>> INSIDER WIRE —The results are in and, as expected, it's not looking pretty.  A number of fashion magazines saw their ad pages drop by double-digits in 2008: W lost 12.7 percent, Teen Vogue is down 10.2 percent, and Vogue, which had a record-breaking year in 2007, declined 9.6 percent.  For the latter, the results burn even more, as Elle gained 3.2 percent over 2007, and Harper's Bazaar only lost 0.3%. 

Granted, in overall numbers, Vogue (2,893 ad pages for 2008), still trumps Elle (2,578) and Harper's Bazaar (2,067), but the losing trend can't be good — maybe the rumored Michelle Obama and Blake Lively covers will give them the boost they need in 2009? [WWD]

>> Anna Wintour is stepping out into a new, less plentiful, world: Conde Nast editors have been told to cut their staffs and budgets each by five percent, which means Vogue, Teen Vogue, and W will all be trimming some fat.  In the past, the Conde Nast philosophy has been to place the burden of cutbacks on the titles performing least well, but this time, it's not so — "This has a little more urgency on some level," a source told The New York Observer — so Vogue is definitely included.

Meanwhile, one of her pet projects, Men's Vogue, is being scaled back from ten issues to two issues a year, with its operations being folded back into Vogue, it was announced today.  Before the official word came, a source predicted that Men's Vogue would be a "small, small, small version of what it is.  And the small version will exist for nothing more than for Anna to save face."

The other magazine Anna is editorial director of, Teen Vogue, is trying out a new way to keep those ad dollars coming.  Nov. 28 through Dec. 26, the magazine is hosting a pop-up shop, The Haute Spot, in the Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey, where girls will be able to relax, try on clothes, drink smoothies, and charge their cellphones and iPods; over twenty of their advertisers are participating.  If it's successful, maybe it will ease some of the the burn Anna is feeling after the Men's Vogue fiasco.
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>> FASH INSTITUTE — We've flipped through plenty of tomes courtesy of Vogue, but come Fall 2009, its little sister is offering up The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in the Fashion Industry.  Written by Amy Astley with Lauren Waterman, the book will include interviews with designers (including Marc Jacobs), photographers, stylists, and others about their careers in fashion, accompanied by photographs and tips from the Teen Vogue staff. [Fashionista, Publishers Weekly]
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»PETA isn't a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow's Tod's ads [The Cut]

»The winner of Stylista starts as Anne Slowey's new assistant editor at Elle tomorrow [FWD]

»Karl Lagerfeld: Now in pink gingham [Jezebel]

»Could Kate Moss make an appearance at Interview's fashion week party? [FWD]

»Emily Weiss, former Teen Vogue intern of The Hills fame, is now working for stylist Katie Mossman [Fashionista]

»Jourdan Dunn closes Cape Town Fashion Week [FabSugar UK]

»Rankin designed a limited-edition Coke bottle [Vogue UK]

»Shipley & Halmos launched a new website boasting the "Cursor is God." [Racked]

>> There's no question about it: Magazines are hurting in these economic times.  The first, unofficial magazine circulation numbers are out for the first half of the year, and Anna Wintour could be in trouble.

Vogue and Teen Vogue (which is Anna's pet project) are both losing circulation by double-digit percentages (15.1% and 15.7%, respectively), beat only by Oprah's magazine O at 16.4%.  Amy Gross, O's former editor-in-chief, supposedly voluntarily stepped down from her position in April, but these numbers suggest that perhaps the move was less than voluntary. 

So is Anna Wintour's job on the line?  The previous editor, Grace Mirabella, was ousted unexpectedly — the magazine was in good form at the time — at 58 after seventeen years in the saddle. And before Grace, Diana Vreeland was at the helm for eight years, replaced at 68.  Anna, at 58, just passed the twenty-year milestone as Vogue's editor-in-chief, causing many to speculate that she's in the sweet spot for dismissal. 

A recent New York Times profile of Conde Nast chairman Si Newhouse referred to Vogue as one of the "jewels in the Newhouse crown," and also mentioned that Si dislikes confrontation so much, a number of dismissed editors have said their first indication of trouble came when they were fired, which explains Grace Mirabella's abrupt discharge. 

Vogue is one of Conde Nast's most profitable magazines, and Si is known for his "willingness to absorb years of losses on magazines he considers promising," sometimes choosing personal interest over the financial numbers, but will this apply to Vogue?  It will, for sure, be interesting to see.
*image: source

»Nina Garcia is rumored to have charged $60,000-$70,000 per public appearance in her final months as fashion director at Elle [Gawker]

»Before Teen Vogue, there was Junior Bazaar [bunny BISOUS]

»If he has a child, Tom Ford will not allow it to be seen or photographed [Chic Report]

»Daisy Lowe parted ways with IMG [Fashionista]

»Making of Longchamp Fall 2008 video with Kate Moss and Gaspard Ulliel [YouTube]

»Sophia Kokosalaki is going from two to four collections a year [Vogue UK]

»Coming to you during NY Fashion Week: designer Dorothy slippers [FabSugar]

»Christy Turlington, Gisele Bundchen in August 2008 W [W, W]

»First peek at Rag & Bone shoes, Proenza Schouler sunglasses [Style File, The Cut]

>> BLOWING THE COVER —Model lovers, don't set your hopes high for those September 2008 covers.  W plans to feature Kate Hudson shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Elle will have Jessica Simpson, and Teen Vogue will star Vanessa Hudgens.  Curiously missing from the list, however, was who graces the September Vanity Fair, which is rumored to a supermodel extravaganza. [WWD]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Teen Vogue has eaten up Aoife Wasser, who was Art Director at Visionaire, and she'll be their new Creative Director.  [jdivision]