• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 24, 2010

Us Weekly Lets You Rent the Runway

Us Weekly is bringing readers one step closer to the celebrities they both venerate and revile through a new partnership with Rent the Runway, a business that allows ordinary consumers (with ordinary budgets) to rent high-end fashion items ordinarily worn by runway models and the super-rich. The revenue-sharing deal will include promotions in the Us Weekly print edition and Web site.

This is just the latest in a series of tie-ups between magazines and the world of fashion -- including some titles that are not usually associated with clothing.

Earlier this month, Adidas announced it will begin creating branded apparel based on two magazines published by Source Interlink Cos., Slam (targeting basketball fans) and Surf. Clothes and accessories produced under the licensing agreements, featuring these images, will be available for the 2010 holiday retail season.

The images used in the Adidas/Slam collection will include well-known covers and photos from Slam's archive, representing two decades of basketball coverage. The line will target enthusiasts with clothes and accessories designed in the highly recognizable style vocabulary of the basketball lifestyle.

In January, Old Navy and Hearst teamed up to bring old covers from Popular Mechanics to T-shirts for kids. The new line of T-shirts for infants, toddlers and young children sells for $10.50-$12.50 and offers one of four vintage covers, focusing on mechanics -- specifically transportation.

Martinez to Elle

Hachette Filipacchi has found a new publisher for its flagship fashion title Elle: Kevin Martinez, formerly the associate publisher of Harper's Bazaar. Hachette poached the Hearst exec to fill the top spot at Elle, which has been left empty since April by the departure of Carol Smith, who jumped ship to head up Conde Nast's Bon Appetit. Smith, in turn, replaced Paul Jowdy, who left the Bon Appetit post to become executive director for sales at Bon Appetit and Gourmet.

Hampton Cottages & Gardens Produces Single-Advertiser Issue

The June 25, 2010 issue of Hamptons Cottages & Gardens is the first issue in the magazine's decade-long history to be sponsored by a single advertiser -- the Corcoran Group, a leading real estate company that has taken out 40 pages of ads in HC&G. HC&G emphasized that Corcoran had no input on the editorial content of the issue, which covers "House Hunting in the Hamptons." Corcoran President and CEO Pamela Liebman explained: "The HC&G special issue is a unique way for Corcoran to connect with visitors and residents of the East End who may be considering purchasing a home in the community."

Fournier to the Atlantic's National Journal

Ron Fournier, a fixture of the White House press pool, has left the Associated Press to join the Atlantic Media Company's National Journal Group. In his new role he will be responsible for overseeing the National Journal's various Web and print publications, including its e-newsletter The Hotline, CongressDaily and others.