Can I wax nostalgic for a minute? Suede Magazine was my ISH, and I miss it with my whole magazine-loving heart.
Do you remember Suede? Launching back in 2004, this was a magazine geared towards the smart, savvy, fashionable, crazysexycool Black woman - targeted to the ones too old for Seventeen but too young for Ebony.
I found my first copy of Suede on a shopping trip to the States (they have ALL the good stuff *pout*), and when I opened up those first few pages, it was an epiphany of "angels singing from the heavens" proportions. Never before had I seen anything media-related that resonated with me as strongly as Suede did. With its incredible layouts, the oversized magazine was best displayed laid out on a central coffee table. I never disrespected Suede by tossing them on a bookshelf or (even worse) in a bathroom magazine rack. It just wasn't right.
Amazing visuals:
Interesting articles:
Intelligent reporting:
Suede had it all. Girls who looked like me? People who thought like me? Had the same goals as me? Not only did I identify with the mag, but I was able to learn from it as well. Sitting at home in my predominantly White hometown of London, Ontario, Suede let me see that I wasn't the only Black chick who wanted to live a fabulous, unapologetic life filled with intelligence, sexiness, laughter, love, and overall flyness.
Initially released as a quarterly publication, Suede made the leap to move to monthly printing in 2005. Unfortunately, printing was put on hiatus due to a lack of advertising support. Only 4 issues were printed (of which I own three and will never dispose of), and Suede became a memory.
Even though we all know that print journalism has suffered with the popularity of the Internet, there's nothing like flipping through the pages of a new, glossy magazine. Between various blogs and websites, I can somewhat create the feeling I got from Suede, but that magazine just had everything in one place.
I dedicate this song to Suede. Saaang it, Mr. Hall:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkEATnHMYIs]
Are you a magazine fiend like me? What were/are your favourites? Did you read Suede? Did R. Kelly really swagga-jack Aaron Hall, or was Aaron just salty back in the 90s? Important questions, people!