Not sure what to get that literate, witty, intelligent, but hard-to-please friend or family member for the holidays?
Well, we have the answer.
For a mere $12, you can give the gift of Memphis magazine to anyone and everyone on your list. Break it down: That's $1 a month for a gift that lasts an entire year.

We're not rocket surgeons over here, but that's a darn good deal. We'll even throw in a Vance Lauderdale 2010 calendar with each purchase.

All you have to do is call 901.575-9470, or order here.

The October issue of Memphis is on newsstands all around town, and I gotta say, I've not heard this much buzz about an issue in a while. While I'd like to think that it's because of all the stellar journalism found within its magnificent pages, the realist in me knows the real reason: MODELS.

Not just one beautiful girl to gaze upon, but two. (And before you get too excited, I feel it is my moral and legal obligation to let you know that both of those beauties are underage. Just saying.) Grant, the brooding brunette, however, is 18. Good luck with that.

Our annual fashion issue has taken us from random alleys downtown to studios and houses across the city, even to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where we spent two hot, sticky days shooting in the Delta heat, fighting off fire ants. This year, we decided to forgo the "storyline" behind the shoot and just concentrate on this year's incredibly bright colors. Of course, we had to make it a little difficult on ourselves by choosing a location that was gracious enough to let us shoot there, but only after the store closed. So at 10 p.m., for two nights, we were ready and waiting with an arsenal of clothing, jewelry, accessories, makeup, lights, and all the stuff needed to pull off a shoot. We worked into the wee hours of the morning, and we never would have gotten it all done without the help of some very important people. First, the dynamic duo of stylist Alicia George and photographer Sean Bloemer, casting agent leah Bruce, our style volunteers Anna Joy Bearman and Maggie Bearden, photography assistants Ashle Bailey and Rico Heard. Our models, Graham Black, Donnell Landrum, and Kaitlyn Stoddard (and their parents for allowing us to keep their children out so late on school nights), and hair gurus Shawn McGhee and Scot Robinson from Pavo Salon. Special shout out to the owners of the Viet Hoa Food Market on Cleveland for letting us take over their store after-hours.

If you haven't checked out the issue, it's on newsstands now (look for a gorgeous girl leaning against a display of raw meat. It will make sense when you see the spread in its entirety.) to tide you over, a few behind-the-scenes shots of the prep work (steaming of clothing, curling of hair, and general vamping) that took place beforehand.

• Scot and Shawn: on a roll.

• Bearden and Bearman: hats off to you.

• Shoe taping: tedious but oh-so-neccessary.

• Maggie: steam heat.

And to see previous years' fashion shoots, visit Memphis magazine's fashion archives here.

August in Memphis was quite interesting this year, no? What with the mayoral shenanigans, lawsuits, heat waves, cold fronts, floods, and many children left behind (the bus, that is), it was almost too much even for a city used to widespread chaos on every level. Thank goodness you can count on us here at Memphis magazine to keep things straight, and you, our loyal readers, informed. It's what we do (when the publisher is watching, anyway. What we do when he's away will be another post.)

If you thought the City Hall antics kept the you guys spinning, you can imagine what it was like here in the swanky offices of Memphis magazine, as our intrepid editors put together the "Who's Who" for this year's city guide.

It sounded a little like this:

"Could someone please change Herenton's profile to say former mayor? Thanks!"
"Nevermind. Change it back."
"No, pull that page off the printer. We've got to change it again."
"How should we title Myron Lowery?"
"What day is it?"
"We've redone these pages 12 times already! My fingers are bleeding."
"Shut up."
"YOU shut up."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too."
"Did anyone see today's paper? Pull the page again."
(quiet weeping heard somewhere in the art department)
"Can't we just put TBD by Herenton's picture?"
"The printer is out of ink. Again."
"This madness has to stop."

Of course, having Vance make his bi-annual visit to the office, parading about in his velvet culottes, demanding sparkling water and Brie, didn't make a precarious printing situation any easier, but we got through it. High maintenance, that one. You have no idea!

And when we work that hard and get a beast of a magazine like City Guide off to the printer, there's only one thing left to do.

Party.

Thanks to our friends at Café Society, the magazine hosted one heck of a Who's Who party when all was said and done. Thanks to chef and owner Cullen Kent, and all the fine folks who helped in some way make the event happen. Special shout out to the gentleman that warned the editor that her dress was see-though when she stood right in front of the glass door. She is eternally grateful.

See who made the list —and the party — below. Click on the images to enlarge. For additional party pictures, visit our Flickr site here.