YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ//

One of my favorite things to do is read magazines - specifically magazines about style, fashion, and design. All magazines, however, are not made equal.  Standing in line at the grocery store there are the likes of US Weekly, People, Cosmo, etc. and all of these are complete crap (which is part of their appeal).  But if you are looking at these for fashion tips, look again.  These publications show a variety of celebs in shots ranging from movie premiers to "everyday life" and most of the time, they look like crap.  Demi Moore and the like have stylists (ahem Rachel Zoe) and the Paris Hilton types are rich idiots dressed up like stripper Barbie.  Any way you look at it, the images in these magazines are not ones to aspire to or compare oneself to.  Point and laugh at the plastic surgery, borderline eating disorders, veneers, and overly produced looks and walk away.
Moving up the ladder of sustenance are magazines devoted strictly to fashion - Vogue, Elle, Bazaar.  There are talented folks working at these publications and in order to stay on top of what's new in fashion and style reading these magazines is a must.  Experts such as Sally Singer (Vogue) and Kate Lamphear (Elle) and of course the queen of all things fashion Anna Wintour are behind these publications and they have found a way to bring the guts of the fashion world to the masses.  They are a little celebrity heavy (hey, it sells!) and trying to interpret the looks on the models runways is hard.  But looking at these magazines can help you begin to understand what to fill your closet with and how to style them.  I personally tear pages out that "speak" to me and save them for inspiration.
The most "nutritious" magazines are the ones that incorporate style, fashion, art, and design while keeping the focus off celebs and all the mainstream trends that over saturate popular media.  These magazines focus on people whose everyday lives are stylish, they aren't necessarily famous or drop dead gorgeous but they are far more interesting because they understand that fashion doesn't exist in a vacuum but that it intersects with all elements of our culture: art, music, economics, design, etc.  In this way, fashion becomes more than just clothes and shoes but part of our cultural makeup that everyone participates in (whether they realize it or not).  Whether you shop at TJ Maxx or Bergdorf Goodman or any variation in between, you are participating in "fashion".  Doesn't it make sense to participate in an educated and empowering way??  

From left: French Vogue editor in chief Carine Roitfeld is possibly one of the most stylish and chic women in the world.  While I love American Vogue (all hail Anna and Grace) there is something magical about its French equivalent.  I can't really read any of it but looking at the images is like entering a fantasy world.  I think getting a European perspective on fashion and style is really important (plus the French know style like no one else).  Seeing the differences between the French and American interpretation of trends and style opens up a new avenue for creativity in your own wardrobe. 
Industrie is a magazine published in the UK and they claim to be "The world's first culture of fashion magazine".  With thick, non-glossy paper and oversized images and print, it feels like a cool newspaper and truly touches the culture of fashion in a global way.  The fashion spreads feel like art, not a ploy to sell you something. 
Love is my favorite of the bunch.  It is the brainchild of uber stylist and fashion powerhouse Katie Grand.  This too is published in the UK and only comes out twice a year (thank God I have a great friend in London who sends them to me!).  It is a very photography led magazine (the best and most creative photographers have free reign here) and although it focuses heavily on the "ins" of the fashion industry, it is quite accessible and fun (there is a quite a bit of nudity!) and fashion is integrated into every story and the context of each subject, just as it should be.

 From left: V Magazine is an in-your-face approach to fashion journalism.  You aren't going to find lengthy stories written about trends or people, mostly just larger than life photographs that tell a specific, and sometimes controversial, narrative.  Nudity is splashed here and there and fashion seeps into every angle from art to personality profiles to music.
i-D Magazine is yet another gem printed in the UK and has a unique perspective on all things stylish with it's tongue in cheek attitude and collage-like layout.  There are a lot of great interviews with folks from all walks of style (some you've never heard of but end up being really interesting) and when you are finished perusing this publication, you feel like you have been to a party with people so cool it feels illegal.  
W Magazine is the "who, what, where, when, and why in the world of style".  While this "slogan" is a bit cliche, it is true.  Recently, W got a new editor, Stephano Tonchi and it has a new direction and feel (good and bad).  This is now the kind of magazine you have to be prepared to read, it is very article heavy, but the writing is quite good and and the fashion photography is still some of the best.  Having Kim Kardashian on the November 2010 cover is a bit off-putting but spreads on artists like Barbara Kruger make up for it.  Again, the way Tonchi focuses on style as opposed to fashion is refreshing and makes W a more "intellectual" pursuit than most.