After months of buzz and speculation, the first issue of the French edition of Vanity Fair has hit news stands with a smouldering Scarlett Johansson gracing its cover, reports FRANCE 24.
Seeking to emulate the format and tone of the original US edition – a mix of short, punchy features on fashion and pop culture and longer, investigative articles on politics and current events – the monthly magazine will be run by veteran journalist Michel Denisot, the longtime presenter of popular nightly programme “Le Grand Journal” on French TV channel Canal Plus.
Anne Boulay, the editor-in-chief of the French edition of GQ, will also be Vanity Fair France’s editor-in-chief.
With a team of around 20 staff journalists, the magazine is expected to put out issues featuring mostly original, exclusive French content (about 80%) with a small selection of articles translated from the US edition.
The three main sections are “Fanfare”, which will consist of culture stories, “Fumoir”, to feature more deeply reported politically or socially oriented pieces, and “Vanity Case”, which will highlight fashion and lifestyle.
Condé Nast France is investing 15 million euros -- or $19.7 million -- in the magazine’s launch, Xavier Romatet, the CEO of the magazine publisher’s French branch, has said. It aims to break even after three years and turn a profit within eight.
As for the choice of its first cover story (written by Ingrid Sischy, with photos by Mark Seliger), Denisot told journalists at a recent news conference in Paris that actress Johansson -- whose boyfriend, creative agency manager Romain Dauriac, is French and who splits her time between Paris and the US -- was the ideal subject.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.