Emmanuelle Alt out at Vogue Paris as heads roll at Condé Nast

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
May 20, 2021

Emmanuelle Alt has been dismissed as editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, in the latest cull of senior editors at Condé Nast International, according to well-informed sources.

 
Her dismissal brings down the curtains on her career as an editor after a decade at the helm of Vogue Paris.
 
Along with Alt, two other editors in chief were give their pink slips: Olivier Lalanne, the well-thought-of editor of GQ France and Vogue Hommes, and Joseph Ghosn, editorial director of Vanity Fair France. Sources also indicated that Jennifer Neyt, who oversaw the title’s website, had also been relieved of her position.

None of these editors are expected to be replaced.
 
The firings are part of a giant overhaul of the troubled glossy magazine publishing empire, which has seen Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue acquire even more power. Last December, Wintour was named Global Editorial Director of the magazine group, granting her control of scores of international editions.
 
In the past 12 months, Condé Nast fired the long-time editors-in-chief of Vogue Brazil, China, Germany, India and Spain, in a culling worthy of Catherine de' Medici. The only country which saw a successor named was China, where Australian-Chinese influencer Margaret Zhang was named the new editor-in-chief.
 
Under CEO Roger Lynch, Condé Nast has also brutally reduced the ranks of its international editorial talent in a long-term plan to return the company to profitability. In Europe, only Emanuele  Farneti and Edward Enninful, editors of Italian and British Vogue respectively, have held onto their jobs, with Enninful being promoted to the position of European Editorial Director. There is speculation that he will eventually oversee a series of unified European editions, in different languages, but with very similar fashion shoots.
 
A spokesperson for Condé Nast France declined to confirm that these senior staff were made redundant.
 
However, according to sources, Alt called her key cohorts at Vogue Paris together and informed them of the sad news in a farewell gesture.
 
A noted fashion stylist, Alt was named editor-in-chief in 2011 when she succeeded Carine Roitfeld, after spending seven years as her deputy. However, her tenure was more noted for its longevity than its creativity. In fact, both Roitfeld and the previous incumbent, Joan Juliet Buck, were seen to have edited far more visionary magazines.
 
Known for her understated style, the 53-year-old Alt generally dressed in skinny jeans paired with leather Perfectos or blazers, eschewing all dresses, unlike Wintour.
 
Her departure comes after news emerged of the exit of Dylan Jones, the acclaimed editor-in-chief of British GQ.
 
The French Condé Nast spokesperson insisted: “In effect, we have no comment. Condé Nast globally is undergoing a great plan of transformation announced last autumn. We are in the first phase but nothing concrete has happened in France.”
 
Condé Nast France currently boasts five titles: Vogue Paris, with 10 annual issues; GQ, which is published 10 times annually; Vogue Hommes, twice annually; Vanity Fair 11 times a year; and Architectural Digest, every two months.
 
Last year, the New York-based publishing company, which is still fully controlled by the extended Newhouse family, closed Glamour France. And there is speculation that Vogue Hommes may also soon be shuttered.