Stefano Tonchi at the amFAR gala last May. Photo: Getty Images for amfAR

Stefano Tonchi, editor of the New York Times style magazine T, confirmed today what has been buzzed about for a week: he is leaving for the top spot at W Magazine.

"It's official," a senior Times staffer told StyleList after an announcement was made shortly after 11:30 am this morning.

The much-liked Tonchi, a native of Florence, Italy, has won industry plaudits since taking over the Times Magazine style supplement in 2003 -- rebranding it T in 2004.

Like Vogue Paris chief Carine Roitfeld, he is unusual among top fashion editors for having a background as a stylist rather than a journalist. His previous jobs titles have included Creative Director at the label J.Crew, as well as at Self and Esquire magazines.

The move follows a restructuring announced last week by Conde Nast, which owns W's publisher Fairchild. CEO Chuck Townsend said he was moving W under Conde Nast directly, to sit with other consumer publications like Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair, while Fairchild would focus on trade press like WWD.