Life imitates art (à la The Devil Wears Prada) where delicious rumors run amok about the gilded age of Vogue editor Anna Wintour drawing to a close, and a chic, French counterpart taking the reins. With Men's Vogue scaling back to two issues per year, Teen Vogue's advertising pages—a key indicator of a magazine's health—down 10.2 percent, Vogue's 9.6 percent decline in its advertising pages, and the annual supplement Fashion Rocks on hiatus until 2009, it's no wonder there's been hot speculation about Wintour being forced out. The economic downturn and Wintour's $2 million annual salary could also be added to the checklist of items working against the iconic editor. And to pour salt on fresh wounds, Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse reportedly met with French Vogue editor Corine Roitfeld to discuss the final details of her move to New York. All told, Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse has blown off the speculation, saying "this is the silliest rumor I ever heard and there is no truth to it" to the WSJ. A spokesperson from Condé Nast confirmed with U.S. News that there are no changes to Ms. Roitfeld's role.
Vogue isn't the only magazine to suffer from the economic crisis. WWD reports double-digit drops through 2008 for many of the Condé Nast magazines: "Other Condé Nast titles hit by double-digit declines included Glamour (down 12.4 percent); W (12.7 percent), Lucky (11.3), Teen Vogue (10.2) and GQ (11.5)."
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