There is a certain irony in the fact that Justine Picardie’s first
job offer on coming down from Cambridge was from Vogue. Instead of
Hanover Square she opted for Grub Street and joined the Sunday
Times.
Sixteen years on, fortune has revisited her. Next month she leaves the
Sunday Telegraph magazine to take her place as features editor in the
acme of glossy monthlies that is Vogue.
During her five years at the Sunday Times Picardie worked on everything
from Insight to Style and gained skills that have stood her in good
stead in a variety of writing and editing jobs - experience, she says,
that will not be wasted at Vogue. ’The sort of skills you learn in a
newsroom can be applied to a magazine. It doesn’t matter if it’s about a
fashion designer or a criminal, if the story takes 100 calls to get it
then so be it,’ she says. Having worked on Marie Claire, the Observer’s
Life and the Independent on Sunday’s Review, Picardie is one of a
handful of women who can boast both national newspaper and magazine
experience. Undoubtedly this is what brought her to the attention of
Vogue’s editor Alex Shulman, herself an ex-newspaper journalist.
Vogue sells over 200,000 copies a month, half the number of Marie
Claire, its largest rival. Its circulation is strong if static. It faces
increasing competition from the weekend newspapers’ glossy offerings and
Picardie has been hired to see them off. A challenge to which the
beguilingly fragile Picardie will doubtless rise.
While her arrival is unlikely to spark a revolution in Vogue House she
wants to see the magazine competing more with newspapers for
stories.
’We need those big interviews whether it’s a film star or an author.
Vogue’s a celebratory magazine but that doesn’t preclude it from looking
at darker areas.’
This, after all, is part of what Picardie has been doing since her
sister Ruth contracted breast cancer and died in September 1997. It was
while she was editor of Life magazine that she asked her sister to write
a weekly column about her battle with cancer. Ruth’s death has left an
indelible mark on her sister’s life and has changed her view on
journalism.
’One thing I learned from her death is that small things in life are
just as important as big things. In facing death Ruth thought about the
family and friends she was going to lose but she also gained strength
from things like lipstick and the colour of sweet peas.’ It is, she
feels, Vogue’s job to reflect the fact that people constantly flit from
the serious to the lighthearted.
Which brings us to the subject of PR executives. ’That’s fine,’ she
laughs.
’I love PR people. When relationships work well everyone benefits.’ And
when they don’t? ’At its worst you’ve got a PR who is phoning you just
because you’re on their list and you think ’why am I going to want to do
a story on pigfeed for the Sunday Telegraph?’.’
HIGHLIGHTS
1988
Commissioning editor, Saturday Magazine, the Independent
1996
Commissioning editor Review, Independent on Sunday
1998
Associate editor, Sunday Telegraph Magazine
1998
Features editor, Vogue
