The Living Page

Just yesterday, over dinner and drinks (for me: a margarita, extra salt, for the boy: pumpkin beer), D and I were discussing dying magazines, newspapers, and the advent of blog culture.

I think the manner in which the Internet allows for new contributors to shimmy up to the table is a beautiful demonstration in democracy, and the fact that you can seek out anything and everything imaginable (differing points of views, new music, a new needle for my ancient Fisher Price record player), is incredibly empowering. Personally, I find myself increasingly turning to well-curated online sources over magazines. And when it comes to art and culture, stumbling down rabbit holes has been particularly beneficial for me, as I've found sites with aesthetics and outlooks that very much agree with my sensibility- a great joy indeed! This is especially the case since some of my favorites glossies bit the dust, Blueprint and Bust included. I do still get a few, ReadyMade, Vogue, and W are favorites, but then I stumble upon stunning, beautiful, images like these, and suddenly I'm convinced I need to pick up or subscribe to some of the international fashion magazines. Scratch the subscription idea... much to expensive...yikes. Wendy Bevan, whose gorgeous work is above, has done a lot of lovely shoots for Italian Marie Claire. These shots are from a shoot that is something of a swing era, beach-side, weekend-long party. I want an invite! (And there are even cheeky nude bathtub shots- reminds me of college- ah-ha!) And Tim Walker, who studied with Richard Avedon, has done work for Italian and British Vogue. While his images cannot be reproduced, rest assured they're amazing- they include baby elephants, balloons, oversized accessories, and exquisite composition. Both sites are a goldmine for stunning photography. And when it comes to such images, there is something to be said for real, tangible, glossy pages in front of you. Really, it's quite a way to showcase for stunning art and design.

But {shudder} don't even get me started on the topic of dying print in general. No, I am not ever getting a Kindle.