Kate Lanphear

Kate Lanphear
Occupation	Fashion editor
Known for	Editor-in-chief of Maxim; Women's style director at T Magazine

Kate Lanphear is a prominent American fashion editor. She previously held the position of editor-in-chief at Maxim, and she currently serves as the women’s style director for The New York Times style publication, T.

Career

Lanphear's career includes roles as style director at Elle and later at The New York Times’s T magazine. In September 2014, she was appointed editor-in-chief of Maxim with the goal of revitalizing the struggling title, which had dropped in value from $250 million in 2007 to just $2 million by 2014. Her vision for the magazine involved repositioning it to resemble high-end men’s publications such as Esquire and GQ, aiming to attract a more mature and wealthy audience. During her tenure, Maxim moved away from its usual focus on "photo spreads of scantily clad women," featuring a male cover subject (Idris Elba) for the first time. Although advertising revenue increased substantially, newsstand sales continued to fall, leading to her departure in November 2015.

Following that, Lanphear directed Google’s Fashion Week search initiative, concentrating on New York Fashion Week with elements like designer spotlights and runway shopping features. In October 2017, she took on the role of creative director at Marie Claire, succeeding Nina García, and remained until February 2020. She rejoined T Magazine in June 2020 as the women’s style director.