Russian ladies who Want It All Get

MOSCOW A curvaceous Cindy Crawford graces the slick cover, And the Cyrillic topic reads, "Sex or dark? A time for things,

Sixty thousand copies of the first Russian edition of multicultural magazine hit the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg on tuesday. They seem likely to be snapped up as fast as Big Macs and Snickers bars in this nation whose fashion conscious young women have long had to rely on such magazines as Woman Worker and Woman Peasant for advice on love, sexual, offspring and career.

Western marketers are eager to imprint their images on the emerging Russian market before consumers, Who are willing to try just about anything new, Develop strong brand choice. And publishers aim to snap up consumer dollars by creating a market for glossy textbooks crammed with ads for imported products.

Several early publishing ventures fell victim to the lack of a daily monetary service system. last year, often the Hearst Corp. And the New York Times folded serious fews flyers aimed at the Russian market. But Russians' food cravings for lighter fare shows no signs of abating, And a host russian dating fails of new consumer publications have appeared.

like for example several general interest publications aimed at the nouveaux riches, A magazine specialized in four wheel drive vehicles and even Russian versions of Penthouse and Soldier of Fortune.

Cosmo, the first one to target young women, might be a gold mine for its co owners, Hearst Magazines worldwide and Independent Media, Publisher of the Moscow Times more than one new Russian magazines.

here in 1993, The Top 10 Western promotional agencies here billed clients more than $44 million, in Advertising Age, Though the oldest set foot in Russia just five years ago. Cosmo staffers said they sold out the 46 promoting and advertising pages of the 132 page first edition.

Cosmo is supposed to cost the ruble equivalent of $2.40. But the road price will be set by retailers, Who must buy the magazine outright and can't return unsold copies. If distributors gouge, The owners will force the price down by printing more copies.

If the magazine has a political subtext, It is that young Russian women can now join their sisters in 26 other capitalist countries in the quest for the perfect body, the very best man, the best wardrobe and exactly the requiredly fulfilling career that are the hallmarks of the "Cosmo lovely lady,

The first edition includes popular standbys astrological readings, Beauty tips and a matchup quiz for lovers written in a breezy style.

"This positive i will be a huge success, as there are very few magazines for women here, acknowledged Tatyana Kovtunova, 25, Who owns a 2 years old modeling agency. "Only rich your girls" Can buy brought in copies of Vogue, which unfortunately cost up to $17 and then they must decipher the English, She explained.

Russia still does not need a press of sufficient quality for Cosmo to be printed here, A Hearst acting said. The periodical is printed in Holland and imported by truck.