Former Flare editor Suzanne Boyd departed for the Big Apple last year to produce a new mid-market fashion magazine aimed at black women. It was called Suede.

The Globe and Mail reports that after four issues, the new mag is on "hiatus" -- which presumably means Time-Warner will wait until no one's looking to finally pull the plub.

An excerpt:

As recently as last month, Time Inc. editor-in-chief Norman Pearlstein, who oversees the company's stable of magazines, offered high praise for Ms. Boyd's baby. "I think Suede is one of the freshest, most exciting magazines to come out in years."

None of the tastemaker opinion mattered when it came to wooing advertisers, who apparently had better places to throw their money. The first issue boasted only about 37 pages of ads out of more than 228 pages. The current issue, March, 2005, has a similarly low ad-to-editorial ratio.

Good on Ms. Boyd for taking a professional risk and leaving her safe perch at Flare. To try something new is to risk failure, and magazines are a tough game these days.