If you haven’t heard, Buck is a new men’s fashion magazine aiming itself at the 18-34 demographic. The first issue went on sale last week, so it’s only fair that I give it a review for those who haven’t had the chance to read it yet. Focusing on fashion, food and furniture, Buck has all the credentials to be the kind of magazine that people like me (and Selectism readers) would read.
The first thing I noted is that the magazine is definitely a child of the internet generation (other generation names include ipod,facebook and myspace generation – so delete as applicable). There’s several pages dedicated to street style around the world and articles tend to be of the short and snappy variety. Depending on your fondness for lengthy articles, this could be seen as a good or bad thing. Personally, I would have liked a couple of meatier articles.
The first issue is called The London Issue and, obviously, focuses on all things London. Seeing as I’m based in London, I found it all interesting but someone who didn’t have the love for London that I do might have got bored rather quickly.
The other thing I noted is how much like a Japanese men’s fashion magazine this was. If you take a look at say, Men’s Non-No, you’ll note that they’re much less aspirational and more based towards people actually buying the pieces featured. Tyler Brule noted that “Japanese fashion editors are more like buyers — they want clothes to sell and not linger in fashion cupboards”. This thinking has clearly trickled down to the folks at Buck.
I’m gonna digress for a second, but it looks the publishing world have cottoned on to the huge gap in the market in magazines for men who want clothes that are well made, unique and affordable. There’s a large amount for men who know how to dress and simply want to find pieces to complete their look, rather than be treated like an idiot who needs a total outfit overhaul.
Anyway, back to Buck. Tutorials are also a big part of Japanese magazines and they feature prominently in Buck. There’s a how-to guide on how to do a Quiff, tie a bow-tie and fix a shelf. Other features include a ‘inside my wardrobe’ feature, where they go inside a wardrobe of a celebrity and a recommendations section on bars and restaurants. The overall tone is that of a well-worn insider, although that may be because the magazine is based in London and therefore, so are the writers. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep up that tone when writing about New York.
Design-wise, it takes cues from Fantastic Man – but who doesn’t these days? The overall design is what you’d expect from a fashion magazine – clean, simple and elegant.
Buck is a great new magazine that’s certain to appeal to its target demographic and by extension, readers of Selectism. It could do with a couple more lengthier articles and a little less of a single mindedness towards the city it’s covering, but apart from that, I’d recommend it.
