Lori Burgess Named New 'Elle' Publisher

Lori Burgess, most recently publisher of Conde Nast Publications' defunct Mademoiselle, has been named publisher of Elle, a 981,000-circ fashion monthly published by Hachette Filipacchi Media. Burgess, who joins Thursday, will report to Carol Smith, senior vp/publishing director of the Elle Group. Smith moved over from Elle.com in March after longtime Elle exec Carl Portale decided to take early retirement.

Burgess has an extensive career in women's magazines. Prior to her two-year stint at Mademoiselle, she rose through the ranks at Primedia's Seventeen and was its publisher for three years beginning in 1996. Burgess also served as associate publisher of G+J USA's YM in 1993, after joining the teen monthly in 1989.

Elle's incoming publisher will have a tough job. Fashion and beauty magazines have all seen double-digit declines in advertising so far this year. Through May, Elle's ad pages fell 26.6, to 591, compared to the year prior, according to the Mediaweek Monitor.

Its rivals have also fared badly. Fairchild Publications' W fell 20 percent, to 670; CN's Vogue slid 13.8 percent, to 1,059; and Harper's Bazaar, published by Hearst Magazines, tumbled 23.4 percent, to 561 pages.