Print is not dead
Do you ever feel like an inanimate object has read your mind?
'Why helloMr Tank, aren't you looking sultry there... basking in the hot sun on my balcony.' If you've ever been unfortunate enough to get into a conversation with me about magazines then you will know already that Tank is my favourite. Whenever I go to London it is at the top of my list of things to buy before coming home (next to Percy Pigs, obviously). Without fail I always leave it to the last-minute and get lurched into a state of panic at 10pm the night before my flight because, 'No, I won't be able to get it at the airport - WHSmith NEVER have it!!' Hah - always the calm and collected one. Thankfully, on the night I last left London I stepped out of a taxi onto the doorstep of Monocle and there, gleaming before my very eyes, were 30+ copies of Tank sitting in perfect rows across the outside of the shop. Chi-chiiing. Tank fix sorted.
More often than not, when I squeal about how much I love Tank there is a person across from me, distorting their face and trying to back away, saying, 'I've never read it.' This is something I find shocking and disturbing. 'What do you mean, why you haven't read it?!' I ask them with squinted eyes. 'Dunno, I'd rather waste my money on glossy weeklies that I can skim in 20min and then throw away.' Just kidding. That's not what they say.
Enough of this chitter-chatter. Let's open the pages and see why Tank is so freaking awesome...
The editor's letter: on Instagram, nostalgia and the individual. Masoud Golsorkhi paints a philosophically coherent and hilarious account of how the ability to filter our lives in faux-originality is, in fact, making us ever more isolated and generic. Perfectly timed, I read this piece just a few days after posting about my love-hate relationship with Instagram.
Structure: Tank clearly credits the people (be it photographers, stylists or writers) that make the magazine come to life. This might seem straightforward but it's shocking how many publications there are that keep these points in the dark. Give credit where credit is due, I like to say.
The fashion: it's good. It's so good that when I flip through the pages I feel a bit confused - 'why are all my favorite things in here?' I keep wondering. It's everything I loved most about the season (see YSL shoes above and the Prada embellished jacket meets slouchy knit combo) plus a smorgasbord of brands/designers I've never heard of. I like that. Does this come down to the brilliance of fashion director Caroline Issa? I think so.
The words: they can be a bit tricky I'm not gonna lie. Put in a little effort though and you'll reap the reward. Think of them like a fine wine, an aged cheese, a piece of painfully sour candy or even those shoes that hurt a bit at first but then, once you've broken them in, can't live without. What I'm trying to say here is that Tank doesn't dumb it down. The writers are cutting, sarcastic and intelligent. You might need to google search a few words but, hey, that's ok. It'll leave you feeling smarter and more informed... or confused. Either way, chances are, you'll find yourself thinking back to what you read. Maybe because you agree with it or maybe because you don't. The words in most magazines leave me wanting to chew my arm off...
Okay, moving on.
The editorials: so good. They bring brands like Lacoste, Thomas Tait, Jil Sander and American Apparel together. No matter how beautiful it is, editorials that take looks straight off the runway and shoot them in an idyllic location aren't what really get me excited. I like seeing the best that fashion has to offer right now but in a new way. Emerging British talent mixed with good basics and a slathering of high-end drool-worthy pieces is my idea of perfection. For the record, I would like to go shopping with Pandora Lennard - she is a babe and nails it every time.
In short, Tank is a fashion magazine for the kind of person I want to be. It presents what is coolest and most cutting edge but with a grounded London-based perspective. Whether you're into grand ideas, photography, music or glittery ear-claws... it always has something insightful to say.
I'd feel just as confident having Tank tucked under my arm upon entering a philosophy seminar at LSE as I would walking into Somerset House in the middle of fashion week... just sayin'.
p.s. find Tank wherever good magazines are sold for £6. Can't find it in a shop? Never fear, it's all online right here.
