Guilty Pleasure: People Style Watch
Remember how exciting it was when
Lucky magazine debuted? Well,
I thought it was exciting; countless others (mostly journalists) decried the arrival of the "magalog" and thus the end of magazines as we know them. Of course, yesterday's revolutionary concept is today's eight-year-old, slightly predictable rag that I read whilst my toenail polish dries and then I throw into the recycling bin. Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh. I do still enjoy
Lucky, but some of its quirks annoy me: its
adjectives, the fact that the "real people" featured in the magazine are obviously
not always "real," and the fact that, like most fashion magazines, the prices of the items featured in its pages seems to have risen in proportion to its high-end advertisers. I am all for escapism in magazines--this is why
W is one of my favorites--but when it comes to a magazine about shopping, I want to be able to actually shop it.
Which leads me to
People Style Watch.
People is the most successful weekly magazine of all time; back in the '90s, it spawned the also mega-successful
In Style magazine. While you wouldn't think that
People would have amazing fashion coverage, its
Style Watch section has expanded into its own magazine of the same name, which comes out 10 times a year. While
Lucky tends to have only one celebrity-related feature per issue (its cover story),
Style Watch is unabashedly all about the celebrities, from "who wore it better" stories to "how to get her look" features à la
Who Wear What Daily. Maybe I've been reading too much
Us Weekly, but considering the influence celebrities have on the way we dress (I'm not saying it's right), I think it's silly to ignore it. Cousin
In Style pioneered the fashion-through-the-celebrity-lens concept, but if you're like me and don't want to read through all of the cliché celebrity profiles and "how to buy a watch" features,
Style Watch should be right up your alley. It also deserves points for truly presenting a wide range of price points and, as can be appreciated in these recession-bound times, cover lines promising "127 Fab Finds Under $50" and "231 Cute (& Cheap!) Summer Looks." Yes, you'll read it just as quickly as
Lucky. But the difference is that afterward, you'll have a shopping list of things you can actually afford.
Remember how exciting it was when Lucky magazine debuted? Well, I thought it was exciting; countless others (mostly journalists) decried the arrival of the "magalog" and thus the end of magazines as we know them. Of course, yesterday's revolutionary concept is today's eight-year-old, slightly predictable rag that I read whilst my toenail polish dries and then I throw into the recycling bin. Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh. I do still enjoy Lucky, but some of its quirks annoy me: its adjectives, the fact that the "real people" featured in the magazine are obviously not always "real," and the fact that, like most fashion magazines, the prices of the items featured in its pages seems to have risen in proportion to its high-end advertisers. I am all for escapism in magazines--this is why W is one of my favorites--but when it comes to a magazine about shopping, I want to be able to actually shop it. 
Which leads me to People Style Watch. People is the most successful weekly magazine of all time; back in the '90s, it spawned the also mega-successful In Style magazine. While you wouldn't think that People would have amazing fashion coverage, its Style Watch section has expanded into its own magazine of the same name, which comes out 10 times a year. While Lucky tends to have only one celebrity-related feature per issue (its cover story), Style Watch is unabashedly all about the celebrities, from "who wore it better" stories to "how to get her look" features à la Who Wear What Daily. Maybe I've been reading too much Us Weekly, but considering the influence celebrities have on the way we dress (I'm not saying it's right), I think it's silly to ignore it. Cousin In Style pioneered the fashion-through-the-celebrity-lens concept, but if you're like me and don't want to read through all of the cliché celebrity profiles and "how to buy a watch" features, Style Watch should be right up your alley. It also deserves points for truly presenting a wide range of price points and, as can be appreciated in these recession-bound times, cover lines promising "127 Fab Finds Under $50" and "231 Cute (& Cheap!) Summer Looks." Yes, you'll read it just as quickly as Lucky. But the difference is that afterward, you'll have a shopping list of things you can actually afford.
3 comments
I have to admit I haven't actually bought a magazine on regular basis for quite some time now. The last "fashion" magazine was Vogue Paris May Issue that my husband bought me because I loved the cover, and a "shopping" one - InStyle June just because I was curious to see how it's like to buy it on paper after all this time I have been reading instyle.com only. I couldn't read it, though, it's too much writing in it ;)
I don't read Lucky to buy anything they show anymore, just for 5 minutes of escapism. Unlike the in the good old launch days. Alas.
The past year has been quite a disappointment for me, a long-time Lucky subscriber. I think what prompted me to finally cancel my subscription was when Amanda Peet showed up on the cover for the twenty third time (when she has not done a single notable thing since the beginning of time).
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