Sad News: It was announced today that Men’s Vogue is closing shop as a stand-alone title, and will instead become a seasonal supplement to Vogue. The title will be published in the spring and fall of 2009, according to Charles H. Townsend, president and CEO of Condé Nast Publications. The December/January issue will be the last issue sent to Men’s Vogue subscribers and sold on newsstands.
The title was launched in September 2005 into a crowded field of men’s titles, and aimed to set itself apart by catering to an older, more affluent audience than competitors like GQ and Details, which are also published by Condé Nast, as is DNR. Men’s Vogue carried the imprimatur of editorial director Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, who had tapped protégé Jay Fielden as editor-in-chief. He will continue to edit the Men’s Vogue supplement, according to Townsend.
The title had upped its frequency to 10 issues this year, and was set to raise its rate base to 400,000 at the beginning of next year, up from 350,000. However, ad pages were down 11 percent through November, to 588 pages, down from 662 in 2007, despite the title publishing two additional issues this year, according to Media Industry Newsletter. The move is part of Condé Nast’s across-the-board belt tightening as the current economic downturn significantly impacts the publishing industry.
I find this announcement particularly distressing because Men’s Vogue is my kind of magazine. Smart, insightful, stylish and elegant without ever being stuffy. This publication spoke to me as an adult with taste. While GQ and Details have their place, only Esquire can match Men’s Vogue’s ability to blend intelligence and fashion with such effortless skill. In my opinion, Men’s Vogue’s premeier issue is one of the single best menswear publications I’ve ever come accross. This is a real loss.
Men’s Vogue Premier Issue
Along with the brief but storied “M,” magazine, Men’s Vogue will stand as a testament to real style. Yes, it will stay alive as a seasonal supplement, but it’s not quite the same. In any event, I will not make the same mistake I did when M ceased production; this time, I’ll hold on to all my back issues of Men’s Vogue.