Twee for Lula

Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend

I know this is not the latest issue of Lula but I did just buy it last week from B&N (I am located in the provincial backwaters of MA and thus should not be of a surprise) so I think it's still fair for me to talk about said issue. This is the first Lula that I have bought in years–my last issue must have been in the late 2007 when I became an avid reader of Style Bubble and bought it at her recommendation. I wish I had those with me as reference and I know they fetch for a handsome sum on E-bay for the early issues but sadly (oh the horror) I had to chuck them when I had to move out from high school when I graduated. So I am afraid that you will just have to take on my words and fuzzy memories alone when I compare the two.

So why the lapse in years between the purchase of the current issue and the last you may ask? It has been a good four years in between and does seem strange to buy a magazine that your fourteen year old self has stopped buying. At the time there were very few fashion blogs around and I trusted Susie so much that I just went and bought it. Though I had never been too avid of a magazine reader (mum never bought any Vogue–she's too much of tomboy for that–and all dad subscribed to were Japanese architecture magazines–hardly fashion fodder may I add) already I was utterly bored by the current mainstream offerings of domestic stateside magazines. It's not that I needed anything raunchy or provocative à la Vogue Paris but I was something with a little more imagination. In an earnest attempt to something–anything–different I leapt at the opportunity to buy the magazine (though met with disapproval from the parents due to the price, but one of the benefits of boarding school is that they couldn't do much about it). I was happy with the magazine as it delivered as a breath of fresh air. The tone of the magazine then was still slightly edgy and dare I say, alternative? Not for the rebel rouser so much but not for boring milquetoasts either. I was exactly in the middle of the spectrum in that I rebelled by never studying too hard in things that didn't interest me and openly challenged teachers in discussions but all too lazy to go hardcore and do drugs or directly flaunt school rules (I'm the kid who never got detention, or maybe just because I was exceptionally good at bending them). Most of all, though I am an idealist and a romantic at heart, I thought myself as too cynical and bitter and not enough of sugar, spice and everything nice to be twee, which as defined by Urban Dictionary as:

Something that is sweet, almost to the point of being sickeningly so. As a derogatory descriptive, it means something that is affectedly dainty or quaint, or is way too sentimental.

Four years later at the twelfth issue, the magazine has gone through some small changes. Its vision and aesthetics has not changed much but Lula definitely has grown and became more substantial. There is simply much more to read with a lot of editorials, interviews, and articles which I am sure came when they established themselves as a considerable force to be reckon with on the niche magazine market. I love how they didn't commercialize themselves too much as there is not a huge flux of annoying ads to disrupt the flow of the reading. While there is much to commend, there is small gripe in the wrong choice of fonts (ughhh getting technical and super picky here). It's not an ugly font per se, but it's not particularly nice to read as a body font with the line height too narrow to make it pleasing to eye. I'm glad to hear from Girls Raised by Wolves that this has been resolved by issue #13. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I was the art editor of my high school's literary art magazine, the small details are important to me and when you get them wrong they really do stand out. After all, if you pay so much for one measly magazine, you should rightfully have the best product possible for your penny! Though the magazine is pretty to say the least, the content and layout of the magazine still doesn't wow me like Inventory or Acne Paper does. It is a shame because I think Lula has the wherewithal to become a greater magazine.
I visited Cambridge recently during the past two days–which you would have already known if you follow me on twitter, just sayin'–and though I took many photos, I took them on my friend's camera and she has yet sent them to me. It may take a while though despite all of Harvard's infamous grade inflation, they do work them pretty hard (they have no fall break). On the other hand I did meet the wonderful Jada, who has some pictures already up for viewing at her blog ♡