Lucire May 2004: download our entire issue for free

Lucire May 2004

If you’ve ever wondered what a print edition of Lucire looks like, wonder no more. We’re making the May number a free ebook—and in return, we want your feedback on how we can deliver exactly the fashion magazine you want (and you can be in to win)

HIS IS a wonderful journey. For over six years—and coming up to seven—Lucire has been bringing you the latest fashion news. Every month—sometimes every week—there’s an enquiry about getting one’s hands on a print edition. And after all these years, something’s being done about it.
   It’s not that these comments have fallen on deaf ears. In earlier times, Lucire didn’t have the means to carry out a print edition single-handedly. Actually, without the cooperation of modelling agencies, companies and, of course, our loyal readers, we still don’t. But when you add everyone into the mix, then we might just be able to pull it off.

We’re asking for your help. What do you want from a fashion magazine?

Especially the readers (check out p. 106 in the Life/Style section PDF to learn why: you really feature in it because magazines must report from the real world, not fashion’s marketing departments).
   Lucire has always done things fairly, which is why you’ve seen students alongside big-name designers, or why we’ve listened to your comments so we can sincerely do the stories that you want. Our aim in print is to create a magazine with soul. In the words of Sandy McLendon, editor of Jetsetmodern, ‘[Lucire] is the anti-Vogue; a magazine that has something to say to real women—make that real people—everywhere.’
   That’s why we’re asking for your help. On this page is the Lucire May 2004 ebook, printed samples of which exist in some advertising and sales’ rooms, and even more PDFs are floating around the world. We’ve divided it into 10 files, all saved in low resolution, for you to download and critique. And enjoy, too.
   What do you want from a fashion magazine? Is our idea of using a model with a proper figure good or bad? Is the cover a bit washy? Do you want more beauty and fashion coverage? Feel free to feed back your comments to the Lucire StyleTalk forum where we’re making the the magazine discussion totally public. Advertisers, surf over to www.lucire.net where we’re updating our print preview site. And just as an incentive, we’ve five, one-year-long subscriptions up for grabs: click here for more information.
   Lucire is about being yourself—and that means we refuse to treat readers like morons. You have freedom, you have style, and you have intellect—we’re just your companion to expressing who you are. We’d like to do that in one more medium than we currently do.

TO THE FORUM

The journey to the May 2004 ebook | Jack Yan

LAST OCTOBER, I found myself writing about the first ebook we did to commemorate our involvement with L’Oréal New Zealand Fashion Week. This 52 pp. guide aped what we predicted a print edition of Lucire would look like, and it was incredibly successful as the most comprehensive publication ever released on the New Zealand collections.

ABOVE: Lucire publisher Jack Yan with ‘Looking abroad’ model and former Lotto presenter Imogen Ovens. (Photographed by Karl Priston.)

   Not that Lucire Print was a new idea that dated back to October 2003. We’ve been considering non-web media since 2000. We’ve been doing print-related items since 2001. What made 2003 different was that we could finally see how we might put it together. I spent my late summer–early autumn in Europe and the US looking at potential deals that could make the magazine a reality. In the end, we did it as we did the web magazine: our way, without other companies.
   In January 2004, technical issues were sorted such as the size, frequency and potential circulation and we set to work with a then-hypothetical October release. But it’s not a matter of taking web content and putting it on paper—you can do that for free anyway. A magazine must offer something special, beyond what the web counterpart does.
   The ebook was an exercise on several fronts. First, we needed to show some doubters that we have the capability to do a consumer print title—17 years of contract publishing must count for something. Secondly, we needed to establish a voice in the context of print—this is completely different to the web. Thirdly, we needed to do it for ourselves because print involves a shift in culture and working practices.
   We need your help now. Download the PDFs and see that we’re not lying about trying to make this your magazine. We are the voice of the real person, not the marketing departments of the fashion companies. We’ll tell you what they have that’s new, but we won’t sell you out. But let us know what we can do better.
   I hope to have some great news for you all before the year is up. •

Jack Yan is founding publisher of Lucire.

Acknowledgements
L’Oréal Paris
L’Oréal Professionnel
Universal McCann
Estée Lauder
Clinique
Redken
Peugeot New Zealand
Panos Emporio
Montana Wines Ltd.
Craig Campbell/Wellington City Council
Cathy Campbell Communications
Nicky Casey/United Travel Kilbirnie
Nova Models
62 Models
PMP Digital
Margo Barton/Otago Polytechnic
Format
Aliana Nicolls
Danelle Radel/Klone Hair
Anjali Stewart
Marcia Hudson
ID Dunedin Fashion Committee
World
Gail Wilson-Waring
Kareen Floyd/WRC
Jones Publishing Ltd.
Palmyra Explorer/Vista Publishing Group
Ivana Kalafatic/Clear
Sandy McLendon/Jetsetmodern
Edward Talbot/Helen Talbot
Sales & Marketing Institute of New Zealand
Kathryn Philpott/TVNZ

Download or read the PDFs now

You will need Adobe Reader to view these documents.

Opening pages: contents’ page, editorial, contributors (1,293 kbyte).

Catwalk coverage: New York special by Phillip D. Johnson, Montréal by Susan Kelly, Lisboa by Tiago E. Santo, Barcelona and Dunedin by Jack Yan (1,634 kbyte).

Fashion pages: bag special, fashion trend pages, compiled by Kathryn O’Sullivan with Stevie Wilson (1,100 kbyte).

Beauty pages: Q&A with Stephen Sollitto, Oscar suites by Stevie Wilson, Brent Lawler by Clare Marshall, male grooming (1,706 kbyte).

Cover story, in association with UNEP: Jennifer Siebel interview by Jack Yan, photographed by Jon Moe, with additional material by Devin Colvin (731 kbyte).

Shoot no. 1: Looking abroad photographed by Karl Priston, make-up by Aliana Nicolls using L’Oréal, Clinique and Estée Lauder products, hair by Danelle Radel using L’Oréal Professionnel exclusively, styled by Marcia Hudson and Anjali Stewart and modelled by Imogen Ovens, represented by Vanity Walk (1,093 kbyte).

Shoot no. 2: Land girls photographed and styled by Amanda Dorcil, scanning by PMP Digital and models courtesy 62 Models (992 kbyte).

Shoot no. 3: Love among the ruins photographed by Amanda Dorcil, styled by Rebecca Fenton, assisted by Anna Huff, photography assisted by Straton Heron, hair by Liz Ward and Anita Rice using Davines, make-up by Louise Rae at MAC, models Katrina and Gabriel courtesy 62 Models. Published simultaneously with Pulp, www.pulpmagazine.net (484 kbyte).

Volante pages: travel editorial and Helsinki special by Jack Yan (897 kbyte).

Life/Style pages: products, motoring column, ‘The Scene’ paparazzi pages, astrology column by Susan Kelly, creating single-breasted dresses for breast cancer survivors by Annette Holt-Siketa, market-place, special about our readers (1,056 kbyte).

Contents Lucire Living index
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