Oh Russh, how I used to love thee. This month’s latest Russh sees the gang going after the matte cover finish, a little thinner on the pages, and only one line to persuade the potential Russh consumer “one hundred per cent”. A few friends of mine have noted how unaccessible this month’s Russh was and I too felt something missing, but not sure on what exactly that is. Russh has always had a good balance of mainstream and non mainstream fashion and articles, but it seems that their ego may have gone a bit too ahead of themselves and they have chosen to cross over to the high end, non accessible fashion magazines. Some people don’t view this as something wrong, but personally I’m not a fan of snobbish inaccessible magazines that show boobs, nudity and art for arts sake.

1. Russh’s cover is stunning and has to be one of my favourite Russh cover.

2. What is with the numerous ads before any mention of the content – I remember someone had written into Russh commending on the fact that unlike other magazines i.e. Vogue, they don’t bombard the readers full of ads. Also, what has happened to the Letter section? It’s gone missing!

3. Love: Surface to Air wedges $720

4. Ray-ban Clubmaster sunglasses $250. Perhaps a new pair for my overseas trip won’t hurt the budget too much.

5. Delfina Delettrez’s inspiration for her jewellery – “Shaped like skulls, leggy animals and different body parts, her rings, bracelets, earrings and colliers are inspired by ancient beliefs and sordid legends”.

6. Dominic Jones jewellery collection, Tooth and Nail, “inspired by the strong elegance of tough femininity.”

7. Anna Karina mentions Jean-Luc Godard’s obsession with adding water to red wine, “He was not interested in getting drunk, sometimes he’d be invited to very chic restaurants with very, very expensive wine. Jean-Luc would pour water into the wine”.

8. “Paz De La Huerta is delicious. Smart, sexy….Guys want to date her, girls want to be her and cult directors want her in their movies.” Oh And she likes punk music.

9. Sam Haskin’s pioneering nude photography books is widely referenced in the fashion photography world, yet he sets out to “make photographs and not catalogue shots”.

10. Mark Borthwick’s mesmerising fashion photography achieved through “exposing the back of his camera to create a rainbow effect.”

11. It’s pretty clear that Russh loves Lover designers, Nic and Susien as they have been featured in their magazines a few times now. The candid interview with Nic and Susien was very insightful but directionless.  Nic’s encounter of their first date involved having to himself to “Be calm. Be yourself” written in blue biro on the palm of his hands. Ahhh, how cute.

12. Cass Bird’s photography claims that swings are much more fun when you’re naked. There is something definitely carefree and spirited about her photographs.

13. Stunning model – Sara Emilia Bernat – “a natural beauty in a natural environment.”

14. Russh’s beauty icon Tina Chow

15. Heralding a new shape in the female power shoulder pads?

16. Alternative Apparel tees and basics, where can I get a hold of some of these? Now that American Apparel have arrived in Sydney, the appeal of the label has worn off.

I must admit that I was very late in purchasing the bi-monthly Frankie. Usually I would purchase it as soon as it arrives fresh on the stands of my local Newsagency but not this time. I think most of it has to do with the model on the cover – I find her a bit creepy than the usual sweet models they have on the cover. Then there is the issue of whether my love for Frankie is waning. I have thoroughly enjoyed Frankie, but I admit that I am getting tired of the Grandma-esque related articles and the lack of fashion styling in comparison to other mags. However, I’m willing to still give Frankie a go (I have recently stopped purchasing Yen). These are just a few of my favourite things from Frankie this month:

1. I definitely need to get me one of these tree beds, retailing at $15,000 after 250 hours of work by the Jealous Curator. The bed was made for a gardener who wanted to sleep in something organic.

2. I love the Frankie posters that come ready to be ripped out. Reminds me of as a teenager and buying Smash/TV Hits with all those band posters. Back then it was all about these posters. The artist this month is Ghost Patrol. I adore the fine ink drawing.

3. Designer, Black Milk, devoted to tights will have me as their biggest customer since I practically live in tights. I love these spider ones:

4. Angus Stone from Aussie band Angus & Julia Stone talks mushrooms and suggests getting high on love and other things…

5. Jenny Wilson inspired to play music after hearing PJ Harvey.

6. An insight into self-taught photographer, Alex Prager’s plastic world.

7. PJ Harvey is her own biggest critic “It would be srange if I liked everything I wrote when I was a young lady. All these years later, song lyrics do lose their resonance with the writer. I mean, a lot of authors completely disown books they’ve written”

8. Peaches has a crotch gallery on her website. I am proud to declare that I too am one of the many that have seen her hairs down there!

9. Discover creative types that have left the big smoke of the city for the cleaner fresh air of the country. The coffee ain’t as nice as in Sydney but a simple life awaits you.

10.  Audrey Tatou likes to shoot her interviewers with her Leica. It is her trademark and tradition.

11. Even books are not your average book club. Add some booze and you have yourself a book party. Funny how everything becomes exciting when booze is involved.

12. Groups across the world are taking things slow even as far as to create a Slow Blog Manifesto – “speaking like it matters, like the pixels that give your words form are precious and rare”. Forget Twitter.

13. I adore Amanda Austins photo with her dream like composition.

14. An article for the geeks on the evolution of robots claiming that the Orgasmatron 3000 should just be around the corner.

15. Can you live on No Frills food for 7 days? One writer shows that it is a lot complicated than he thought, especially when he craves the advertising and bright marketing that makes frills food taste that extra better.

16. Adore Stephen Wilde’s kiddie snaps of his 18-month old son in odd places

17. I can empathise with Sarah Blasko’s dwelling especially with the no room to fit a table, but lets all eat on the floor, picnic style dinners for friends.

18. Marieke Hardy dwells on why great literary drunks are all men who write exceptional passages such as this:

Drinking is an emotional thing. It juggles you out of the standardism of everyday life, out of everything being the same. It yanks you out of your body and your mind and throws you against the wall. I have the feeling that drinking is a form of suicide where you’re allowed to return to life and begin all over the next day. It’s the killing yourself, and the you’re reborn. I guess I’ve lived about 10 or 15 thousand lives now.

19. Benjamin Law, one of my favourite writers of Frankie, provides a frank account of being back on the dole, “there was a Bible-sized stack of indecipherable paperwork to churn through which, one completed, was promptly lost by Centrelink staff. There were mandatory interrogations and psychological assaults.”

20. Like your independent aussie music? Listen to something new today at who the bloody hell are they?

21. Pikaland have started their very own zine called “Good to Know” available to download via a small fee available here.