A DECADE OF ADDRESSING THE MODERN WOMAN'S INTERESTS

UK launch: October 1985.

Editor: Marie O'Riordan. Nicola Jeal left in December. Sally Brampton (right) edited the magazine from its launch up until October 1989.

Circulation: Peaked at 250,000 in the late Eighties. Now standing at 204,000.

The mission: "The philosophical bedrock on which Elle was built," claims Brampton, "and on which it still firmly stands, is style with content. Yes, we wanted to be careless and carefree, to live in lofts and hang out in bars, to drink vodkatinis till dawn. Well, who doesn't?"

Good times: Elle was an immediate hit. A joint venture between News International and French publishers Hachette, it wasn't short of funds, and boldly pitched itself at consumer-friendly women between the ages of 18 and 30. "Elle catered for the woman who didn't care whether she kept her man or not," says Andrew Sherman of MC Saatchi, explaining its success. "It wasn't sold as an emotional crutch."

Bad times: The end of the Eighties brought a new sensibility, and the advent of grunge made Elle look rather old-fashioned. After Brampton's departure, circulation fell and the magazine was perceived as having lost its way. Salvation arrived in the shape of Nicola Jeal, who became editor in 1993, and when the title was bought that same year by EMAP its fortunes began to change. "The women's magazine market is enormous these days," says Jeal, "so consequently you have to try and broaden your values, which is what I did."

And now? As clothes-mad as ever, the May issue boasts a "fantasy fashion show" (11 supermodels wearing "the ultimate designer gowns"), a "dress for less" special and a feature on "making it big in the beauty business". The lust factor is provided by a line-up of "the sexiest men in football" and an interview with Broken Arrow star Christian Slater. On a more serious note, though, the month's photo essay chronicles the journey of a Tibetan man and his daughter over the Himalayas to India.