Changing of the chief at high society mag
The only thing certain in life is change. It’s permanent and ubiquitous and while some changes are drastic, some are inconsequential. After nearly three years on the market, a transformation is happening at Town & Country magazine. Following the lead of the US edition where Stephen Drucker, previously with House Beautiful, replaced Pamela Fiori as editor in chief, a similar situation is happening to the only international edition of Town & Country, the edition for our island nation. Outgoing editor in chief Monique Villonco is passing the reins to journalist Yvette Fernandez. Villonco, off to pursue other passions, will continue to be associated with the magazine from a photography perspective. Fresh New York City import Fernandez was personally hired by Summit Publishing’s president Liza Gokongwei-Chang to manage the distinguished darling of titles.
Armed with educational experience that could make the brightest of intellectuals go weak in the knees, Fernandez graduated magna cum laude and received the Most Outstanding Student in Journalism Award and Thesis of the Year Award from the University of the Philippines. She then furthered her studies at Stanford Universty’s Mass Media Institute before completing a master’s in journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism after a stint at The Manila Times. With 16 years of professional experience at Bloomberg tucked under her belt, Fernandez is an appropriate fit for the position. Upcoming plans include maintaining the format, which is patterned exactly after the US edition, until word is received regarding how Drucker plans to tweak the 160-plus-year-old title. Philippine plans for the magazine include a regular section with a focus on philanthropic endeavors.
What separates Town & Country from the slew of luxury lifestyle magazines on the newsstands is that it adheres to the tenets of the US edition, which is the oldest continuously published general lifestyle magazine in the US. It is a complete magazine for the accomplished, affluent woman of substance — someone like Fernandez herself. Its content provides a peek into the privileged class and is laden with matters concerning its largely female readership: family, home, design, dining, entertaining, social graces, destinations, fashion, style, beauty, wellness, wealth and philanthropy. It provides a happy medium for aspirations to take place. Town & Country is not just a society magazine that showcases the affluent but presents Philippine lifestyle at its finest through its tradition of elegance and genteel living.
