A Kiss Goodbye to a Missed Magazine

When I was 16, all the cool girls read the teen mag, Sassy. Unfortunately, I was not among this group, and didn't find out how amazing it was until a couple years later and found it shut down operations. Yes, the Sassy generation had grown up , leaving room for something a bit more mature. What I did fall in love with was Jane Pratt's next magazine, Jane. I was a subscriber of Jane for 5 years. Jane was geared toward an 18-34 crowd, and included style, music, fashion, and just the best, most engaging writing I had ever encountered in a magazine. The writers were encouraged to use their own voice, experiences, and opinions when writing, so the work always had an element of personality and interest. They reviewed good music, and the music editor Jeff Johnson has to be one of the most funny writers I've ever read. He was always right on in his reviews, and I always looked forward to reading his section. They'd even compile playlists, based around things like, "music to break up to" and "getting ready to go out."

I have stacks of this magazine; under my bed, in boxes. I found the covers cool, and the style portrayed was usually pretty trendy, but always had a realistic vibe if you wanted to attempt and mimic their suggestions. They walked you through the makeup process, and offered tutorials in the magazine and online.

They also understood that their readers weren't just fashion-obsessed trustifarians. There was a "Tech" section where they would review new cell phones, computers, and software. Also, there was a "Drive" section where they reviewed and wrote about cars, and near the end of its life, began a series of help sidebars, when they would walk you through how to change your own oil, and how to find good insurance. Sure, the features section included people like Lindsay Lohan by the end of its life, but that's how money is generated and what moves magazines off the shelf: celebrities!

I knew something was going on when they started putting Jane in plastic wrap, and slapping said Lohan on the cover. I imagine this began occuring because that's when Fairchild Publications merged with Conde Nast, the same company who pubishes Vogue, GQ, etc. I also knew something was going wrong when Jane Pratt, Founder of Sassy and Jane left the publication in 2005. The new editor was Brandon Holly, and it just wasn't the same. But the other troupe of writers I loved were still going strong. I thought I would take solace in that fact, and all would be well.

Then one day I came home from work to find a letter from Conde Nast telling me they would no longer publish Jane magazine, and a replacement magazine would fulfill my remaining subscription. I nearly cried. I had relied on Jane and her staff to tell me what books were cool, what music I'd like, and what fashion risks were worth trying. Never have I come upon a publication that had as communicative a relationship with its reader as Jane did. They published a section written by the reader called, "It Happened to Me." They published the worst of the worst letters to the editor, and always asked for more. Their home and design section even featured a lucky reader's cool apartment to get inspired from.

I miss it today with every bone in my body. Down to the very core of me.

You know what I got the next week? Glamour. I took personal offense to this replacement, and never opened any of the three I recieved. I've tried looking for a real replacement, and sometimes I find a good article in Elle, and Bust is always pretty cool. But I gave up hope in having a good, psuedo-alternative fashion magazine that doesn't think I'm a vapid source of income. I've settled with Nylon, which is as close as I can find to Jane (Although I hate that dumb Cory Kennedy! I wish she'd go away. She's one of those people who is famous for being famous. Annoying...). But sometimes, it's almost too hip for me. The style is too edgy, although their spreads are very nice.

I just miss my trusty Jane. *sigh*