A Wall No Longer... A New Accessory... Rules of the Game...

RULES OF THE GAME: A GQ guy probably owns a skinny tie and a great blazer, but may not have the creativity to give the items personal flair. So, clearly believing such things can be taught (or, at least, that it can teach them), the magazine has just launched a second iteration of GQ Rules on its Web site last week, a series of video clips with GQ senior style editor Adam Rapoport, creative director Jim Moore, and GQ “Style Guy” Glenn O’Brien. GQ Rules advises men on “how to become a well-dressed rebel in 30 days,” according to the teaser. The clips include commentary from men’s wear designers Scott Sternberg from Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, Thom Browne, Gap designer Patrick Robinson, Domenico Vacca and Spurr’s Simon Spurr. They also reference stylish men of the past, from Sammy Davis Jr. to Robert Redford. Users can sign up to receive a video a day in their inboxes. And aiming to build its men’s business, J. Crew, which doesn’t advertise, sponsored the video series and guaranteed to sell 50,000 subscriptions over the next year via its Web site as part of the deal. Last year, 50,000 readers signed up for GQ Rules.

Incidentally, GQ misreported its ad page numbers for September to WWD for a story on ad page totals for the September fashion issues (“September Falls Flat for Most Mags,” July 21). For the September 2008 issue, GQ carried 293 ad pages, a decrease of 8.5 percent over the year prior. Year-to-date, GQ has carried 1,108 pages, or 4.2 percent fewer pages than the same period in 2007.

— Stephanie D. Smith