Hal Rubenstein has been named the East Coast editor of FourTwoNine, the L.A.-based men’s lifestyle magazine. In his new role, Rubenstein will write a weekly dispatch from New York for the magazine’s web site, as well as contribute feature stories and interviews to the print publication.
Rubenstein was a founding editor, fashion director and editor at large of InStyle and also did a stint as the men’s style editor for The New York Times Magazine and a restaurant critic for New York Magazine. He has also published books and produced a namesake apparel and footwear collection.
“Few people are more keenly attuned to what’s happening in fashion and art and popular culture than Hal Rubenstein,” FourTwoNine editor in chief Maer Roshan said. “FourTwoNine has already made a big splash with its prescient coverage of politics and culture and Hal will be an invaluable addition as we take our digital and print outlets to a new level.”
FourTwoNine, which, according to Roshan, “was aimed at the urban gay creative leaders” when it was started by Surface magazine founder and publisher Richard Klein in 2013, relaunched in January with Roshan at the helm and notable names like Owen Philips and Merle Ginsberg on the masthead as a gay-inspired glossy meant to appeal to a broader segment of the population.“While ‘the gay’ is very much in our DNA, we have stories that speak to a lot of other people,” Roshan told WWD last month.
“I’ve always admired Maer’s ingenuity and drive and I’m delighted for the fresh new venue he has offered me to explore and celebrate the ventures and people in pop culture that touch the heart, widen our eyes and keep us curious,” Rubenstein said of his new gig.