The New Media Diva

I was at war with myself over this post: Part of me wants to keep Monocle a secret; the other half wants to tell everyone about the mag so it can make enough to stick around.

In a time when it seems that quite a few mags are intent on dumbing themselves down, Monocle is a breath of stylish, witty fresh air. The mag, which is the brainchild of Tyler Brule, is a cross between Harper’s, Vanity Fair and the Financial Times, but better (if that can be possible). From its site: “Monocle is a global briefing covering international affairs, business, culture and design.”

I think I picked up my first copy of Monocle at the Toronto airport on my way back from ONA 07. I was hellbent on not liking it, even before I opened the cover. I’d read wallpaper*, which was started by Monocle’s founder Tyler Brule, from time to time and found it to be sometimes too hip for its own good: The correspondents seemed to write as if everything was an inside joke only they had the punchline to.

Or maybe I was jealous that I didn’t glazed ebony bookshelves designed by some brooding Swede.

My snark-preparations were thrown off by an article on Abkhazia, “Breakaway state.” Besides my own shop, I had hardly seen anything in the mainstream press about the state, at least not in-depth I was hooked: I shelled out £75 for a subscription.

If it was just the reporting that mattered, I wouldn’t be as enamored with Monocle as I am: The photography is simple, yet breathtaking. If you get the chance, snag the November issue and check out the photo essay on Berlin’s Tempelhof airport.

Another plus, and you may think I’m being picky: the paper. The quality of the paper Monocle is printed on is the best I’ve found in a mag in a long time. I have no idea what brand of paper is used, but it’s a thick-weighted, uncoated matte. I love the feel of it, the solidness. (Note to The Economist: Sometimes your print bleeds and rubs off on my fingers. Just thought you should know.)

Something else I should mention: For the £75, not only do you get the mag, you get online access to videos that extend the hard copy stories. It’s fabulous blend of old and new media. One thing that stuck out though: There’s no two-way communication between the mag and the reader. No letters to the editor, no actual feedback venue on the site save for the contact page.

Granted, there is a tad bit of wallpaper* in Monocle: It’s very, very upmarket. But, if you can ignore the ooh-ahhs over items such as the Fuji Klasse W 35mm camera - which costs about US$800 - and focus on the actual reportage such as the article on Africans in China (both can be found in the latest edition), you’ll be impressed.