Friday, July 07, 2006

Getting to know ... Worn Fashion Journal



When I first saw Worn Fashion Journal, I couldn't help but think "this is what Montreal needs". As a city known across Canada as the "Fashion Capital" of the country, it's sad that there are so many stores, but so little variety. Worn challenges the reader to think a little about what they put on in the morning and perhaps challenge what the masses are pushing as the "style of the moment". (3 gross words: mesh slip on sandles, visible g-strings and jeweled jeans)

Founded by a lovely lady named Serah-Marie this joural is just a baby, with the 2nd issue out currently, and the 3rd in the works. Serah-Marie describes Worn as "a publication for people who are interested in fashion, but find themselves uninspired by typical fashion magazines. We’d like to fill a void by delivering intelligent and insightful content, dealing with style, clothing and wearing. Our journal covers independant designers, fashion history, subculture studies, personal musings, and relationships between art, music, film and fashion."

Not since I was a student at the University of Manitoba in the "Clothing and Textiles" program have I heard fashion/clothing spoken about in such an intelligent way, kind of nice for a change. For some reason it sounds much better when I hear it from a fellow Montrealer, rather than an old professor in Winnipeg... but I digress.

Some of the goals that Worn has are:
- to get people talking about fashion in all it’s forms.
- to highlight the contrasts and similarities of style in Montreal, New York, and Toronto.
- to provide a voice for emerging ideas, as well as a resource for fashion history.
- to inspire our readers to explore their personal style and all the potential it holds.

Worn issues appear bianually, in October and May. The first issue debuted in fall of 2005 and is rapidly selling out at vintage clothing stores and on-line. Each issue is carefully assembled and edited, so the magazine has not only an informational but aesthetic appeal. The staff at Worn plan to offer back-issues at any time, so their readers don’t get just another throw-away magazine, but have access to an excellent collection of fashion reference material. Throw away fashion magazines?! Girl, I still have Vogues from '93, trucked all the way from Winnipeg! But not everyone is a pack-rat like me, so I like the direction this team is going in.

The thing that I like about Worn is that it approaches the ideas of fashion and style, not from a "chasing the runway" kind of approach, but rather from an intellectual, historical and fashion insider position. This is not a magazine for those who like to be told what to wear, but rather those who are always on the hunt for something a little different.

Perfect for Headquarters, perfect for Montreal.

Worn Fashion Journal 1 & 2 are available at Headquarters Galerie & Boutique, as well as many other fine independent retailers. Take a look at the Worn website for more info on where to find it: www.wornjournal.com

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