Comments on: A Lament

By: Lanier Ivester

Lanier Ivester — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:22:25 +0000

I’ve seen it, Terri, and subscribed for a while. But it’s just not nearly the same. I haven’t renewed.

By: Terri

Terri — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:08:52 +0000

Oh my gosh, I think you crawled into my brain and my heart, and extracted all my thoughts and feelings about the original Victoria, before you wrote that letter, and this post! I still mourn that wonderful publication. What a tremendous loss. I wish that Nancy Lindemeyer or someone — anyone — had the talent, vision, desire, and capital to resurrect it in it’s original splendor. I understand that Victoria has been resurrected, but I haven’t seen it. Anyone have any comments about it?

By: Fiona

Fiona — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:51:31 +0000

You said it so well in your remarks, and voiced my feelings since the new publication was inaugurated. I might appreciate it more if I had never enjoyed the first Victoria, but there’s absolutely no comparison between the two. The current one has no “grace” and still conveys such a commercial message – everything they feature is “for sale” in some way and I’m sometimes almost left with the feeling of turning the pages of a catalog! There are no longer the beautiful features (and who could forget the magnificent photography of Toshi Otsuki?!) ranging from treasured collections, gardens and the gracious tradition of a girls’ school. Gone are tributes such as “A Star in Our Crown” and the like. I too am a “non-subscriber.”

By: Jackie

Jackie — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:41:08 +0000

I just received the Sept.Oct. 2010 issue of Victoria. I will not continue with the subscription. It is not the same and probably never will be. It lacks the passion. Too bad.

By: CJ

CJ — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:44:42 +0000

Sadly, I must agree with Mimi that recent issues of this once-fine magazine leave something to be desired.
In addition, as a writer, I’ve found typos, which would have been UNHEARD of in the publication’s earlier incarnation.

As much as I loved the old Victoria, always hoarding February and December issues, I finally canceled my subscription
because it was too “white.” Not white as in “Victoria at Home with White,” a 1996 Hearst publication that still graces my bookcase, but there were no people of color or of seemingly middle-class status. It all got to be too boring with pages of all the beautiful, perfectly coiffed and with straight, gleaming teeth (white) people…. despite the fact I’m white.

So what killed Victoria? Passion. It’s obvious today’s publisher and all those involved are just producing a product without real love or passion for that product. As with much of print media these days, it’s about bean counters, shareholders and the bottom line. And without that passion, there is, as Mimi says, no depth.

Fortunately, many of us still harbor back issues from Victoria’s hey-day. Which we now cherish all the more.

cj freelance writer/editor

By: Mimi

Mimi — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:46:33 +0000

Lovely blog this! I’ve just stumbled upon it. Must explore a bit more.

I’m wondering what you think of the Victoria Magazine of the last two years?

To me, it lacks depth.

Mimi, a magazine lover

By: Debra

Debra — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:12:18 +0000

I too am a devoted reader of Victoria Magazine…I have every issue from it’s first in 1987 and I love going thru them – they never look dated and they truly were the lovliest magazine I have ever subscribed to – with the exception of SEVENTEEN Magazine – the ones that were published in the 60′s and 70′s. They were beautilful too and I still have my copies carefully packed away. It’s fun to pull those out once in awhile and see a teen age Cybil Shephard in a Cover Girl ad or those Bonne Bell cosmetic ads and their articles and photographs were top notch just like Victoria’s were. I just received my subscription card today from Hoffman Media asking me if I’d like to reserve a subscription for the newly revived Victoria and I immediately responded YES and THANK YOU! I am confident that Phyllis Hoffman will maintain the integrity of the original Victoria while adding her distinct flair that she’s become so well known for with her other publications. My favorites are Southern Lady, Tea Time and of course, Paula Deen. Thank you Phyllis for giving us back a beautiful magazine that we can escape into again!

By: Ana Maria

Ana Maria — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:00:11 +0000

I arrived home, sorted through my mail, and couldn’t believe my eyes: a card inviting me to receive the first issue of the soon to be re-released, Victoria Magazine!
Along with the rest of you, I too had a long friendship with Victoria. On a beautiful day in March, 1987, my wonderful secretary Trish, came back from lunch with a present for me. She said, “I saw this in a newstand and as I flipped through the pages, it reminded me of you and your home”. When I saw the pictures and read through the articles of the magazine, I realized how blessed I was to have this lovely woman working with me!
I have kept and treasured most of the old issues and since Victoria was “timeless”, I often turn to them while I sip a cup of tea.
About the new Victoria: I’m a bit worried. Will Nancy Lindemeyer be involved with it? I truly believe she was the soul of the magazine. When she left, Victoria began a steady decline that culminated in its sad ending.
Don’t worry about finding it. The new publishers will find us!

By: lilyoake

lilyoake — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:17:23 +0000

Dear Lamenters, lament no more! I just read an article describing the return of Victoria magazine as Hearst teams with another specialty publisher to bring the magazine back, in all it’s glory.
VICTORIA IS COMING BACK!!
THE FIRST ISSUE WILL BE A NOV/DEC ISSUE ON THE SHELVES IN OCTOBER 2007!!!
I remember the moment I discovered the magazine too….while on vacation, on a shelf in a Fred Meyer’s store in The Dalles, OR. I couldn’t believe such a magazine existed and wondered why I had never seen it before, until I saw “Premiere Issue” written across the top of it. I have every issue made ever since and I too cherish them. As a designer, they have been an inspiration to me when I felt my own ideas had all dried up. I could open an older issue and feast my eyes on a million things that would inspire more art in me to come out.
I never wavered with my loyalty. I liked the changes it made over the years. Like an old friend, you have to roll with the punches and grow and excpet and try not to become stagnant. My tastes changed over the years and so did Victoria magazine’s. Change isn’t always bad…sometimes it is sideways.
But when it ceased to come, I was so broken-hearted. I did not want to except it and have spent many a year searching for an alternative.
When, a few days ago, an old coworker emailed a link to a business news website with a story about Victoria magazine coming back, I was giddy and immediately punched out on my lunch break (even though it was 8:30 am) just so I could immediately search the net for more info. I found it, called Hearst and got it all confirmed. I left a message asking when/how I could resubscribe but have yet to hear back.
The coworker who sent the email left our company on less than cordial terms and stated she wished never to see me again so for her to break her silence and send me that email proves just how deeply I loved that one publication, let it influence my life and art, and wished for it’s return!
VICTORIA RETURNS!!
As I turn in my desk chair, i can see all the issues secure in their magazine boxes on the shelves behind me and I feel happy that I can add to their numbers in just a few short months.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:18:20 +0000

I couldn’t believe it the day my husband called to say that Victoria was being cancelled! How could they? Even though I noticed a decline in the old Victoria I had grown to love, but I was just buying my first house? How could it be no more? I needed that magazine to help decorate my first home. I have every issue, and I re-read them all the time (I am flipping though the September 1999 issue right now). I am so glad that I found this site – there are so many of us that reminisce of a time when Vicotira arrived in our mailboxes each month. Maybe one day, a magazine will come along that will recapture the grace and style Victoria gave us throughout the years.