Yes, I know I have been annoying you all by smugly describing my life as a lady of leisure and telling you all how I was planning not to work until at least September BUT….I have a job. In fact I have a dream job. I am editorial director of (and partner in) a gorgeous, glossy, high-end fashion magazine based here in Abu Dhabi called Masquerade magazine. Check out the website www.masquerademag.com.
The job came from the most unlikely of sources. A few months ago, before the demise of M magazine was even a twinkle in management’s eye, Leo’s favourite football coach, an Arsenal fan (poor thing) called Andrei told me he had a friend in Abu Dhabi who had set up a fashion magazine. I didn’t think much of it because most of the magazines here are hardly quality products. And I couldn’t imagine that I would not have seen it if it were. Then I met Andrei’s friend and he showed me the mag. I was bowled over by its professionalism, quality and also by his ambition and vision. “I want to set up the Condé Nast of the Middle East,” he told me. I was sold immediately.
I have brought the lovely Jemma who used to work with me at M along with me and together we are plotting the next few issues. At the moment Masquerade is quarterly, but it will go bi-monthly from next year and monthly from 2014.
It is strange, much as I loved having time off and being a lady of leisure I could see, even after only a couple of weeks, how dull it would eventually become. I am really enjoying coming up with feature ideas, planning the future of the magazine and working with freelancers I had to let go unceremoniously when M was closed.
So no more lady of leisure, but I am a happier lady, and very much looking forward to helping to create the Condé Nast of the Middle East.

Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2012