Review: L'enfer Magazine

L'enfer Magazine, owned by Jack(freeduck__), is new to the Dollywood magazine scene—and it promises to send you on a journey through the alternative world of fashion. Unfortunately, there are a few kinks in Jack's travel plan.

So why L'enfer? Here's Jack's response to how and why he chose L'enfer.

"Well L'enfer is French and loosely translates to English as "the hell" and I believe that upon making their magazines, many people want them to be heavenly and perfect. They want everything to be wonderful and fit the category of perfection, but the truth is not everyones idea of heaven is the same, and we shouldn't be afraid to publish a near train wreck instead of something we see as flawless. I wanted to show people my idea of the hell that is being different and trying to stand out."

The Hell. Yes, how lovely. What I gathered from his statement is that everyone wants their work to be perfect. When they create something, perfection is strived for. That's only natural, right? We know we'll never reach perfection, because it does not exist. But there's no harm in trying our best to get there.

Jack, however, doesn't want to strive for perfection. He prefers to produce work that is considered a "near train wreck", in hopes of being different and standing out. In my opinion, that entire statement was a cluster-fuck. It made little sense, and he came off very delusional.

If you're scratching your head as a gesture of confusion, don't worry, so am I.

 In the Editor's Letter he tells us that we should be prepared to expect, mixed trends, diverse faces, and exciting articles.

Unfortunately, I saw none of those things in the first issue.

This is only the first issue of L'enfer, so I'll give Jack the benefit of the doubt and assume that he's just trying to lay his foundation. Whatever foundation that might be. Maybe he's saving all the mixed trends, diverse faces, and exciting articles for the next issue. I sure hope so. But it's doubtful.

As usual, it was no surprise to see Zenonas(.pease.) on the cover.  Z is such a delight, but he's slowly becoming the next Mel. Not that there is anything wrong with being a great model, but we all seem to get annoyed when we see an over-used model. Jack probably shouldn't promise "diverse faces" and show up with Z.

 Here's what Jack has to say about why he chose Zenonas, and how he thinks it will affect his magazine.

"I've always seen Zenonas as a very unique individual. He stands out to me. His skills in both fashion and interior design are extremely of high standard, and one thing I was looking for in a Covermodel was high standards. The first issue of L'ENFER covers the topic of alternative fashion and Zenonas is always conjuring up fresh, new, and alternative outfits. He was just the perfect choice."

Are you at all concerned that people might complain about seeing the same face over and over again?

"This was actually one of my biggest concerns when selecting .pease. as my Covermodel. I was and am fully aware that .pease.'s doll is so overused in magazines etc. but I think what many people don't understand is that behind every doll there is  a person who possesses a personality. Not only did I choose .pease. because of the fabulous doll, but also because of the personality behind the doll; Zenonas.  Let's not forget that Zenonas is the new owner of .pease., if it were still Linus, I don't think I would've chosen .pease. because the interview would be almost the same as previous interviews with Linus."

I love both Zenonas and Linus(dog_boy96). I think their sense of style, as well as their personalities are unique and they are amazing people. But make anyone answer the run-of-the-mill interview questions, and they become a bore. I rarely read the interviews in Stardoll magazines because they all tend to flow the same way. I did, however, read Zenonas's interview for L'enfer. But as I suspected, it wasn't very impressive. Since Jack is so taken by Z's personality—you would think he might have tried harder to showcase it. 

Jack's attempt at 'mixed trends' also left me feeling rather bored. He explored the world of platforms and even provided several pages of Stardoll platforms, complete with descriptions.

The graphic wasn't so bad, but then again—it wasn't necessarily a graphic. Just a cluster of Stardoll-made shoes. The descriptions fit well, but who seriously wants to read a lengthy description for over ten pairs of shoes?

Aside from a decently written article on the Boy London fashion line, there wasn't much fashion. Just a few graphics with Stardoll clothes and an article explaining what alternative fashion is. It was all very plain and seemed to lack any amount of depth.

When asked about what to expect for L'enfer's next issue, Jack says:

"Better graphics, better articles and lots of blood and a gothic feel throughout. I have no plans who will be on the cover as of yet, but it will most definitely be a fresh face that has a fresh personality to match."

All in all, I can't say I was impressed. The magazine wasn't good or great. But according to Jack, we shouldn't aim our sights over the decent line. So maybe this "train wreck" of a magazine is just was he was going for.