Holiday, the cult American travel magazine that launched in 1946 and closed in 1977, was known for its vivid accounts and stunning photographs of far-flung places from contributors like Ernest Hemingway, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Slim Aarons, and Gay Talese. The publicationbecame, in the words of Vanity Fair's Michael Callahan, less a periodical than a rapturous travel bible one that would re-invent the concept of American leisure.
Now, after more than three decades, Holiday has returned. Parisian art directorFranck Durand, who has worked with labels like Herms, Chanel, and Anthony Vaccarello, bought the rights to the magazine three years ago, and now oversees its creative direction. He appointedfashion journalistMarc Beaug known for his tongue-in-cheek columnin M, le Magazine du Monde in which he restyles famous figures from Valrie Trierweiler to Kim Jong-un as its editor-in-chief. The first issue was released last month, and the magazine will be published biannually. A lifestyle brand will follow, with designer collaborations and eventually a Holiday caf in September 2015, in Pariss posh 16th Arrondissement.
The magazines current iteration has a very different feel from the original, though Durand said his aim of delivering distinctive visions of place remains very much the same. The comeback issue was inspired by the year 1969, and the sense of being libre. The layout is beautifully clean-cut and spare, but feels more restrained than that of its predecessor, less exuberant. Playful adventure has been replaced with manicured polish. (You can see some of Holidays original issues here, courtesy of a collector.) It hews, perhaps a little comfortably with Durand and Beaugs backgrounds, closer to a magazine de mode, with plentiful fashion photography, and interviews of fashion-world personalities.
Within the pages of the inaugural issue, readers will find a recipe for paella with ground saffron and spring onions and sardines (serves two). Theres an at-home sit-down with Dutch photographers Inez van LamsweerdeandVinoodh Matadin in their Simrel Achenbachdesigned loft (It took guts to go and live in Nolita in 1996, what with the drug dealers, street hawkers, and cruising police cars, writes Franois Blet). Arthur Dreyfuss piece about Ibiza explores its wild, discothque reputation, noting offhand the singer Nico from The Velvet Underground reportedly died in Ibiza after falling off her bicycle. In his tribute to the first incarnation of Holiday, Julien Neuville describes the magazines original culture:Tickets in first class and refunded travel expenses without asking to see receipts.
"Holiday is a magazine written in English, but its heart is French, declares the magazines new website though, in deference to the magazines roots, the new Holiday is printed in English, because, as Durand puts it, keeping the language of origin made sense. He admits it also gives a wider reader purview. Its more international, he says. Less regional. Still, it resolutely maintains what Beaug affirms is an esprit franais: The entire Holiday team is francophone, they execute a French outlook, and the articles are written in French before being translated into English.
Luckily, the word holiday has the same connotation in both cultures evoking relaxation and pleasure but, if anyone knows how to take a holiday, its the French. Beaug hasn't booked his summer plans yet, but says hell likely head to Italy; Durand cites the Amalfi Coast as his favorite retreat. Simple pleasures and local color are at the heart of what he considers a smart travel ethos. The most luxurious thing is to find a little well-preserved spot, with a restaurant serving local products, where the menu options aren't printed in 12 languages, he says.
Durand firmly divorces Holiday from a literal definition of vacation. The concept, he says, is experiential: It's more of a sensation. Beaug concurs: I hate being a tourist; its maybe the worst human condition possible. I like tourism that isn't touristic. A holiday, he says, is about taking possession of the place, meeting local people; not talking about monuments.
*The interview with Durand has been translated from French.
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The Return of Holiday, the American Travel Magazine