Elle (magazine)

Elle is a worldwide lifestyle magazine of French origin that focuses on fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment.Elle is also the world's best-selling fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she" or "her".

History

Elle was founded in France in 1945. In the 1960s, it was considered to "not so much reflect fashion as decree it", with 800,000 loyal readers and a then famous slogan: "Si elle lit, elle lit Elle (If she reads, she reads Elle)". In 1981, Daniel Filipacchi and Jean-Luc Lagardère purchased Hachette magazines, which included the then-struggling Elle. Elle was then launched in the U.S. (News Corporation owned a stake in the US edition until 1988, followed by 25 other foreign editions). The Chinese version of the magazine was published in 1988, and is the only edition which is published twice monthly.

In 2007 the website of Elle was launched.

Among its past editors is Jean-Dominique Bauby, who became known for writing a book after suffering almost total paralysis.