe could reflect the sort of styles and features I like - a "vintage magazine," basically.

Does anyone have recommendations for anything like it?

 

[Heather]

I would also be interested in hearing what others have to say about this. I know of "Vintage Life" magazine but that's based in the UK. Any US based magazines?

 

[Miss Stella]

I agree with you..is there nothing like this here in the US? I despise the magazines of so called "fashion" and "decor"

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Vintage Life. My MIL sends it to me each month. It's cute, but nothing in depth. Various gals from the vintage Internet world write articles and contribute photos. All styles from the 1930s purist to the "hipster"-esque 80s are featured. It is only available in the UK, though.

 

[MarieAnne]

I've heard of the Milk Cow but I think it's more vintage lifestyle than vintage fashion.

 

[swinggal]

Zelda is another vintage lifsetyle mag. Was started by Diane Nagel who was a regular here. She passed away last year sadly from cancer but the magzine lives on.

http://www.zeldamag.com/

 

[Miss Golightly]

Vintage Life. My MIL sends it to me each month. It's cute, but nothing in depth. Various gals from the vintage Internet world write articles and contribute photos. All styles from the 1930s purist to the "hipster"-esque 80s are featured. It is only available in the UK, though.

I got a copy of that here a couple of months ago - it didn't do anything for me - very little for over €6.00. I wouldn't buy it again.

 

[Drappa]

^ Yes, I've looked at it before and it is mainly junk. The killer is that even though it is a for profit magazine, they don't pay their writers and keep approaching members of the vintage community to work for free. That doesn't set the bar very high for quality content.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

^ Yes, I've looked at ot before and it is mainly junk. The killer is thst even though it is a for profit magazine, they don't pay theor writers and keep approaching members of the vintage community to work for free. That doesn't set the bar very high for quality content.

No, it doesn't. That's why I said it was just "cute." It's nothing intellectual, but I like it -- fun to thumb through. Actually, I was a bit taken aback by some of the sophomoric, grade school-esque writing. I mean -- I didn't expect Shakespere lol but I've noticed even a lot of the books I've been reading lately are like this.

I bought two issues of The Chap when I was in the UK, too. More of a bloke's magazine, though, but better written.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Seems that this is a niche some sharp publisher ought to fill. MK, the founder of the Lounge, ran "Classic Style" for a brief run several years back, but that was more a general "traditional style" publication slanted to the male reader than what we're talking about here. Most of the "vintage" magazines have either been along those lines or have been rockabilly-oriented, but there's never, to my knowledge, been a stateside magazine devoted specifically to the interests of vintage-oriented women.

It's not a big niche, but what it lacks in volume it makes up in enthusiasm. I think the PR itself is as close as we're going to get to a true dedicated vintage "magazine", but you can't very well read it in the bathtub -- that's why a print version might be nice.

 

[Drappa]

Former FL member Miss Hannah was all set for publishing a vintage magazine, but I think they couldn't find investors or enough funding, so it fell through. Such a shame.
For those in the UK, it's not about women's issues, but Homes & Antiques often have interesting content.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

There's an American mag called Reminisce Magazine, but it is just general nostalgia. I've seen it in Target, but nowhere else around my neck of the woods. I've never read an issue so I can't comment on the content.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I used to get Reminisce years ago -- it's wisty-eyed nostalgia-type stuff, but the photos were always excellent: lots of Everyday People of the Golden Era types of features.

Back in the 70s I used to read "Liberty," the revived nostalgia-craze version of the original magazine from the 20s-40s. When it started all the content was reprints from the original Liberty -- articles, fiction, reviews, etc -- but within two years it became "Liberty Then And Now," and half the space in every issue was contemporary celebrity stuff. A lot of people wanted to see Burt Reynolds on a magazine cover in 1976, but I wasn't one of 'em. Bleah.

 

[Flicka]

Zelda is another vintage lifsetyle mag. Was started by Diane Nagel who was a regular here. She passed away last year sadly from cancer but the magzine lives on.

http://www.zeldamag.com/

This looks like it might fit what I want!

Most magazines (or websites, or blogs, or whatever) with a "vintage" theme is focused on rockabilly/pinup and that's not really what I'm into. But this looks nice. More my era and more the sort of features I'm interested in.

I wouldn't say no to a general "vintage" lifestyle magazine either, though. Or a general women's magazine with some more serious articles than "how to keep him coming back for more".

 

[Amy Jeanne]

About 10 years ago there was a vintage magazine called Bloody Beautiful. It focused on Victorian up into the early 1930s. I was sent a free complimentary issue that came with a vinyl record. I don't think any more than 3 issues were ever made, but I could be wrong. Sites for the magazine are blocked here at work, but I can see most of them are dated 2002

 

[Antje]

I like Milkcow magazine also from the uk and Frauleinwunder from Germany, the last one is not coming out very often

 

[W-D Forties]

The Chap is quite a good read, I often pinch my husbands copy. There is occasionally features for ladies, often written by Fleur. I bought Vintage Life magazine once and really didn't rate it at all, nonsense and fluff and not worth reading at all. It seemed to be aimed at teenage girls who don't know where to start and need a lightweight painting by numbers approach.

The dreaded Daily Mail do occasional books that are quite interesting. My husband bought me ' What every woman should know. lifestyle lessons from the 30's'. It's just tons of old features from the era on fashion, food, lifestyle, etc. Whilst it's not a magazine as such, it is excellent for info and pictures. I must check if they do other eras!

 

[Flicka]

The Chap is quite a good read, I often pinch my husbands copy.

I have that. I may not be a chap, but it's done with such panache and humour that even a girl can enjoy it.

These days I mostly read non-fiction history (for my writing), and while, say, the British Invasion of Mesopotamia 1914 is fascinating stuff I sometimes want something a little lighter. That book does sound like it'd be right up my alley!

 

[Retro_GI_Jane]

What about Reminisce? They publish articles and photos that basically do just that...reminisce about the good 'old days. They are always full of great stories and fashion inspiration, at least from my viewpoint. http://www.reminisce.com/

 

[Rosie_Beau]

I buy Vintage Life Magazine every month although I'm really starting to feel ripped off by it. There are so many great vintage events taking place all over the country I really wish they would cover a few of those. As my boyfriend called it last night "Vintage Adverts Magazine."