Consult thy Fashion Almanac
You say "Almanac" and I think medieval astrology charts but the real broken down meaning of the word is...
almanac n. A reference book, usually annual, composed of various lists, tables, and often brief articles relating to a particular field or many general fields.
Laura Bradley, who now works at SHOWstudio combined her own fascination with almanacs and fashion for the final year of her BA at CSM in Fashion Communication with Promotion and produced a prototype for a magazine that I could well see being on sale for real...
"The Fashion Almanac was born out of my dissatisfaction with what was on the newsstand and chiefly inspired by almanacs (namely Ben Schott's) and a visit to the Wellcome Collection. I love the way almanacs communicate information in an interesting way and thought this would work really well for fashion - this is the first time 'fashion' has been given the almanac treatment!"
In short, The Fashion Almanac analyses, breaks down and presents fashion in a way that is informative, scientific in manner and aims to bring clarity to a subjects that are very much open to interpretation. I might look at trend analysis pages that grace many magazines and think it's awful to instruct people with tick lists and so forth but I look at The Fashion Almanac's analysis and think "Why hasn't this been done before?" It's the extreme end of informing readers about fashion that is not at all patronising like its dumbed down counterparts and would present even the most cynical of fashionists something to smile about.
The equations of inspirations that get the sum of collections...
Pantone colour charts matching up to colours of the season...
Venn diagrams used to illustrate overlapping trends...
Analysing the way different designers take a bow at the end of a catwalk show and what they're wearing...
The structural dissection of a dress from Marios Schwab's SS08 collection (one of my favourite pieces...)
The trademarks of fashion brands...
A chronology of Nick Knight's many many assistants (Juergen Teller was here for one day and was told by Knight that he was good enough to go it alone)...
Stylist Simon Foxton's odd collection of Rooster ties...
The different ways one can wear a Florian beaded necklace...
The Fashion Almanac along with other publications such as 032c, Acne Paper and Fanzine 137 will be showased at an exhibition at the Exit Gallery at Claire de Rouen Books until the 24th February.
This first edition of The Fashion Almanac was printed in a run of 100 and was sold at £5, and it is all but gone but you can read the whole thing online now and whilst Laura is at SHOWstudio, perhaps she might work on bringing The Fashion Almanac into 2009 and shedding some light with its analytical eye on future fashion seasons.
I thought the girl in the Florian necklaces was you for a second!
This book looks great! I'll add it to my Christmas list.
x
Posted by: Frankie - Swell Vintage | 08 December 2008 at 16:07
damn it, why isn't it possible to regularly buy a brilliant fashion magazine like this one?
i like every bit of it - the layout, the ideas... (the colour charts!)
you're right: "Why hasn't this been done before?"
Posted by: Saskia | 08 December 2008 at 16:42
This looks great. A more fun summing up than 'ELLE Collections' which seems to be the only other magazine covering purely runway trends.
Posted by: chelsea | 08 December 2008 at 16:48
wow, this is brilliant! i'd like to buy a mag like this and no other!
am i getting this right - is it actually possible to *print* the magazine on issuu.com?!
Posted by: Saskia | 08 December 2008 at 16:48
I'm so glad you talked about this i'm a big big BIG fan xx
Posted by: jeanie | 08 December 2008 at 17:05
I AM DYING!!! this is so so fantastic.
Posted by: Laia | 08 December 2008 at 17:48
What a fabulous idea. I love the diagrams & can see someone like Tyler Brûlé picking it up as a supplement to Monocle?
Posted by: Amber | 08 December 2008 at 18:02
That is simply brilliant. Thanks for the link - I'll be reading it tonight.
Posted by: Alicia/InstantVintage | 08 December 2008 at 18:14
This is a genius idea!!! I have to get my hands on it!
Posted by: Fajr | 08 December 2008 at 18:14
How fun! And gorgeously designed too...
Posted by: rollergirl | 08 December 2008 at 18:23
wow!! thankyou for the excellent suggestion!i browsed through some pages and I'm already obsessed!!
Posted by: silver | 08 December 2008 at 18:25
genius! thanks for sharing! :)
Posted by: Raquel | 08 December 2008 at 18:28
Wow this magazine looks amazing!
This girl is a genius and it seems SHOWstudio are very lucky to have someone with such a unique view of all things fashion!
Posted by: addictedtofashion | 08 December 2008 at 19:34
This looks like such an interesting read! I'll have to check it out--thanks for the heads-up.
Posted by: lisa | 08 December 2008 at 20:01
Price down and I'd get one NOW!
juliet xxx
Posted by: juliet | 08 December 2008 at 20:19
Gosh, that's amazing! Though there is one super-annoying, super-nitpicky thing I just have to point out and that is that the order of addition doesn't matter and thus, the parentheses for Balenciaga in the "Fashion Equations" page are redundant. Sorry, I had to say that
Posted by: KD | 08 December 2008 at 20:55
Oh my god! This is exactly what I've been waiting for all my life! The design, information graphics and fashion are exactly the things that excite me the most (oh, wine and cheese do that too, I guess)! Im subscribing asap!
Posted by: Market Publique | 08 December 2008 at 21:41
I would buy it!
Posted by: Miss at la Playa | 08 December 2008 at 22:38
Wow! Looks great! I'm gonna take a deeper look at it... ;)
Posted by: Tamara | 08 December 2008 at 23:00
just after christmas a boy wowed me with his fashion knowledge... then got his new almanac and revealed he'd just read the fashion chapter, boo! still, this zine look simply amazing, this is just the thing I'd love to read straight away each season
Posted by: selina | 09 December 2008 at 01:30
This is awesome. I was going to buy one.. heck I will read it online if all sold out already. This tops the coolest things of the year.. (well comes second actually after finding Style Bubble)
Yeah.. I'm known for being a total 'sucker'. :P
Posted by: Songy | 09 December 2008 at 01:38
Glad it wasn't just me who thought it was Susie modelling the necklace. And I have to laugh at the name Nick Knight, as that was also the name of the vampire-cop hero of the Toronto-based 1990s tv show *Forever Knight*....
Posted by: Sarah | 09 December 2008 at 01:57
Combining my love for fashion with my love for neurotic lists, comparison and general analysis :) I love this, just whish it was a bit more affordable for me.
On a side note: an almanac is one of those tear-off calendars in my (Dutch speaking) family - it may just be us using this term though :)
Posted by: kim | 09 December 2008 at 08:55
Clicking on the link I see it's £5, not £100, I guess I can manage to afford that :D
Posted by: kim | 09 December 2008 at 08:57
I consider myself very fortunate to have a printed copy of TFA. As I mentioned to Laura - who put the whole thing together pretty much single-handedly and therefore genuinely justifies the First grading for her degree - it reminds me of the first issue of Visionaire. Fresh yet knowing - with a quiet confidence that neatly stakes its claim in an already oversaturated market.
Free the second issue now.
Posted by: Paul Davies | 09 December 2008 at 11:58
My APOLOGIES: The Fashion Almanac was in a print run of 100, not £100....it was priced at £5......!
Posted by: susie_bubble | 09 December 2008 at 12:15
this is such a clever idea, the piece on the object lesson section on Marios Schwab SS08 dress is genuis, i love all the diagrams and the detailed labels, its such a unique take on fashion, this is what trend reports should aim to do, to enlighten the readers on fashion.
Posted by: Chic Looks | 09 December 2008 at 12:21
OMG OMG!! Ive just been reading the other pages and the 50 name pronunciation page is fantastic, this ladies brain is amazing, i reckon i'm going to buy it.
Posted by: Chic Looks | 09 December 2008 at 12:26
Imagine, a fresh take on the fashion mag. Truly innovative. More.....PLEASE!!!
Posted by: Denise | 09 December 2008 at 13:24
such a great almanac! i wish i can get my hands on this one!
Posted by: J.Yo | 09 December 2008 at 13:53
Downright incredible. I'm extraordinarily impressed, it's something I wish I had thought of.
Posted by: Barry Wright, III | 09 December 2008 at 14:35
thank you, this is an incredible idea - so much helpful information.
Posted by: fashion herald | 09 December 2008 at 14:44
it looks fascinating, will check it out
Posted by: Prêt-à-Porter P | 09 December 2008 at 14:57
this is so cool! i would subscribe to this! it's liek part magazine, part trend book, presented beautifully and intelligently! love.
Posted by: nicola | 09 December 2008 at 16:15
Oooh, I did a post on this magazine awhile ago because their content was so different from other fashion magazines! I found them on Issu.com, I always like browsing through their fashion zines!
Posted by: Katlin | 10 December 2008 at 09:38
this magazine seriously rock. one of the best new magazines in a long while
Posted by: clover | 10 December 2008 at 12:04
Fashion with diagrams. I'm sold sold sold.
Posted by: Meg | 10 December 2008 at 15:49
ingenious!
what a fantastic idea
and the graphics/spreads are incredibly well done
i'd love to wait for that to come to my door once a month!
*bisous*
Posted by: textstyles | 11 December 2008 at 21:40
Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments - I'm so pleased you all like it! I've sold out of copies of the Spring/Sumer '08 issue. However, due to high demand the entire issue is available online at: http://issuu.com/thefashionalmanac/docs/thefashionalmanacissue1
If you are on Facebook, you could join 'The Fashion Almanac' group for regular updates.
Kindest regards, Laura
Posted by: The Fashion Almanac | 14 December 2008 at 19:46
this is so great! i wish i had gotten a copy
Posted by: t | 25 December 2008 at 04:52
wow, awesome, i gonna get one.
Posted by: airjordan | 24 June 2009 at 03:46