New ES aims to reflect ‘excitement of London’

Glossy new ES magazine

ES, the Evening Standard’s weekly magazine, relaunches today under a new editor, new team and with 16 extra pages.

Hot on the heels of the metamorphosis of the Standard’s listings magazine Hot Tickets into Metro Life, ES has benefited from extra investment to emerge as much more of a party animal, concentrating on "the people who make London an exciting place to be", said editor Catherine Ostler.

Glossier paper and its new focus give it the feel of a standalone monthly magazine, Ostler believes.

When Press Gazette spoke to her earlier this week she had not yet seen the magazine as a whole. "We have sent off all the proofs, but we have not had it back as one thing," she said.

"But it is a very exciting mix, extremely colourful and glamorous and I think it’s amazing that it’s free."

Ostler, who has previously edited the Daily Express Saturday Magazine and The Times Weekend section, has been working on the relaunch of ES since July. She has also been gathering new staff to join the old.

The fashion team has been changed around, with fashion director Fiona Rubie, former fashion editor at Harper’s & Queen, at its head.

Ostler’s assistant editor is Gavanndra Hodge, ex-deputy features editor of the Independent on Sunday. Her contributing editor is Lydia Slater, who has moved from her position as deputy editor of The Sunday Times’ Style section, and her commissioning editor is Emilie McMeekan, who worked on People News.com, which Ostler edited.

Toby Young is the restaurant critic and Lowrie Turner has a change of design for her page. Shelley von Strunckel is to be ES astrologer.

There will be a new column, The Londoner’s Diary, written by a different person each week and occasional features such as Out of the Closet, a look into someone’s wardrobe, and London Tribes, a survey of up-and-coming young Londoners, starting with restaurateurs.

The designer is Jayne Gould, group designer, who has worked concurrently on Metro Life.

Evening Standard editor Veronica Wadley is now well on her way to getting the component parts of the newspaper the way she wants them to be in her overall plan for a new direction.

By Jean Morgan