Elle's Leading Ladies

Well it has been a pretty good week for magazines. The Brit monthlies such as Elle, Red and Marie Claire all hit the shelves and of course there was Teen Vogue with that fantabulous cover with Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn. However, US Elle have come up trumps with their November issue and have gone for the trend of having multiple covers. In celebration of their Hollywood Issue, Elle have featured Katie Holmes, Emily Blunt, Julianne Moore, Renee Zellweger and Zoe Saldana on different covers. My favourite one is with Zoe Saldana because it looks very tranquail and fresh. The pure white cover is a complete contrast to Saldana's dark and exotic looks. So it looks like I have another great reason to buy US Elle.

US Elle is available to buy now!

Review: Running in Heels

I am in love! I have fallen hook, line and sink for the brand new series, Running in Heels. My past loves before that were The Fashionista Diaries and Stylista but trust me, this is the real deal. Running in Heels is a reality show that documents the lives of the staff on US Marie Claire. The show made it's debut on the Style Network last Sunday and judging by the messages on Twitter, has been a raging success. I tuned in for my fix courtesy of iTunes tonight and was completely and utterly riveted. There has been a lot of media mutterings about this new reality show because of a few reasons: firstly, it has been dubbed as the real life version of The Devil Wears Prada, secondly, the appointment of fashionista Nina Garcia as fashion director and thirdly, the comparison to Stylista which was based on US Elle. Running in Heels focuses on the journalists and editors at the glossy magazine in particular Joanna Coles who is editor-in-chief. You will be in no great shock to hear that she is a Brit who is juggling marriage and motherhood along with a hectic career that she loves. Joining the high octave staff on the publication is Project Runway's Nina Garcia who was previously at Elle. However, the real stars of the show are the interns - Ashley from Washington DC, Talita from LA (along with Chanel her Chi-whatever dog) and Samantha from Wisconsin. The trio are vying for a position at Marie Claire and are all ultra competitive and as luck would have it they are sharing a trendy apartment in Manhattan. Roll on the drama and with Chanel peeing all over the place it looks like it won't be long before the sparks fly.


The first episode kicks off with New York Fashion Week where the staff not only have to attend as many shows and parties as possible but also need to host a welcome party for Nina Garcia. This is no ordinary bash because the purpose is to raise the profile of Marie Claire and the only way to do this is by gaining media exposure and column inches. Hence the courting of many celebrities such as Heidi Klum and Lindsay Lohan who happens to be on the latest issue. Despite all the gloss, Running in Heels really depicts the complexities of producing a magazine. You are shown the anxiety of the staffers when they await Nina's arrival. We also see the politics that come into organising Nina's party; getting the goody bags right, the perfect guest list, the celebs there and going to great lengths to make sure that the right issue of the magazine is placed casually on the tables. Then there are the interns who from the word go prove to be a competitive and feisty lot. There is no holding back on the back stabbing and the bitching as they vie for that coveted spot. After the whole hype surrounding Stylista, I was not sure what to expect from this show but I was intrigued about the ambiance between the junior and senior members of staff and how this would translate to TV. The result is a resounding success and a well rounded show that is exciting to watch yet without the over zealous continuing drama. I cannot wait to see the next installment.


Across the pond UK Marie Claire is celebrating entering Spring mode by getting all happy on us. The April issue is dedicated to happiness and features a sunny Blake Lively from Gossip Girl, looking all radiant. The issue is wrapped in a large sexy package which also contains a tub of Neal's Yard Remedies face cream. So go out and buy it and grab some happiness.

Running in Heels

Spring is rapidly approaching and with a new season brings another reality show about a glossy magazine. Remember Stylista, the cut throat show that saw ruthless interns fight tooth and nail for a position at Elle? This time it is US Marie Claire with the appropriately named, Running in Heels. The documentary stars Project Runway's Nina Garcia, her colleagues and her minions and it exposes the world of editors, assistants and interns who work on the monthly publication. The angle of the programme is to show the culture of Marie Claire from different perspective. So each show will focus on a different person; from the lowly intern running tedious errands to the fashion editor attending a grueling schedule of fashion shows and the high powered stance of the editor-in-chief who has the final say on which picture makes the front cover. A real life version of The Devil Wears Prada? Of course! Will I be watching? You bet! For a fantastic pre-cap of the show check out this article on Girl With a Satchel.

Running in Heels airs on 1st March on The Style Network.

Nina's Top Six

Candace Bushnell's face has been plastered all over the place, in magazines and newspapers publicizing her new book, One 5th Avenue and the fact that she has been commissioned to write The Carrie Diaries. Another lady who has been having an excellent week is Nina Garcia, she of Project Runway and fashion director of Marie Claire. It seems that like others, Ms Garcia has caught the reality TV bug and will be starring in a show of her own - Running in Heels. The show will document the glossy and glam life at US Marie Claire by focusing on 15 members of staff (on different levels) with two being highlighted each week. Airing on The Style Network next March, Nina is expected to be one of the lucky 15. Not surprisingly, Running in Heels has drawn much comparison to Stylista which is set at US Elle magazine and stars fashion news director, Anne Slowey. Yes I can hear chants off rip off Devil Wears Prada everywhere but I am liking the sound of these shows especially Running with Heels. Bring it on! If this show makes it big then there is no doubt that it will break Nina as a huge star across the world. With success of her two books what is the likelihood that Nina Garcia will be turned into a brand. In celebration of her second book release and annoucement of her new show, I have compiled a list of Nina's top six.

Elle magazine
This is where Nina got her break, her job is to oversee editors and work closely with designers and stylists. During her 13 years at Elle Nina created the front-of-book Trends, Shops and Accessories page and was responsible for covering all the major shows. However, she and Elle parted ways earlier this year allegedly on bad terms.

Project Runway
This award winning show is in its sixth year and features up and coming designers competing for a sponsorship and a spot at New York Fashion Week. Over the years Nina has gained a reputation of having something of an acid tongue which has caused her to be feared by fashionistas.

The Little Black Book of Style
A bible for all fashion lovers, this book gives you lots of tips on you how to create your own style. Dressing to suit your shape, not following trends, investing in key pieces and having fun with fashion are just a few. This book was published last year and was a huge hit.

Marie Claire
After her omission from Elle, Nina was appointed fashion director of this popular magazine. Elle's loss was Marie Claire's gain as Nina's new stable took over as partner of Project Runway. Whether this was planned or pure coincidence, no one knows but it seems to be a perfect fit.

The One Hundred
This book is an exhaustive list of all the 'must have' things that every self respecting fashionista should own. Clothes, shoes, jewellery, make up, accessories.. it is all here for you to devour. Like Nina's first book The One Hundred contains gorgeous illustrations.

Running in Heels
The show that follows the life and careers of staff on Marie Claire showing the dramas, pressures and responsibilities that they face. It will show what it is like to be a working woman in a cut throat industry like women's magazines.

Eco Chic Goes Glam

It is that time of the month that sends a magaholic like myself to seventh heaven. When all the new magazines are displayed on the shelves - bright, shiny and new, just the smell of the new paper is enough to get me high. Talking of paper, the new issue of Marie Claire has gone all eco hip on us. The June issue is delivered to us in a brown paper bag with a free Body Shop body butter to boot. Marie Claire has certainly pulled out the stops for this one; they have earth goddess, Cate Blanchett on the cover looking all serene and feature eco celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Leonardo Dicaprio.

While we are on the subject of magazines, I have heard on the grapevine that US Elle are in the middle of shooting a reality show about the ins and outs of the magazine. Titled, Fashionista (what else?) the programme will be produced by Tyra Banks and will follow the publications search for a fashion assistant. The show will air on The CW Network this summer.

Living etc

Now as you know I am a mag hag, although I have got better over years. Instead of buying zillion glossies each month, I now only buy a selected few and read the rest at Borders or standing in the aisles of WHSmiths. The magazines that are lucky enough to make it home with me are Grazia, Marie Claire (sometimes), Elle (sometimes), First (occasionally) and Living etc. Since I bought and revamped my house four years ago I have become obsessed with property and interiors. I watched all the shows, read all the books and attend lots of fairs. I cannot even remember how I discovered Living etc, I think I must have just picked it up when I was looking for something to read many moons ago; circa 2003. During that time it was edited by Jane Bruton who now heads Grazia magazine and it was full of great articles on doing up your home, tips on property renovations and it also contained the most wonderful pictures. Unlike Elle Decoration whose concept is aspirational bordering on avant garde, Living etc focuses on homes for modern living and zones in on the latest trends, stylish items and sheer gorgeousness. I was totally entranced when I first read it and I guess you can say I still am. Today Living etc is edited by Suzanne Imre and the magazine is just as fabulous as ever, I have about four year's worth of issues and each one is irreplaceable.

Check out their website here.

The Customer is Always Right

A glossy magazine is just what any lady needs to cheer her up, something to read in the bath or curled up on a sofa. Take a look in a newsagent and you will see magazines that cover the walks of life. There are consumer magazines aimed at a particular niche like Marie Claire, Vogue and Elle and there are business publications like Estate Gazette, Media Week and Accountancy Age. There is also the customer magazine; this is where a business like BT or IKEA contract a specialist publisher to produce a magazine that they will send out to their customers or distribute inside their store. Thousands of titles are published every month such as The AA magazine and SKY-The magazine. The ones I like the best are Desire which is produced by Debenhams, Dare from Superdrug and the new ASOS magazine. Dare which was formerly known as Spirit was distributed free in the Superdrug stores every month and kept us up to date with the latest in beauty news. However since early this year it has been revamped, buffed up and now goes under the new name of Dare. Oh and also has a new price of 50p. The ASOS magazine has taken the lead of Glamour and gone for the mini me size; it is cute and packed with news and features on fashion and beauty. These magazines are very top notch and very inspiring.

Maga-holic

There was a time a few years back when I used to buy every magazine out there. Cosmopolitan, Company, Marie Claire, InStyle, New Woman - they all came home with me. Now I have toned it down a bit and only buy a couple of titles. There is Glamour which I took out a subscription to a few years ago and never got round to cancelling. Glamour is famous for being the publication that had the balls to be different from all the other mags out there. While its rivals were A4 sized, Glamour came in a A5 format that was designed to fit in your handbag. Clever eh? How could any respecting woman resist that? Unfortunately, Glamour has not maintained the standards of its earlier years and the articles are looking old and a bit samey so it will be goodbye to them soon. I also like Elle and Marie Claire - well what I mean is I like the look of them till an hour later when I have ploughed through and realised how crap and totally useless both magazines are.

I don't touch Cosmopolitan because the poor old thing reminds me of an out of date pub that is in desperate need of a lick of paint. In the 70s Cosmo was the voice of post modernist women and published articles on career and marriage while cajoling women that they could have it all. The publication was also a pioneer in awakening women's sexuality and held bold articles. In fact Cosmo was seen as the magazine that you bought if you wanted to know how to cook a three course meal and perform a blow job. Sadly Cosmo's circulation is no longer what it was in the 70s and 80s and is now just seen as just another magazine while other titles like Marie Claire, Glamour and now Grazia have surpassed it. Ah, Grazia; described by a media honcho as a woman's guilty pleasure. It is like bad men and alcohol, fantastic at first till you realise that it is simply not good for you. Upper class fancy magazines like Vogue, Tatler and Harpers do nothing for me. All fur coat and no knickers with very few articles of interest. The magazines that I do have time for are Psychologies, Easy Living and Happy. Also magazines that come free with the Sunday newspapers are pure class; Stella with The Sunday Telegraph, YOU with The Mail on Sunday, Style with The Sunday Times and Observer Woman are all gorgeous publications that remain in my collection. Yes, sometimes the best things are for free. What magazines do you guys read? Picture from The Observer website