special report

KIKI
“For Girls With Style and Substance”
September 2008

From the website:

“Our editorial mission is: to help each reader develop a sense of style that reflects her own personality; and to nurture in her the sense of confidence that comes from being comfortable in her own skin, whatever her style.”

Designed to be like a course in fashion, Kiki goes still further. “Through the lens of fashion, Kiki encourages girls to explore other disciplines (business, geography, fine art, craft, history, world culture, even math) and shows them that having fun with style and artistry is completely compatible with intelligence and creativity

From the guidelines: Query first with a detailed article idea – query can be sent by email or post – but they don’t actually give an email address online for the submissions. They only email I have is the one connected to the contact form on the page -- info@kikimag.com .

“Proposed articles which focus on other than historical or scientific topics must rely on primary sources. Such manuscripts must be accompanied by a complete list of sources, telephone numbers, and reference materials, if applicable. Proposed articles that are historical or scientific in nature may make use of valid secondary sources, of which a complete list must accompany the manuscript unless the information is considered common knowledge in the field.”

One odd thing in the guidelines is a mention that “Unless submission is stated to be a possible work for hire, submission will be considered property of Kiki magazine.” So, it would appear that it’s a good idea to mention that you’re a freelance writer submitting the query idea as a possible article at their usual rates. A magazine like this may possibly get press releases (which aren’t paid for) so that may be why you need to alert them to your desire to be paid – I don’t know, but I would be sure to mention that in both the query and cover letters.

Content is broken down into segments in the magazine including: “From the Studio,” “Art Bin,” “World Beat,” “Biz Buzz,” “Kiki Care,” “Your Style,” and “Kiki Fun”

Submissions sent to:

Manuscript Submission Editor
Kiki Magazine
214 E. 8th Street
5th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202

From the Masthead:
Founder and Editor in Chief: Jamie Bryant
Creative Editor: Abi Carlin
Associate Editor: Dana Freeman

ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ISSUE

Kiki
…Goes to Paris!
September 2008

FROM THE EDITOR: Letter to the editor – offers insight into how the magazine is defined. Tells of the editor’s first introduction to French. Includes a small game where readers look for a dog in the pages of the magazine.

Chanel Through The Years: From Coco to Karl. [by Julia Knispel] A look at the history and fashions of Chanel. Look at how Coco Chanel changed the way women dressed, and lived. Then looks at how a new designer brought new lift to a flagging company.

Designer in training/Elizabeth Robb: Liz in Croatia. A question-and-answer profile of a budding designer. Also includes photos and captions of different places Liz has visited and things she’s collected.

Anatomy of a Shirt – Photo with close up of some details of shirt creation and terms for each.

Haute Couture Fashion Week. [by Brigitte Aflalo-Calderon] The Spring/Summer collections shown in Paris. Includes a definition of Haute couture, and shares the origins of fashion shows.

The History of Swimwear [by Cindy Damschroder] Photo essay on how swimwear for women has changed throughout Western history.

Design Your Own Bathing Suit – photos of suits from different companies and a blank page for the reader to design her own suit.

Summer Vacation Fashion – latest clothes that readers might like. [8 spreads]

The Art of Fashion Illustration [by Jane Carlin] Short looks at some of the most famous fashion illustrators including Erte, and Charles Dana Gibson.

How to Draw a fashion illustration [by Lisa Jacono] Shows steps and concepts behind drawing fashion figures and includes a blank sheet for the reader to try her own.

Tool List for the Starter Seamstress – Photo with captioned details explains a variety of sewing tools from the orginary (thimble, measuring tape, etc) to the exotic (French Curve).

Review: Hand Mending Made Easy – one paragraph review of a book that matches well with the photo piece.

Glam Mirror [by Sharon Long Kabbes] Making a fancy mirror with colored marbles, hot glue and a mirror.

Flower Power [no byline] Making a decorative flower from fabric to be worn with a ponytail holder, barrette, or broach pin.

Sunday in le Marais – the new trendy district in Paris fashion with some history and photos of the area. Includes one-paragraph peeks at a few restaurants, a designer studio, gardens, boutiques, a museum.

Paris je chine! – bargain hunting in Paris, which has the largest flea market in the world. With photo peeks at several markets.

Filler pages – a map of Paris, a checklist for clothes to take on a vacation.

Made in the Philippines [by Audrey Freeman] Photo essay mostly about “fun facts” relating to the Philippines (general facts rather than fashion facts)

Biz Buzz Profile Vintage Blue [by Christine Van Dusen] Profiles a pair of designers who makes new things out of old.

Biz Buzz Profile LittleMissMatched [by Christine Van Dusen] Profiles a company that sells bright mismatched socks and recently added mismatched bedding items.

Biz Buzz Indie Girl – Profile of the authors who wrote Indie Girl, a book about ways to turn your creative talent into reality. Feature also includes a page for the reader to brainstorm, an important part of starting a new Indie Girl project.

Braids are In [by Karen Sylvester] Photo essay on how to do a variety of braids: a traditional plat, a French braid, and cornrows.

Summer Care from head to toe [by Julia Smillie] How to keep summer from damaging your hair and feet.

Yoga Bliss: Tap into your own potential [by Brigitte Aflalo-Calderon] An introduction to yoga including a little history, the principles of yoga, potential benefits, and how to get involved.

Here Comes the Sun! [By Dotty Shaffer, M.D.] The good, the bad, and the careful about summer sun.

{Saijal says} [by Saijal Lauren Andreadis] This article by a young girl lists her seven summer essentials for a day at the pool.

Pack Smart and Light [by Susan Foster] Tips for packing smarter so you need less things. This piece is followed by a display of fashionable carry on luggage from different companies.

Wishes at Work [by Felicia Richarson-Battle] A Crash Course in Creative Visualization.

Kiki Book Club – Six books with Paris tie-in. Guide books, picture books and novels.

Fun Things We Found – Cool Testers review their favorite things.

C’est delicieux – Photos and descriptions of a number of French Pastries followed by a page for designing your own.

Trace your Steps – Tourist spots you can walk to in Paris – from a book on city walks in Paris.

Little Black Dress – a page for designing your own little black dress.

Kiki’s Turning One – Invitation to create a birthday card for Kiki Magazine.

Metro Madia – a kind of puzzle that uses a metro map and directions where the reader fills in information for a pretend tour of Paris.

Can Your Cut the Mustard [by Felice Prager] A quiz about mustard.

The back cover doubles as a scrapbook page for gathering things that inspire the reader.

This page last updated on 01 October 2008