>> After much speculation, Style.com has confirmed it will launch its first print magazine on Oct. 31, just a few weeks after the Spring 2012 shows finish. The first issue is "going to be very much focused on Spring/Summer 2012 collections," according to Style.com editor-in-chief Dirk Standen. "We are going to spotlight the most interesting people, places and clothes of the season, but beyond that we are hoping to convey to the reader what the experience of going through that intense four week cycle is like ... Starting today I will be using our Twitter feed to let our readers know what we’re up to as we shoot the photo shoots, meet the designers and models, and rush to put together the first issue."
The magazine's editorial staff — in addition to Standen — centers around Style.com executive editor Nicole Phelps and contributing editor Tim Blanks, while the creative team includes Fairchild Fashion Media editorial director Peter Kaplan and Style.com magazine creative director Lina Kutsovskaya, formerly of Nylon and Teen Vogue.
As for the reason why Style.com is moving into print? Standen explains: "If you look at the big picture I don’t think [media] brands can afford to be tied to one medium anymore. Obviously you see that with magazines paying a lot of attention to their websites now. But even on the web, it’s not enough to just have a website. You have to be on various digital devices. You need to be on the various social media sites. You want your content to be available in as many places as possible. Now that we are within the Fairchild umbrella, which has a lot of experience and a great deal of expertise in publishing, it became a natural extension for Style.com to do a magazine."
The website is also testing e-commerce, concurrent with the magazine launch, Standen says: "We are working with six New York City designers to be announced during fashion week. They are going to make a very limited number of pieces available directly from their Spring [2012] collection, so that people will be able to buy them right away. We are going to coordinate it with the launch of the magazine so, technically end of October. They will be able to buy it and will receive a nice package in the mail within days."
The Style.com magazine is currently available for pre-order and will be available on newsstands in select cities across North America and in Europe.