Joe Zee named Creative Director of US Elle

[kimair]

from fashionweekdaily...
i loved vitals, along with his work at W and Vanity Fair...
i hope he brings some of that refinement to elle...

Elle Magazine today finally confirmed the news that Joe Zee has been named to the newly created position of creative director for the publication’s U.S. edition. Zee will be responsible for the visuals of the magazine and will assume the role effective January 29. He will report to Roberta Myers, editor-in-chief of Elle. This confirms a first, and exclusive, report in The Daily on December 18.

“In his new role, Joe will build on Elle’s continued success and reputation by enhancing the magazine’s look and style,” Myers said in a statement. “He’s an amazing talent in the magazine industry, and I am confident his experience and creativity is perfect for Elle.” Gilles Bensimon, international creative director, added, “As the Elle international network continues to grow in both size and stature, it’s vital that we attract top-level talent and creative vision. Joe Zee brings that and more to the U.S. edition.”

According to Myers, Zee will not attend the Paris couture shows, but will be present at the upcoming fashion weeks in New York, Milan, and Paris as a member of the Elle team.

Zee’s appointment comes on the heels of a very successful year for Elle, the world’s largest fashion magazine. 2006 will see the magazine close with 2,370 PIB (Publisher’s Information Bureau) pages—the highest number in the magazine’s history. In October 2006, Advertising Age named Elle #3 in its annual Top 10 “A” List. The magazine was honored in part for the largest increase in ad pages amongst the competitive set, as well as for its huge growth in newsstand sales to date.

Zee was most recently employed at Condé Nast, where he produced and styled stories for House & Garden and served as fashion director, then contributing fashion editor, for W. He has also worked for Vanity Fair and Allure, and was the founder and editor-in-chief of Vitals.

 

[mikel]

I wonder if he will change the new cover lay out, because it is atrocious and maybe he will attract some interesting photogrpahers?

 

[MissMagAddict]

from fashionweekdaily...
i loved vitals, along with his work at W and Vanity Fair...
i hope he brings some of that refinement to elle...

Yes I hope so too.
I adored Vitals & I'm happy to have collected them all...
Thanks for the info Kimar

 

[MissMagAddict]

Fashion Weeky Daily

Elle Guy
Joe Zee is the sort of success story you love
​

Monday, February 05, 2007

(NEW YORK) His steady rise up the W masthead, his brief but brilliant stint as editor-in-chief of the now-defunct men’s mag Vitals, and his insider status styling everyone from Madonna to J.Lo have left Joe Zee with a very big fan club. So when word came in December that he had snagged the most coveted job in the industry, succeeding the legend named Gilles, we knew it was possible: nice, cute, smart, and stylish guys really do finish first. Meet the new creative director of Elle.

Congratulations, Mr. Creative Director. How’s the new gig at Elle so far?
Today’s my first day. I got a tour around the office from Robbie [EIC Roberta Myers], and I got lost. [Laughs.] I have to decorate my office—maybe you can help me. I have a favorite photograph I want to put up. It sounds very silly…it’s from a photo shoot I did with Britney Spears. It’s just a shadow of her stretched out on this S&M apparatus we built. It’s so surreal. It looks like a Man Ray. Michael Thompson shot it.

What’s a morning like in the life of Joe Zee? Vegan crumpets with Madonna?
I’m up at 6:30 a.m. I drink coffee and read all the newspapers and blogs before the day starts. I used to like Perez [Hilton], but it’s become much more about him now and his crusades. I read Pink Is the New Blog, Defamer, Gawker, Jossip. Blogs allow me to see who people are obsessed with. It’s all relevant to what I do.

Who are your current obsessions?
Oh, God, a million people. I love Reese Witherspoon. She is so cute and charming. And she has looked amazing ever since kicking the hubby to the sidewalk! I like Scarlett [Johansson] because even though she’s hit or miss, she’s daring—that’s what I miss about Hollywood. Everyone is so styled and safe. To make a mistake is so much more exciting than to be conservative and on the ball with the column gown and the Bulgari.

Your pal Madonna makes mistakes. How did you meet Madge?
I did the Gap commercial with Madonna and Missy Elliott. I had the meeting at Madonna’s house. She walked in wearing a white T-shirt, cargo pants, and a sunhat pulled down over her face. I didn’t recognize her. She was really casual and easygoing. It was like going over to my friend’s place. You couldn’t be starstruck. It doesn’t really make for productive working.

Are you going to pull a Devil Wears Dior Homme and go on a firing tirade?
Elle is a very successful magazine right now. It’s one of the few that is actually doing well on the newsstands, in circulation, in advertising. My contribution isn’t to turn it upside down. My contribution is to enhance it and take it to the next level. I love, love, love Elle. It’s an iconic fashion magazine. I remember when it first launched in the late ’80s in the United States. It was so brazen and provocative. I grew up on fashion magazines. I would sit in school and read magazines like Vogue, cover to cover, inside out. Those were the Grace Mirabella days. And here along comes Elle with this energy and vibrancy. It just sent Vogue out the window.

When did you first meet [international creative director] Gilles Bensimon?
I met him at the shows in the ’90s. I knew who he was, of course. How can you not respect the heritage and history that Gilles has put into Elle to make it what it is? But I’m not replacing Gilles. Gilles is a photographer. I’m not a photographer. It’s a different thing. I’m going to be looking at Elle from a broader scope, working on it on all levels.

You have such positive hyperenergy. Do you ever stop working and just chill out?
I have a voracious appetite for pop culture. I watch an unexplainable amount of television. After reading all the reviews, I TiVo every single show at the beginning of the season and watch everything, but then keep the ones I love—like Heroes, House, American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Project Runway. I was obsessed with Top Chef. Oh, my God. I had to watch a marathon—I watched it for 10 hours straight.

What’s turning you on in fashion right now?
I love Alber Elbaz. What he has done for men and women has propelled fashion forward. Stefano Pilati—what he has done with YSL is completely intriguing and not in the shadow of Tom Ford. He has made an iconic brand like Yves Saint Laurent new and exciting. For American designers, I love Narciso. Marc Jacobs is incredible. I love the things happening at the Gap and J.Crew. I love the ping-pong between luxury and the mass market. For new designers, I love Alice Ritter. I dressed Julia Roberts in one of her things for Oprah.

Any fashion trends that should go away for good?
Everybody took Kate Moss’s cue for so long. I have seen every girl, young to old, wearing skinny jeans with ballet flats. I wouldn’t mind a little more interpretation of the look. That’s been the big trend of the past year. Some designers will probably do wide, full pants for fall, which will be a hit.

You worked with Patrick McCarthy and Polly Mellen. Pretty cool mentors. Are you easy to work for?
I was so inspired by bosses I’ve had. Patrick and Polly are big influences. I’ve experienced tyrannical bosses and carefree editors. I’m not easy, but I’m very specific. I’m the first one to get to work and the last one to go home. I work 24/7. My friends want to throw my Blackberry across the room!

 

[ShoeGal4Eva]

is the new pink peptobismol jessica simpson issue under her control?

 

[kimair]

is the new pink peptobismol jessica simpson issue under her control?

well, it's a he...
and i'd say no, since his first day was today...

thanks for the interview missmag...

 

[ShoeGal4Eva]

i meant he,sorry
thanks for the answer

 

[tigerrouge]

Good to see. While I like US Elle, there's no doubt that it could do with some fresh blood to shake things up a little.

 

[honeyisle]

The last 10 covers were wack. Let's hope he brings it!

 

[kimair]

well it looks like there will be more vitals influence in elle...
zee just hired paul ritter, the art director from vitals to be design director...
from fashionweekdaily.com...

Joe Zee is revamping the look of Elle and has turned to a former colleague to help spearhead the effort. Paul Ritter, who in 2004 co-launched Vitals Man and Woman as the creative director when Zee was editor-in-chief, has been named design director of Elle’s U.S. edition, editor-in-chief Roberta Myers announced today. Ritter will start April 2. An Elle spokesperson confirmed that current art director Guillaume Bruneau, an eight-year veteran of Elle who joined the title in August 1999, will be leaving the company. No further details were provided.

Working with Myers and creative director Joe Zee, Ritter will be responsible for the magazine’s graphic design and visuals. Ritter previously served as the creative director of Life magazine and also directed the redesigns for BlackBook and Jane. Ritter has also designed an upcoming Hilfiger fragrance campaign for the Estée Lauder Group, and is currently working on two new photography books with Michael Thompson. “Paul’s breadth of experience in the many worlds that Elle is a part of—fashion, beauty, lifestyle, investigative journalism, photojournalism, and celebrity—makes him the perfect person to take the look of Elle forward,” said Myers.

 

[softgrey]

oh boy---here we go...
paul's really talented though and they are a good team...imo...

 

[MissMagAddict]

This is Wonderful News! Thank You Kimar

 

[peacelover142002]

Aw, I miss Vitals.

 

[J.Shi]

well, it's a he...
and i'd say no, since his first day was today...

thanks for the interview missmag...

THANK GOD..

i hate that cover..

 

[MissMagAddict]

Under Zee Influence
Keith Pollock named editor of Elle.com

Wednesday, April 25, 2007
fwd

(NEW YORK) The Joe Zee influence continues to permeate the halls of Hachette Filipacchi Media. Keith Pollock, formerly men’s fashion director at Men.Style.com—not to mention the Elle creative director’s close friend—has joined the title as online executive editor of Elle.com. Expected to start May 1, Pollock's chief duties will include re-launching the magazine’s existing site, which had been spearheaded by executive editor Jennifer Schonborn, who is leaving the company Thursday. Pollock joined Condé Net from PR Consulting. As reported, Zee also tapped Paul Ritter, who helped him launch Vitals Man and Woman in 2004, to become design director of Elle’s U.S. edition. He started April 2, succeeding art director Guillaume Bruneau.

 

[MissMagAddict]

As the new creative director of Elle what direction are you looking to take?
Really, basically, to take it back to what it represents. So I like the history of the brand, the name, Elle, and what is used to mean when it first launched in America and also when it first started in France, which is where it originally came from. It was so much about a strong sexy woman, being trend driven, being very directional and showing great fashion and great ideas, and all that. So everything really just jumps off the page at you.
2. You are working again with your design director from Vitals, Paul Ritter. Can you describe how you guys work together?
Yes! Well Paul Ritter was my art director at Vitals when we did that at Fairchild and at Conde Nast. We have a great working relationship as we both think alike and have the same sort of mind and we understand what the magazine is about and of doing it in a new way or interesting way or innovative way and having a really specific strong sensibility that will come across so in a way we work really well because sometimes we argue but sometimes we see something exactly the way that it is and we try to move it all in the right direction.
And it's nice having that history with him there too, working together at Vitals..
Yeah, we have a good working history together and we don't have to hold back, we can say exactly what we really think and sometimes we're so busy we need someone who can think alike and have a like mind to be able to move on.
3. How are you planning on decorating your new office at Elle?
(Laughter) We're going to have hardwood floors, dark wood floors, and have plenty of bookshelves over there to hold all my magazines and reference books. And we're going to have fabric walls so I can put up the pages. It'll just be functional.
Window treatment?
Well this office has an amazing view of Times Square but when those blinds come up it gets really hot in here so they stay down most of the day to keep it cool.
4. How did you get started in the styling business and what would you recommend to a young stylist looking to get started in this field?
How did I get started? Well, I just feel like I've always been working, I've always done this, so I don't really remember how I got started. The best advice I always say is really try to be yourself and not somebody else, and not try to be too influenced by other things that you see that aren't really who you are. That doesn't really make sense. You just really have to do what you believe in and once you can really do that then it'll start to show through in the work that you do.
Right, so be focused.
Be focused, but also have your signature and know what you can do and know what your forte is and doing it in the absolute best way.
5. What inspires you?
What inspires me? Everything, anything, almost. I love pop culture, so that is the number one thing that inspires me. Television always inspires me, music, movies, art, books, film, fashion...the internet, multimedia. And it's also a meld of all those things, television on the internet and fashion and movies, everything becomes one thing for me in a way. Everything that is current.
So what is your favorite TV show then, right now?
My favorite TV show, right now. American Idol.
Really? Who are you rooting for?
Chris Richardson..I vote for him all the time! He's a good singer!
And is there any book that you are reading right now?
Eat, Pray, Love..Elizabeth Gilbert
6. You worked with Annie Liebovitz on the Gap Red Campaign, can you talk a little about how it was working with her?
Oh well I love working with Annie Liebovitz and I worked with her on a number of things for Vanity Fair and on the Gap Red Campaign. She's really good in terms of images and knowing exactly what she wants and seeing the picture. She's also really good at working with celebrities and to put all those things together in combination...she's really good at sussing out the particular trait in a celebrity's personality and being able to enhance it and bring it out of them in a picture, so whether it's the zany, kooky, comedic talent of a Chris Rock, or the like the sexy, manly seriousness of a Jennifer Garner, she's really good at pulling all those things out of a celebrity.
And that campaign was really interesting, because it featured different talents like Steven Spielberg and Penelope Cruz
And using the red clothes to find the personality and having it be really about the picture at the end of the day, so Annie was really good at drawing out the casual sexiness of a Penelope or the seriousness of a Spielberg.
7. Lets get a little more personal now. We are also curious to find out how you organize your personal closet at home.
Oh god. Everything is a mess. It's only a mess because I never really care. It's organized because I mostly only have basics. It's all white shirts, and brown shirts, and black shirts, all black sweaters. I mean, everything is folded but I don't have a lot of crazy items. Just my basics, all my suits, my jeans...totally basic, all basics. Totally uniform.
A lot of the same things too? Do you have the same types of jean, or do you get different styles?
No, it's all the same blue jean. It's all the same white shirt. I have a million white shirts..I love white shirts.
8. And is there something about you other people wouldn't guess or know? Something that is not commonly known, maybe something someone really close to you would know, like you talk to yourself, something quirky.
Um, I don't know..
9. The question came out when I was watching Akeelah and the Bee if you've seen that movie, and she has to do the letters in her mind and she pats on her side.
Yeah, yeah. I have to do a lot of things to focus. I love to have a lot of stimuli around me constantly. So when I'm at home the TV is on, the computer is on...everything is on for me to work. I might not even be paying attention to any of it. I need a lot of stimuli for me to focus.
Like when I was in college people would be at the library reading their textbooks and I would be reading the same page over and over again and when I'd get home I'd turn the TV on and the book would be finished.
10. To date, what would you consider your grandest achievement? What would you be most proud of?
Oh god. I always wanted to do stuff that would make a difference, so when people would come up to me and say I saw your work in this, or in that. Or that is inspires them in some way. It gives a bit more validity to it.
Is there anything specific?
Not one specific thing, just over time. I want to leave a body of work behind that made a difference, made an impact.
11. Who is someone you would really love to work with again...anyone from a photographer to an editor?
I don't know there are so many people I would want to work with again, for so many different reasons. I love Dennis Freedman, my old boss, because he was so great and so smart and so artistically adventurous. You know but then I'd love to work with Madonna again because she's so great and so interesting..she too is like, risk taking. Just people who are excited and interesting and love to take chances.
12. Do you see anything in men's or women's wear coming out that you think would be big this season?
For women, this return to elegance. For both men and women it's really about having an individual style statement, rather than following a trend. And just doing their own thing...that's the thing that really inspires me..people doing their own thing whether they're aware of it or not.
13. What are your pet peeves? Personal, professional..?
Oh god..pet peeves. Negative naysayers. I get so many obstacles that I have to hurdle all the time so for me it's "Ok. Next." So my biggest pet peeve are people saying "that's not possible". Solutions versus problems.
14. Ok, one last question. What is your horoscope sign?
Sagittarius.
Do you think you follow suit for a Sagittarius?
Totally. Because they are happy-go-lucky, care-free, optimistic types who go with the flow and that is totally me. I just go with the flow, do stuff and get stuff done.

source: jedroot

 

[classic1908]

I was also a Vitals fan and have the issues of Vitals Woman. Great idea.

I am not a huge Elle fan. I used to be back in the 1980s.

 

[kimair]

from wwd...

Though Elle creative director Joe Zee won't execute his full vision until the Hachette monthly unveils a redesign in September, his influence has taken hold in the magazine's June issue. Zee oversaw his first cover with Jessica Biel, who wears a mix of heavy gold accessories and brightly colored dresses and jackets in the photos accompanying the profile inside. Zee said via e-mail that his mission was "to bring that strong energy and a strong point of view of fashion back to Elle." Although Zee oversaw the cover shoot, international creative director Gilles Bensimon shot the photos. Zee also tapped photographer Alexei Hay to shoot the Technicolor-filled fashion story, "The New American Revolution," and oversaw the quick-paced fashion spread "Tour de France," which Bensimon also shot. The fresh perspective of new talent, said Zee, will help "resurrect that strong Elle point of view: bold uses of color, a strong sexiness, a unique fashion sensibility that reflects the Elle girl and a kinetic energy to the pictures." By September, Zee expects to attract other new talent to the pages, though Bensimon is still expected to shoot most of the covers.

 

[MissMagAddict]

source: wwd

Major changes by creative director Joe Zee and design director Paul Ritter won't appear until September

 

[Luxx]

^I am so excited to see what Joe comes up with. He's just a really creative guy and you can already see touches of his vision for Elle in the August issue.

I'm very excited for this. Hopefully there will be be some changes of with regards to book report length cover text.