RAGS

San Francisco: Rosy Cheeks, 1977. First edition. Very good plus.. Complete 13-issue original run (and brief two-issue re-launch) of this groundbreaking countercultural fashion magazine, one of the first to document vernacular fashion. Founded by ROLLING STONE veteran Baron Wolman, with editors Mary Peacock and Daphne Davis (of HARPER'S BAZAAR and VOGUE), and artist Barbara Kruger serving as art director for most of the run, RAGS's blend of DIY anti-fashion, politics, art, and music helped define the look and feel of the early 1970s and paved the way for vanguard punk and hip-hop styles. OCLC locates some two dozen holdings, but with many major institutions lacking; complete runs (a rare trial dummy issue preceded) remain uncommon, and especially in collectible condition as here. Like ROLLING STONE, it was printed on newsprint, so issues are rather ephemeral. Though the original run lasted little more than a year, the magazine's cult influence has endured: from i-D, PURPLE, and THE FACE to Bill Cunningham and the Sartorialist, RAGS remains an underground favorite. Also included are two issues from a failed re-launch of the magazine as a supplement to the VILLAGE VOICE six years after the folding of the original. A rare set, especially with the re-launch issues, which were particularly ephemeral. 15 volumes, most 11'' x 8''; final two issues 15'' x 12''. Original stapled pictorial wrappers for the first 13 issues; newsprint self wrappers for final two. Most issues 60-80 newsprint pages. Heavily illustrated throughout. Mild toning overall, some soil, wear to a few of issues. Overall, clean and sound.