TRENDSETTER: IN PRAISE OF RUSSH MAGAZINE

I recently met a woman at Casa – the beloved magazine shop at 8th Avenue and 12th Street, just a hop and two skips away from my apartment – who works at Art & Commerce.  You’ve got to love Ali – the man who unpacks Lord News International boxes and stashes new arrivals under heaps of newspapers for his most zealous customers, as he is on a mission to create bonds between his cool and collected customers.  The woman told me she’s constantly scouring the stands for something unique, something that doesn’t look like everything else.  I picked up RUSSH and asked what she thought.  “Oh, I love RUSSH,” she exclaimed.  Thought so.

 
 
Australian fashion magazines have long had a hard time legitimizing their American appeal, due in large part to the problem of equinox.  Our winter is Australia’s summer, a fact that has, in the past, rendered Australian – and Brazilian – magazines irrelevant.  For the past year or so, RUSSH has adopted our seasonal timeline, without sacrificing a single element of its perfection.
 
 
Lesley Arfin, the New York contributer to RUSSH, rose to indie fame after her column Dear Diary for the lowbrow publication Vice was collected and published by MTV Press.  She freelances for a host of great publications, and could be Sophie Dahl’s rough-edged kid sister based on their equally addicting columns; the latter, for Vogue’s US and UK editions.  This month’s article, “Stalk You Later,” is a rant on “everyone’s most convenient stalking tool” – Facebook. 
 
 
The models in RUSSH are some of the most beautiful around.  The last issue featured Daul Kim on the cover, hitting the stands just as news broke of her suicide – and makeup maestro’s like this month’s chosen cosmetician Francois Nars often share their beauty secrets. 
 
Chadwick Tyler photographs “Seven New Faces From Next,” a series of blown-out portraits featuring vintage-clad models from Next Agency.  Think Prada Fall/Winter 2009/2010 ad campaign, frilly florals, and barely-there Missoni frocks.
 
Benny Horne busts out the best swimsuits for the coming summer, and Natalie Shukur gives us a tour of the by-appointment-only vintage outfitter, Early Halloween.  Responsible for the sartorial splendor of Annie Hall, we’re not sure how an Australian magazine was the first to pick up on this black book recommendation.
 
RUSSH makes its way to the shelves somewhat haphazardly, but a new issue is always worth the wait.

 

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