The latest issue of Paradis magazine (No 4) is out.  As usual it is a visually stunning mix of men’s clothes, erotic photography, modern art and meditations on manhood.  Paradis is a strange yet beguiling mix of French insouciance (they publish articles about whatever they like, as long as it appeals to them) and glossy magazine style.  This unpredictability makes it a great read. 

This is the biggest issue so far.  In this issue:

Sir Norman Foster, Britain’s most famous architect (The Gherkin, Hertz Tower New York) is interviewed in a searching, substantial and insightful article by Hans Ulrich Oberst.  Foster talks about the journey from being a working class boy of limited education to being the most sought after architect of modern times.  However the article is less personal than professional and lays bare the competence and power of Foster and Partners in great detail.  Read this to understand their design philosophy and ambitious goals.   

As always, erotic photography is at the centre of Paradis.  Jurgen Teller photographs  Italian model Mariacarla Boscono in an extended photoshoot that is by turns voyeuristic, aggressive and funny.  Some of the pictures, like one of the dirt smeared Mariacarla draped over a plush velvet sofa, contain too many clever contrasts, and do not work (for me). Some though, are heart-stoppingly erotic, exposing Mariacarla as intensely and explicitly sexual.  

English model Daisy Lowe is nude in a set of photographs by Max Farrago.  These are black and white shots of a soft, sexually available girl-woman.  This is the photographer-as-hunter and the pictures have a relentless quality about them, displaying Lowe to the world in sensual close-up.

What I like about Paradis is that they flaunt the eroticism of their magazine at every opportunity.  In this issue they illustrate an article about French shoemaker Patrick Hardy with some superb photographs of a truly beautiful girl, nude and flawless, skin like silk.  Conjoining erotic photography with style articles is becoming one of their trademarks.  Where on earth do they get these beautiful women? 

Clothes articles include a photoshoot of Jackets and Shirts (Brioni, Burberry) with Jude Law as the model.   Good shoot, clothes are clearly visible, which is (should be) the whole point of the photograph.  There is also a clever series of photographs of white shirts, blue ties and belts from recent collections. 

Other articles include a remarkably humble Brian Eno on singing, an article from Anthony Fawcett about working as John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s factotum in the “Give peace a chance” days and a Terry Richardson pictorial.

I enjoy Paradis because for me it reflects a certain manly style, cultured, aware and erotic.  I enjoy the quality of the writing, the photography and the beautiful construction of the magazine.  I am improved and entertained by reading it.

Paradis No 4, Summer 2008 is out now. 

Available from Magma, 8 Earlham, Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9RY Tel: 44 (0)207 240 8498 

www.paradismagazine.com