Lula Magazine Brings Feminine Fashion Dreams to Paper

Pick up a fashion magazine from your favorite stand these days, and you're likely to find page after page of advertisement, a few features on a given designer or event, and a handful of pages depicting new collections or assorted accessories. While sitting back with a favorite drink and a perusal through a fashion magazine has been a time-honored tradition among women young and old for countless years, many readers have doubtless grown tired of the need to bypass ads and “filler” content to get to the gist of the attraction –the visual and editorial dream of beautiful clothes and great design. Recently, a fashion magazine was created by two professionals who might seem unlikely magazine launchers. A photographer and a stylist, both with ample experience in the fashion industry, have sought to bring a magazine of a different nature to fashion fans, and the international scene has responded with a resounding welcome.
Lula, as the new magazine has been christened, is an adventure in looks and words, keeping advertising minimal in an effort to bring the fantasy of couture clothing closer to the reading experience. Filled with dreamy gowns and outfits, inventive hair and makeup, and settings that highlight the pieces without being boring, the pages are thick and glossy and full of life, a dream come true for those who tend to find themselves dawdling over the photographs of other, more traditional, mags. But it's not just the pictures that have set Lula apart from its competition –if competition can really be considered present for this pioneering publication. It's the context in which the pictures are placed that has drawn an international readership.
The editorial angle, which is frequently uplifted with guest editors such as easy-to-idolize Kirsten Dunst and Keira Knightley, is all about creating contextual stories for the clothing, helping to weave the dream that so many girls and women experience when thinking about fashion. Inviting readers to settle in and truly explore the frontiers of the fashion world, the stories are enhanced by the occasional interview, which is far more personal and full of depth than what might be expected from other pieces of press.
The initial success of Lula has been well-documented, with scores of fans around the world showing through their continuous readership and glowing reviews that they're ready for fashion magazines that aren't completely focused on making sales or pushing brands. The magazine's creators have recently hinted at expanding the publication to Japan, though they note that present economic difficulties may prove a big part of decisions to bring Lula to a wider audience.
Of course, it may still be quite fun to spend a languid Saturday afternoon rummaging through the pages of a classic fashion magazine, eying over the collections of famous designers and sniffing the occasional perfume sample, but for those who have been lusting after something with a bit more soul, Lula may prove to be just the thing.