Instagram and Philippine Fashion Magazines’ Lost Grandeur
90’s fashion babies, remember the Lume-like radiance in our eyes whenever Mega, Preview, Candy, and Metro’s new issue pops in the magazine stand? I even subscribed, so I no longer have to wait on the newsstands. My fellow mag collectors sometimes hoard and take a picture of themselves with their collection for submission. Every reader desires to be featured.
I fell in love with the curated, glossy pages, classy layout, editors’ creative words, and trendy chic clothes. Of course, I cannot forget the model’s poses and the photographers’ eye for capturing subjects that move through printed pages.
Most girls rely on these magazines for trends: What to wear, where to eat, what to watch and listen to, basically everything new that you can try. When the internet was already rising throughout the country, these books updated everyone with celebrities, “It girls,” and “cuties.” Raise your hand if you’ve voted for a nomination or went to your crush’s meet and greet in a magazine’s fair.
Sophisticated readers would update themselves with style maven’s advice and new high-end brands’ collection. The mix-and-match pieces on the pages resemble Pinterest. You create an OOTD mood board for the items that you’ll buy or preorder. When opening the sealed book, you say, “what will you add to my rack?” (referring to the mag)
As a provincial school girl, printed fashion magazines updated me with the clothing trends that made me stand out on Wednesdays. That’s the only day we can dress up whatever we want. When people see others like me, everyone can tell that they are either not from our place or a magazine reader.
Today, all kids wear trendy clothes in malls and schools. But the magazines that I used to collect no longer appear on the newsstand.
As Instagram permeates every device, the subscription of these creative books declines. One by one, they shifted to digital versions, which do not hold the same appeal as the printed ones. Scrolling and swiping on a screen feels different. Their logos all turned black, mourning from the loss of pages we used to flip on our hands.
The visuals are not the same. Fashion editors cleverly made every line and shape on the pages of old printed magazines. Minimalist, but like red carpet directing readers where to look. And every feature is a wonder woman thriving in her professional career. The stories of top fashion magazines’ editor-in-chief are thrilling. They’re on top because of their work ethic, not only charisma.
People no longer need to save at least five dollars for a magazine. Trend updates are free and everywhere on social media. But how nostalgic? I miss the old times.
