Herself

Let me introduce you to the newest, most exciting and unique fashion magazine I have ever laid eyes on. 

HERSELF.

Two weekends ago I went to London with my friends Alice and Tory to see the Christian Louboutin exhibition - incredible! We stayed for the entire weekend and being art lovers, we decided to go to the Tate Modern. It was a chance encounter that I saw this magazine. Not really paying much attention to the Tate memorabilia in the gift shop, my eyes wandered to a pristine white magazine cover with an image of Snow White and Kristen Stewart wearing a matching designer ensemble. Interested, I had a flick through and was immediately bowled over by stunning illustrations and intriguing images. 

I bought it. Despite being £10, it is only a biannual magazine and pretty much the size of a book. I think of it as a collectors item. 

What makes this magazine so special is the fact that it is fully illustrated. Never before has a fashion magazine been full of illustrations - even the fashion adverts like Prada and Chanel have been edited to look illustrated! The edition I picked up was the second, however I have since purchased the first on its website (herselfmagazine.com) and love it just as much. 

The majority of the magazine focuses on style icons, especially in the second edition. The feature which I really find interesting is the juxtaposition of historical icons and the present day actresses who played them in film. For example, Eva Peron and Madonna... Katie Holmes and Jackie O. Of course, all have been illustrated and in each case both women are wearing the same designer clothing. Being a fashion magazine, designer clothing illustrations feature throughout.

Another thing Herself does well is its interviews which are really intriguing as they have been done in a particularly unique way. From Marilyn Monroe and Coco Chanel to the likes of Frida Kahlo and Maria Callas, all interviews feature famous quotes that they have once said, but have been twisted into a Q&A format with questions to prompt each quote. For example, in an interview with Coco Chanel...

Is fashion, for you, a matter of creating beauty?

Fashion has two purposes: comfort and love. Beauty comes when fashion succeeds.

 People who know I have my own column for British Style Bloggers based on Fashion Icons will probably understand why I love magazines like this as I love learning about people who have shaped the industry.

What has to be my ultimate favourite feature though, and perhaps even the clincher for my decision to buy the magazine was the fact it features Disney princesses in designer clothes. 

My favourite is an illustration of Beauty & The Beast's Belle stood in a lavendar field as the image is just gorgeous. I love how the magazine depicts them as real fashionistas, stealing the limelight from your usual Kardashian or Hilton. It's almost like the illustrations bring out our imaginations in terms of bringing past icons back to life and glorifying cartoon characters, though only in the most stylish of ways.

So whether you decide to invest £20 a year into purchasing this amazing magazine it is entirely up to you, however I would highly recommend it! Also, alongside the launch of the magazine a selection of silk Italian scarves were also designed to be sold on the sidelines, featuring some of the magazine's most iconic illustrations - in particular the Herself leopard! So if you fancy spending a further £149 a scarf could be yours!

Jess xx