Robbie Myers

Roberta Myers is the editor-in-chief of the US edition of the fashion magazine Elle, having taken over the job from Elaina Richardson in 2000.

Career

Prior to Elle, Myers had worked for various magazines in the fashion industry, beginning her career as an editorial assistant at Rolling Stone shortly after moving to New York City in 1982. After leaving Rolling Stone, she worked for Interview under Andy Warhol, became the editor of Careers at age 25, and then moved on to Seventeen and InStyle. But it was her job as editor of the magazine Tell, a joint venture between Hachette Filipacchi and NBC, that would land her her first job at Elle. Her talent was noticed by Jean-Louis Ginibre, then vice-president and editorial director of Hachette Filipacchi, the parent company of both Tell and Elle. Ginibre made Myers the senior articles editor for Elle in 1995.

Myers worked at Elle for two years before becoming editor-in-chief of the sophisticated women's magazine Mirabella, which had been founded by former Vogue editor Grace Mirabella in 1989. The magazine, which had been struggling financially since its inception, was purchased by Hachette in 1995, and Myers began work as its head in 1997, taking over a failing publication drowning in financial and advertising losses. She stayed with Mirabella through a number of staff cutbacks until Hachette ceased the magazine's operations in mid-2000. Fortunately for Myers, a spot opened at Elle, and she was subsequently named its editor-in-chief in 2000 by CEO Jack Kliger.

Myers appeared on an episode of Ugly Betty as herself.

Personal life

Myers attended Colorado State University in 1982 on a diving scholarship. Her father was a graduate of the Hill School in Philadelphia and Cornell University. Her mother attended the University of Colorado, but was forced to leave for engaging in public demonstrations against the McCarthy hearings. It has been noted that her mother was a liberal involved in the second wave feminism. She finally earned her undergraduate degree in while in her 40s, and went on to earn a graduate degree in theology from the University of Denver. Myers is a graduate of Plantation High School, Plantation, Florida, where she was co-captain of the swim team. She is married to award winning New York architect, Frank Michielli, partner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects, based in Manhattan. Her first child, Francesca, was born in August 2000, followed two years later by a son, Michael.

References

• Freeman, Scott (October 23, 2000). "The new face of fashion - Roberta Myers of Elle magazine". Brandweek. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BDW/is_41_41/ai_66929453/pg_1. Retrieved May 28, 2008.