rankin

Do you remember when we all though magazines were going to die out in a purge of the digital world? Haha, yeah, well, that hasn’t quite happened yet, has it? Seeing as it hasn’t, I’m going to talk all about some of my recent favourites. I’d say these are all on the ‘luxury’ line of magazines, but I’m seriously surprised by their price – they’re all like bibles of fashion and photography for under £10. I’ve picked out some of my favourite articles and features from each so you can get a taste for them all, so… I hope you enjoy! Let’s flick through some pages…

~ THE SELECTION ~

Not all of these issues are brand spanking new, but that’s mainly because most of them are only published a specific amount of times through out the year, and that first one, The Fashionable Lampoon, is actually an Italian issue which I picked up (so good though – you’re gonna’ love it).

You may recognise the LOVE logo from social media as the issue I have is the Lily-Rose Depp issue (it’s super fun), which I should have picked up ages ago but only recently found readily available. Hunger is Rankin’s magazine and I felt pretty awesome picking that up from my local WHSmith’s. It’s huge too… such great value for such an awesome, well, book, essentially. 

I also knew of Rollacoaster from social media, so I picked it up out of curiosity. I still don’t know much about the magazine and it’s past issues, but I’m definitely interested in knowing more.

~ THE FASHIONABLE LAMPOON ~

I think my mum picked up this copy and I was pleasantly surprised when I nicked it off her. It’s honestly one of the most incredible issues and it only cost €5.00. The pages are a beautiful texture, but the amazing thing is, that there are different textures throughout… there are two editorials printed on to plastic vinyl ‘paper’ and a couple of editorials and photo shoots printed onto thinner, more newspaper like sheets.

That may sound rather dull and boring, but it really adds to the experience of the content and makes for a good argument as to why magazines should definitely stick around for a while longer. It’s like books – there’s nothing better than flicking through the pages when it’s actually in your hands, is there? If every issue is like this, I will definitely be picking up more of The Fashionable Lampoon!

~ THE LOVE CLUB ~

One thing I really like about fashion magazines which are slightly more artsy, is when they focus on brands and designers that are new and upcoming, like Richard Malone, who I mentioned in my AW16 London Fashion Week review. It’s so exciting to see designers getting the recognition they deserve, especially in such fun and alternative ways.

It’s also nice to see more independent brands getting exposure too. Itchy Scratchy Patchy look amazing in this tiny little editorial… I’m pretty tempted by this pole dancing badge (never thought I’d say that). Definitely look out for what I suppose you could call a ’embroidered patch’ haul on my blog some time soon!

~ HUNGER ~

When I found this at the back of a shelf in WHSmith’s, I may have squealed a tiny bit. It was only £6.95 (yup and it’s genuinely huge) and is full of such interesting articles and interviews. There’s one with Kristen Wiig which is all about how she got into the film industry as a woman; there’s one with Alyssa Carson who is an aspiring astronaut, and there are so many beautiful photographs by Rankin himself and other incredible artists.

One of the most interesting interviews, for me personally, is with Sophia Webster as I’ve been pretty much following her since her first big LFW break. Her success continues to wow me, so I love the fact I got to learn a little bit more. If you’re into photography and want to know of some more talented youngsters, then definitely try and look for one of the five different covers of Hunger – Issue 10.

ICYMI: Pen to Paper Interview with… Rankin

~ ROLLACOASTER ~

As I said, I’ve heard of Rollacoaster on social media but had never picked up a copy until now. It’s a really quirky little magazine but has equally as awesome interviews as all of the others, with people such as Lucia Ribsi (who worked with Saint Laurent on the SS16 Menswear collection) and Elisa Lasowski who featured in David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ music video.

In terms of editorials, my favourite one has to be the cover shoot with Clementine Creevy. I love shoots which are candid yet put together with youthful vibes throughout, and this is a great example of that. It’s definitely got that grungey princess feel to it, and is full of summer outfit ideas. For only £4.50, I’m definitely interested in buying another copy. Also yeah, that’s totally another feature for Richard Malone above!

What magazines have you been loving recently? Do I dare cut these up for #ScrapSocial? Let me know in the comments!

‘Pen to Paper’ is a new feature on TDP, which involves an informal handwritten form of interview between myself and creatives –  from fashion designers, photographers, journalists, artists and musicians, to people who generally inspire me from day-to-day. 

~ READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT ~
Handwritten on behalf of Rankin by Nick Forbes Watson (Assistant Producer)

Ever since I discovered fashion, I’ve always been interested in the photography side of things, and I’ve always been a fan of Rankin’s work, so to be able to have some inside knowledge from the man himself is quite an exciting thought. I’ve actually been working on this piece for a while now so I hope that the few questions that I do have answered, are ones that you can all take from.

In this day and age where photography is such a broad term, I thought it would be really interesting to find out what Rankin’s ideas are on social media and how it works within the industry, as well as his thoughts on very important topics and debates as someone who sees them from both sides. If you want to see all of his answers fully transcribed then click here or on the link above.

Alexander McQueen ~ Matthew Beard ~ Bjork

What I find interesting about Rankin’s work is how honest it is. Often his work is there to make a statement but the way he encapsulates it is always in such a strong and empowering way. His photographs draw you in, in a way that I haven’t really ever seen before. It sounds rather over dramatic but really, if you compare his work to other fellow photographers, you’ll see what I mean.

I also love what he’s said about diversity. It really is true that it’s more of a fight about the whole spectrum of acceptance whether that’s racially or to do with size and shape and I’m interested to see where he’ll go in the future when it comes to making it better. It’s also interesting what he says about fashion selling you a dream. Although having campaigns about airbrushing is all well and good, maybe we really should step out and dream a little? We all have fantasies and ideas of perfection… perhaps it’s more about defining a new kind of fantasy as the new generations catch up with what’s up.

As somebody who has started to appreciate photography more as a whole, it’s been a big honour to put this piece together, especially as it’s somebody who I’ve always admired. I’ve actually been given the opportunity to meet Rankin twice before but both times I’ve had to turn it down, so perhaps after this, it will be third time lucky! Big thanks to the Rankin team for all the support too. I know all of you (my readers) will appreciate it.

(ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT OF © RANKIN) 

Okay, a lot of you have probably already seen this, but I just had to add it because I LOVE IT! I love Scarlett Johansson, and I will do a CSC on her soon (hopefully!), and I love her even more in this… (Pictures from ELLE/Rankin)

Rankin has really captured the youth and character of S/S 13 and Scarlett. 2 in 1! I think I may even do an CSC so, watch out! How I would die to have her hair, and her style, and her smile 🙂