I read a lot of magazines (I’ve even been known to write for one or twelve).  So it’s really great to see that a number of the more established titles I most adore have evolved (either through necessity or want) to their best forms in years, while the newer publications are using a mix of high production quality and avant-garde styling to their best effect.

“Okay, Shulman,” you’re probably saying, “give us some specifics.”  Sure.

PAPER – my love affair with PAPER (affectionately referred to as the Vanity Fair of the Downtown Demimonde) has been going on for nearly two decades.  Always a step (and oftentimes a leap) ahead of the zeitgeist, the pop-culture bible was one of the first to roll-out an online version worth a damn (Papermag.com was launched while I was still in college).  As a matter of fact, I keep copies of From AbFab to Zen: PAPER’s Guide to Pop Culture by my coffee-table (for guests) and by my computer (for reference).  Meanwhile, their consulting spin-off ExtraExtra (overseen by PAPER’s VP of Marketing & Creative Services, Drew Elliott) has a client list that includes Target, Lanvin, Absolut, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Sony, and HP.  Werk!

BlackBook – after a series of changes in editorial outlook, ownership, publishers, editors, etc., I’m delighted that BlackBook is once again steering with an even keel.  New editor, Joshua David Stein – fresh off a stint as Senior Editor at Departures – is taking full advantage of the deep pockets of BlackBook Media Corp’s new owners, a couple of LA guys you might’ve heard of, named Ron Burkle and Magic Johnson.  To wit, he’s doing away with the four-blurbs-per-page format and returning the glossy publication to its previous glory, with what he describes in his most recent “Editor’s Letter” as cleaner pages and meatier features, declaring “There shall be essays.”  And I say “Hooray!”

Vegas/Rated – It’s fresh, it’s hip, and it’s got the lock on Las Vegas’ under-50 market.  Melinda Sheckells juggles a stable of writers and photographers from all over the country – a neat trick for a regional publication – and ensures that this gorgeously produced magazine is just as in-tune with Downtown’s hipster scene as the goings-on Strip-side.  Whether you’re shopping at Crystals at CityCenter and staying in a Roger Thomas-designed Fairway Villa at Wynn Las Vegas, or people-watching over pasta at Piero’s, before raving ‘til dawn at the Electric Daisy Carnival, this is the magazine for you.

Some say print is back.  Me?  I say it never really left.

Get into it!