Toronto Life launches Stylebook SIP

New SIP, out Aug 18
Toronto Life magazine is launching another special interest publication to join its Home Guide, Eating & Drinking Guide and Wedding Guide. Not surprisingly, it is all about shopping.Stylebook is on newsstands August 18 and focuses on urban fall fashion. It's notable that it's the first special issue under the hand of Maryam Sanati, editorial director of special projects. The

Christine Dewairy leaves Maclean's to art direct Toronto Life

[This post has been updated) Christine Dewairy, who has been the triplequadruple-barrelled art director of Maclean's, Canadian Business ,Profit and Money Sense magazines at Rogers Publishing,  is moving to St. Joseph Media to become art director of Toronto Life. She replaces Jessica Rose, who resigned recently and is in the process of moving to England. Dewairy started her career a decade ago at

Torontoist finds "the perfect home" with its purchase by Toronto Life publisher

[This post has been updated]The Torontoist blog has been purchased by St. Joseph Media, the publishers of Toronto Life. The sale and purchase was announced late Monday evening in a joint press release from the two companies, also reported by a story on the Globe and Mail website. It's not known what this means to the content partnership of the online-only Torontoist with the Globe which has been

Toronto Life creates some fashion buzz about high-end battle between The Bay and Holt Renfrew

There's some buzz among fashionistas about an article by Leah McLaren in the upcoming Toronto Life (on newsstands October 14). It's about the battle for high-end fashion supremacy between the traditional top dog, Holt Renfrew, and The Bay, resurgent under new ownership and leadership.McLaren says of Bonnie Brooks, The Bay's president and CEO:"Brooks' strategy -- boosted by a well-received Olympic

Toronto Life makeover is an "homage to classic magazine design"

Toronto Life magazine has unveiled a redesign that recovers its iconic red box and a revamped logotype (above). Its August issue's new look was unveiled at a reception in Toronto this  week and essentially undoes much of a redesign made 5 years ago. It is on some newsstands now and will be on all of them by July 15.

The magazine's content has been shaken up, too, with former Globe and Mail

Freelancer Mary Rogan reflects on her Aqsa Parvez story and the outcomes

Last week, with the conviction of Aqsa Parvez's father and brother for her murder, we asked whether views had changed on the December 2008 cover story in Toronto Life by Mary Rogan. Not much was heard from her at the time. But Rogan clearly has her own views looking back. In a Q & A with the magazines's Informer blog, she says she was particularly disturbed by the number of people, particularly

Toronto Life website passes 300,000 unique visitors & 2 million page views

Toronto Life magazine's strategy in recent years has not only to be the best city magazine in Canada but also to build a robust web presence. In this, it is like many -- or most -- consumer and b2b magazines today. 

So it is interesting to see the magazine's announcement that its TorontoLife.com has grown its audience to the point where it has more than 300,000 unique visitors and more than 2

The ad supplements that ate Toronto Life

Torontoist, a popular blog about all things Toronto, has had it with the baggage that comes with every issue of Toronto Life magazine. In a post today, Mark Lostracco says that while he thinks the subscription price is worth every penny, the magazine's heavy burden of advertising ride-alongs and inserts is too much.Subscription card "fly-ins" and heavy-stock ad inserts are extremely unpopular

John Macfarlane stepping down as Editor at Toronto Life; Sarah Fulford to succeed him

John Macfarlane, the editor of Toronto Life, will be stepping down at the end of 2007. He will be succeeded by Senior Editor Sarah Fulford, an eight year veteran of the magazine. The announcement was made today, an indication of some orderly succession planning at St. Joseph Media.Macfarlane, 65 (shown at left), has actually been editor of the magazine twice and can rightly, and without hyperbole

Toronto Life puts its brand up in lights on a key Toronto corner

St. Joseph Communications has bought the naming rights to a key Toronto intersection -- Yonge and Dundas -- and will brand the development there Toronto Life Square after its iconic flagship magazine. In a press release issued today, it was announced that the multi-use complex, called Metropolis while it was under construction, will open under the new name in the fall of 2007. The building is