With its colorful
emphasis on
international
interiors, Elle
Decor is the
newest entry in
the home
magazine market.

Editor-in-chief
Louis Gropp
seeks upscale
readers.

.......

•

The

Vs

o“.a:k.Y)

-{<-•,'

HOME

'spl,r'<:

1:. 31k

% ," ""t"..11- ■

nn

Work b,:x
(sfe,
I()
(jt;:r.,, i ciec;:m, ,. 54 ....A
rfew SA;;jf

JCA

!O•

■ BY CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ

pir

he highly successful fashion
magazine Elle has a new
sister, Elle Decor, a home
design magazine which de-
buted in March 1990 and promises
hefty competition for magazines like
Architectural Digest and Metropolitan Horne.
"The simplicity and clarity that is
going to mark Elle Decor captures the
mood of the new decade. It will show
that life in the '90s can be every bit
as stylish as life in the '80s," says
editor-in-chief Louis Gropp in an ex-
clusive interview with Style magazine.
Hachette Publications, the parent
corporation, is hoping the American
public will be attracted to the Elle
name. The targeted audience is an
upscale thirty-something generation
who want to make a fashionable state-
ment in their homes.
"Many of our initial readers are
graduates of Elle. The Elle readers are
interested in investment shopping.
They want good quality," Mr. Gropp
says.
As a sister publication, the
magazine was able to tap into the Elle
subscriber list of educated, affluent
consumers. Circulation as of today for
Elle Decor is 210,000.
Elle Decor is part of an international

34

f()I

fv.vv."

magazine empire. There are eight
international Elle Decor publications
and 17 international Elle magazines.
Mr. Gropp describes the magazine as
"pluralistic;" editors have interna-
tional seminars and share story ideas
and photos. For example, Mr. Gropp
talked to the German editor about a
story on Royal Copenhagen china.
"This is a resource that enriches our
pages," Mr. Gropp notes.
In 1989, 584 new magazines were
launched, according to magazine
analyst Samir Husni, of the University
of Mississippi. Mr. Husni believes that
Elle Decor is competition for other
home design magazines. "They are in
the market to stay. Although they are
a newcomer, they are not a newcomer
to the market:' He notes that Hachette
Publications is a powerful company.
"They have deep pockets," Mr. Husni
says.
The premiere issue featured model
Elle Macpherson holding a Louis XV
chair over her shoulder and wearing
a Calvin Klein blazer with jeans. The
mood is informal yet fashionable,
erudite yet simple.
Inside, the pages shift from Ar-
mani's Mediterranean hideaways to
Yves Saint Laurent's Normandy gar-

