Fashioning February: The Glossy Reality

I don't know about you but I was rather upset when The City ended as it meant that my weekly fix of the lives of glam media girls was over. Who was not riveted by the arguments between Olivia and Erin at US Elle magazine? Despite all the drama that went on in the show, Elle's appearance in the spin off to The Hills rewarded them with hours of free publicity. Having a presence on TV, preferably a fashion related reality show is an essential marketing tool and something that magazine publishers are now considering as part of their marketing mix. Remember the Elle and Project Runway partnership which eventually became Marie Claire and Project Runway after Nina Garcia ousting from Elle and eventual appointment to Marie Claire. Ironically both publications got in on the action by launching their own reality shows; in 2009 we saw Stylista where a group of fashionistas competed for a job at Elle and the next year the staff of Marie Claire along with three wannabees starred in Running in Heels. However before that we had the now defunct Jane trying out potential writers in The Fashionista Diaries before they folded and Cosmo Girl stepped in to save the day. In actual fact the reality show and magazine hybrid only kicked off with The Hills when a certain Lauren Conrad landed an internship at Teen Vogue to go along with her new life in LA. So no surprise then to hear that Teen Vogue are in the midst of making their own reality show about life at the magazine. With Erin Kaplan now on board at the publication after bidding US Elle goodbye and working alongside the media friendly, Amy Astley it certainly would make superb viewing. To top it off the show will be directed by non other than R.J. Cutler who made the ever so successful film, The September Issue which is about the life of Anna. Wintour who really needs no introduction.

It really is amazing the way magazines have thrown open their doors to the cameras but what are the reasons for this? A reality show is all about extending the brand and broadening the magazine audience - basically exposure and product placement. A show about a magazine will feature close ups of the brand logo, computer screens displaying their website and more importantly we get to see the journalists at work discussing ideas and implementing them. This definitely gets the audience interested, I remember when US Marie Claire did a fashion shoot on three savvy business women which involved them traveling through New York in a caravan, it got me really intrigued that when the publication hit the stands I bought the issue and I never had anytime for US Marie Claire. Add that to an insight into the writer's personal lives and you have a very dynamic situation. The fact is television is an extremely powerful medium. Look at Elle - they have had cameras in their offices since 2004 with Project Runway. Stylista and the The City. Also the huge success of The Devil Wear Prada meant that every editor of a glossy magazine were inundated with offers of a reality show. With magazine sales declining rapidly due to the digital revolution it looks like magazines might be relying on TV to save them. Who would have thought it eh?

Marie Claire Presents the Maybelline Pop-Up Shop

You all know I love a pop-up store so I had to get down to the Maybelline Pop-Up Shop presented by Marie Claire which is in Covent Garden. The store which has been created specifically for London Fashion Week is the first of its kind in Europe. Maybelline Pop-Up flung its doors opened on 16th September in Covent Garden and they have been inundated with visitors since then. The store is a 600 square feet emporium with a smooth white alabaster exterior and a very light and airy interior. The wooden floors and white walls meshed with the brightly coloured make up and branding materials provide a sense of intimacy without feeling cramped. The treats on offer are complimentary manicures, makeovers and eyebrow threading. You can also purchase the latest limited edition of Marie Claire (you know the one that the subscribers get and we ordinarly folks don't) as well as the latest make up items. Pinned up on the wall are images of models donning the latest make up looks from the catwalk which the Maybelline make up girls are on hand to recreate. It is also a place to go to get lots of advice on the

The lovely Yrsa and I took a trip to the shop and had a very nice wander. The make up artists were very nice and friendly and keen to help. I had a manicure done which was pretty top notch and Yrsa had her eyebrows threaded and she did not feel any pain at all. Now I have been getting my eyebrows threaded for a good few years and always feel it so I was amazed when she told me this. This place is a must for all beauty junkie and for any respectable lady who wears make up.

The Maybelline Pop-Up Store is open till Sunday 26th September so make sure you get in there. The address is 18 Shorts Garden, Seven Dials, (just off Neal Street) Covent Garden, London WC2H 9LD.

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!

The Masthead with Marie Claire

Well reality show, Running in Heels is finally making it's debut in the UK on Tuesday and I am sure fashionistas and magaholics all over the UK will be tuning in. In case you don't know Running in Heels is a new TV show that takes us behind the scenes at US Marie Claire and follows staff and interns as they work on the glossy magazine. It hit the screens in the US early last month and I blogged about it here. The show is captivating to say the least and the 30 minute show only wetted my appetite for more so I was delighted when I came across, The Masthead with Marie Claire. The Masthead is a series of podcasts that gives you an insight into what life is like at the magazine. It focuses on cover shoots and you can see interviews with the cover stars and editors involved. The Masthead also takes you to the magical wardrobe, looks at the beauty closet and even takes you to the homes of editors. These bite sized shows are hosted by editor in chief, Joanna Coles and gives you an insight into the editorial process and a real flavour of the magazine.

I really enjoy these podcasts - ok they may not possess the 'in your face' drama that Running in Heels is full of but what they do is give us a quick shot of the glam and glitzy life of magazines. You can download the series on iTunes for free or watch it online. The series has a substantial archive that goes back to 2007 so I suggest you grab a nice cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake and chill out to watch it.

Running in Heels airs on The Style Network on Tuesday at 10.00pm.

Oh Elle!

Think back to when you were at school and there was a boy who you knew for ages but never took notice of because he was just there. Then one day you looked up and he had gone from being just some boy in your class to this drop dead gorgeous guy. You just shook your head and went - wow - when and where did that happen? Well that is what has happened with UK Elle magazine. In the 70s and 80s UK Elle was the very poor relation to Brit Vogue; not as heavy, not as glam and not as glossy. Then in the 90s and the heyday of maverick, Glenda Bailey, UK Marie Claire started kicking ass and put Elle even further in the shade. Now it seems that has all changed because Elle is right up there making waves. Since Lorraine Candy come to the helm in 2004 she has shaken the magazine to the core by bringing in the popular and much respected Chloe Sevigny as a style advisor and snapping up photographer, Mary McCartney. She also commissioned a new design that would shape the magazine into a style and fashion bible.

The April issue of Elle features the Elle Style Awards with pictures from the event, there is a black and white pictorial of the winners as well as profiles. Donning the cover is Hollywood's sweetheart a la Jennifer Aniston. We are also treated to an interview with Burberry's creative director, Christopher Bailey which is conducted by his close pal and original Pop Idol, Will Young. With wonderful images and great layouts the overall look is extremely fresh. Normally when I buy a glossy I have only found one or two articles that are worth reading but with Elle there have been at least four or five stories that I could sink my teeth into. The next issue in May looks to be a real scorcher with pop kitten Kylie on the cover looking all 60s. So with Brit Vogue getting all generic on us and Marie Claire now getting a touch bland it looks like Elle is here to save the day for glossy magazines.

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.

Marie Claire: On Tour with the Fashionistas

No fashion show would dream of starting without the following people on site: models, the designer, fashion editors and buyers. These people more or less are the shows in particular the models who show off the clothes and the designer who works through night and day to make them. Also whilst the buyers are fanned over and treated like gods the editors of magazines and newspapers are just as vital as they provide priceless editorial coverage that is worth its weight in gold. Good old Marie Claire have produced a feature that delves into the lives of these insiders in their March issue. Just to put a spin on things they travel round the fashion circuit to capture all the fashion weeks to give us a taste of New York, London, Milan and Paris. The featured fashionistas are model, Emma MacLaren, designer, Markus Lupfur who works for Armand Basi One, fashion editor, Arabella Greenhill who writes for Marie Claire and buyer, Holli Rogers who is employed by Net-A-Porter. I don't really buy Marie Claire that often as I think it has been looking a bit samey but that article really stood out to me. Not a bad read and a really fantastic insight into all the different elements that surround fashion week.

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.

Cover Girl

Nabbing a super hot, A list star for your cover is no longer a big deal for glossy magazines. Check out the women's magazine rack and you will see famous personalities like Reese Witherspoon, America Ferrera and Rhianna peering out at you. Publishers are now pushing the boat out and going that one step further. To go with that lavish cover shoot is the cover shoot video where behind the scenes footage of the star is screened. This is viral marketing at its best as this video is plugged in the Editor's letter and posted on the magazine's website as well as YouTube. Practically every magazine worth it's salt has followed suit such as NYLON, Marie Claire, Elle and InStyle. Check out the shoot with Queen of cool, Gwen Stefani during her cover shoot for the November issue of InStyle.

Magazines vrs Blogs

I never thought I would say this but I really think the magazine era is over. Last week was London Fashion Week mania with every fashion blogger in town adding their two pence about their thoughts on the shows. Then later in the week, the latest pictures from the much awaited Sex and the City (S&TC) film dropped and the whole of blogsphere went ballistic. I must have read about 50 blog entries gushing about the new pictures and seen the image of SJP in Carrie Bradshaw mode floating down NYC in her green flimsy summer dress about a zillion times. She looked great as usual and the blog to blog coverage of the taster showed a tiny glimpse as to how BIG the S&TC film will be.

Yesterday, I bought my weekly edition of Grazia magazine which had the usual editorial from Editor, Jane Bruton. Nothing unusual there except that she was raving on about the new trends from London Fashion Week and describing how excited the staff got over the new stills from the S&TC film. I thought to myself, Jesus this is a bit old hat. London Fashion Week effectively ended last Thursday and that seemed yonks ago and as for the S&TC pics all I could think was been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. My point is that Grazia is a weekly magazine and prides itself on being on the cutting edge of news, fashion and celebrity. Their USP is that they can cover stories that the monthly mags such as Marie Claire and Elle cannot do but for this week they seemed a little out of touch.

Talking of cutting edge, lifestyle portal, handbag.com has had a facelift and shed their pink branding. They have also dropped a lot of sections such as property, money and relationships and now concentrate on fashion, beauty, celebrity and entertainment. In other words they are now just like any other online female magazine. To be honest I am not too keen on the new look handbag.com at all as I think they have lost a lot of their personality. On the other hand the Marie Claire website is totally ravishing. Well designed and easy to navigate, the website covers topics such as fashion, health and food. The best bits of the site are the videos where they carry interviews with various fashion personalities. You can watch footage from fashion shows, behind the scenes with celebrities and there are also trailers from new film releases. Blogsphere leads all the way.

Check out the lovely SJP at the launch of her new perfume, Covet. Which is rather nice, I might say.

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