New ipad App for the FT 'How To Spend It' Magazine

This is more of a public service announcement than a story. In my opinion one of the world’s best luxury lifestyle magazines is the Financial Times "How To Spend It." The FT has recently launched a free iPad app as a complement to the color newspaper supplement.

The ipad includes the following:

* A searchable content of more than 60 editions of How To Spend It;

*·Content from new issues posted seven days a week;

* Daily postings, such as blogs, columns, interviews and news from the How To Spend It staff that isn’t in the magazine;

* Content organized by subject rather than by print edition;

* Access to most magazine features and columns before they appear in print; and

* A “Gift Guide” with more than 600 inspired ideas for men and women with a new gift posted every day; and

“When we designed this, our first question was: why adopt a print-style published edition format when we can organize content logically and allow readers to search their favorite subjects, columns and writers?” said How To Spend It editor Gillian de Bono. “With daily postings, the app gives magazine readers a unique sense of discovery.”

Download the app by following this link.

Now you don’t need a subscription to the FT in order to enjoy the magazine. However, I would also recommend an FT subscription.  

I really do hope the ipad app runs better than the slow, cumbersome, flash-heavy, although beautiful, "How To Spend It" website.

Departures Welcomes its Newest Publisher

Departures Editor-in-Chief Richard David Story (left) with new Departures publisher Steven DeLuca

Well wishers packed a New York mid-town restaurant Thursday to welcome Steven DeLuca as the new publisher of Departures magazine. He began overseeing the luxury lifestyle publication in June, replacing Ed Ventimiglia, who announced his retirement in March.

The party in a private room on the second floor at The Lambs Club Restaurant and Bar also served as a fitting backdrop for the release of the periodical’s November/December issue, as the cover photo and fashion spread were photographed inside the sleek space with the art deco flourishes.

The title of the issue, “The Art of Living Now Cool Chic and Classic” matched the 1930s-themed high fashion feature. It may also signal a change of a sort for the publication in this post-recession era, where timeless glamor can be chic and cool as opposed to the frivolous spending and ostentatious displays of wealth that marked the “Naughties” decade. Not coincidentally, it is the first issue led by DeLuca.

From the size and jovial nature of the crowd that crammed into the room on a crisp fall Manhattan night, it appears that luxury, although maybe looking a bit different, is truly making a comeback.

Departures, owned by American Express Publishing, is published seven times per year for American Express Platinum Card and Centurion members.