In the last few weeks there’s been a bit of a debate about what will happen with American Vogue in 2009 with rumours spreading about Condé Nast replacing Anna Wintour with French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. I’m curious to see how the Vogue saga will end, though I think it’s unlikely we will see the scary but universally knowledgeable Wintour going, and while I’m eagerly waiting to see the arrival of brand new fashion magazines in 2009 such as the British biannual Love, published by Condé Nast and with Katie Grand as Editor-in-Chief, I can’t wait to see the Spring 2009 issue of DV Man International.
Published by Bonnier Tidskrifter, this is the English version of Swedish magazine DV Man. The publication covers both the Swedish and international fashion scenes, and also features articles on beauty and accessories. What makes it different from other men’s magazines is the lack of laddish culture, so don't expect to find in its pages photographs of semi-naked women and articles on sport cars. The focus is indeed on intelligent, well-written and researched fashion features concentrating on timeless design and quality clothes and accessories.
The latest issue I have – Winter 2008 – includes very interesting features on Swedish shirt manufacturers Stenströms and Eton and on Nicolaj d’Étoiles’s duo Anders and Tobias Björkstedt, an interview with Brad Pitt and an extensive reportage about six of the best contemporary Japanese designers – Arashi Yanagawa, Dai Fujiwara, Kiminori Morishita, Kazuyuki Kumagai, Mihara Yasuhiro and Rynshu Hashimoto. I found the “Icons of Style” section - four pages in which the style of a particular icon is explored through pictures of clothes and accessories that may help achieving that specific style - interesting with its rather unusual choice of icons that includes Yves Saint Laurent, Winston Churchill and Ingemar Stenmark.
The Winter 2008 issue also features an extensive spread on the season’s essential trends, from velvet trousers to tartan suits, leather bags and chunky jewels. The emphasis in DV Man International seems to be on high quality products (I swear this is one of the few international men’s magazines I have ever seen including in one of its trend features an accessory by Corneliani – one of the most stylish Italian brands), yet there are also reviews of more casual clothes, such as trousers and sweaters or winter jackets in technological materials. The best fashion photo shoot of the latest DV Man International issue is the one featuring Stockholm's next generation of hip hop singers and musicians presenting a new bling-free style.
I think the words "stylish" and "cool" summarise rather well the spirit of DV Man International and, while I think there are a few interesting avant-garde men’s magazines out there, there isn’t anything specifically dedicated to modern mature men that also offers a fresh approach to fashion. A final warning: this magazine is not only for men, but also for all those women who want to keep up to date with what’s going on in the world of menswear or who are looking for intriguing ideas to achieve a perfect androgynous style.
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