The Gentlewoman

 As print media watches their culture fade to extinction from a catastrophic digital-age smothering like ash and pumice burying Pompeii, it is impressive to find new print magazines being established.  Especially when they are as inspiring and smart as “The Gentlewoman” sister to the immensely influential mens fashion magazine “Fantastic Man”.

I was somehow lucky enough to stumble across the last copy of this first issue at a favourite local press shop.  Having been a huge fan of Fantastic Man for several years but always somewhat jealous there has never been a female equivalent I immediately made the purchase.

The Gentlewoman is a biannual style publication, with a simplistic design reminiscent of vintage LIFE magazines. 

The first issue is monochromatic in color scheme lending focus to content. Vivid colours are used sparingly, making those particular spreads poignant and effective - used kind of like a highlighter to drive a point home.

The subject differs from most current magazine content of the same fashion market, in that it focuses on the contemporary rather than celebrity. They have omitted the cluttered garish overload of “in-your-face-must-have” trend spotting spreads and opted for a clean simple layout where garments have enough space to speak for themselves.

The articles are written in an honest way leaving out the sarcasm and over use of wit our generation seems to have adopted. A generation where the women’s magazine market has been lacking a voice, a voice that real women of today want to hear, a voice they want to proudly champion.  The Gentlewoman is everything I want to be, intelligent, well designed, inspiring. Getting right to the point but not being up in your face about it. Letting strong design and content speak for itself.

Pictures via magculture.com, they have also included a very well thought out and in-depth analysis of the first Gentlewoman issue.