M RG

MARCH 2O18
£4.4O

OB
I

UM AGS
ACC SSOR S
H OA
R S

03

9 770269 259259
K
 15O

112
97 M AR K E T P L A CE
Refresh a go-to print
with the perfect fabric

135 T H E N E W P OWE R
G E N E R AT I ON
Meet the women – actors,
MARGOT WEARS: writers, cinematographers,
Poplin jacket, Valentino; cotton producers and directors
tank, 6397; polyamide – shaking up Hollywood
elastane bikini bottoms, Les
Girls Les Boys; puka shell and 85 T H E NEW N E W P UN K 146 MY WORLD:
7 7 EDI T OR ’ S LET T ER
rose gold necklace, Dezso J E AN N E D A MAS
by Sara Beltrán Editor-in-Chief Anne-Marie Considering the global
PHOTOGRAPHER: Curtis talks resilience headlines, it’s fitting that ELLE meets the model,
Alexi Lubomirski. punk be the fashion du jour actress and French
STYLING: Samira Nasr. 78 1 0 T H I NGS It-girl in her enviably
HAIR: Renato Campora at 1 O 3 TRY THIS: SUPER SLEEVES Parisian apartment
From fast fitness to
the Wall Group. ELLE’s Harriet Stewart talks
environmentally friendly 15O B I G L I T T L E HIGHS
MAKE-UP: Pati Dubroff at through the trickest trends
coffee, here are your
Forward Artists. Alexander Skarsgård talks
10 things to try this month
NAILS: Alexandra Jachno about the importance of
SET DESIGN: Bryan Porter fighting the gender bias
8 1 H O R OSC OP E
for Owl and the Elephant;
produced by We launch a new 1 O 4 AC C E S S O R I E S E D I T
Nathalie Akiya at astrology page, aligning 1 5 3 L O N D O N FASHION
Kranky Produktions your stars with your Jewels, pleats, fringing – W E E K F E S TIV AL
fashionable life this season it’s all about
A date for your diary:
being that little bit extra
check in to this event for
289 LO V E LET T ER the inside track on SS18
1 1 7 JEWELLERY & WATCHES
Sander Lak, creative
director of Sies Marjan, Go bold and layer up 155 E L L E B O O K CL U B
on the importance of gold and silver pieces.
Books to read now, plus
making a home More is definitely more
chef and entrepreneur
Jasmine Hemsley’s
119 12 OF THE BEST
book shelf
Bum bags – the comeback
is in full swing. Embrace it
and go for a designer one
 178 P L AS T I C - T AS T I C
The high-shine
material takes centre
257 M O O D B O A RD
stage for SS18
The best beauty buys, from
192 B R I G H T YO UN G
make-up to hair oils
THINGS
156 T H E C ONV ER SA T I ON It’s punk – but not as you
Is it time to break up with know it 264 S O P H I E S AYS
your phone?
2 O 4 S L O AN E Y P O N Y ELLE beauty director
162 T H E R ET U R N O F Sophie Beresiner
The ladylike look gets tackles your skincare
T H E R OY A LS a brand new revamp and make-up dilemmas
Jess Cartner-Morley
explores their impact on 216 S UN S E T S T R I P
culture and fashion
Layer up in warm tones
164 H O W SI SU A R E Y OU ? this spring 2 7O W I L D F R O NTIE RS
We explore the latest From Tajikistan and
Nordic trend to hit the UK Malawi to Papua New
Guinea, discover these
167 O N… F O R GO T T ON 233 THE SS18 TRENDS out-of-the-ordinary
W O M EN escapes
The catwalk looks to
Zing Tsjeng searches try this season 273 S UI T C AS E : S NOW
her ancestry for her
B US I N E S S
own feminist icons 243 BEAUTY EXPERT
Layers, cosy boots and
Colouring your hair at statement sunnies – your
home? Josh Wood has ski bag, sorted
all the answers…
274 M E E T M E I N…
124 DENI M F O R DA Y S 246 I AM M AD E M O I S E L L E
Austria’s super-luxe
Eighties jeans reworked Our columnist tackles ski resorts
– easy style upgrades to unwanted facial hair
take it up a notch 276 DRIVE: ICELAND
251 T H E T R UT H AB O UT …
170 M A R GO T R OBBI E Take a road trip to
… rosacea. The ultimate
The Hollywood A-lister lets guide to this common experience the untouched
us in on her kookie side… skin complaint beauty of this island
 @callieahlgrim

ELLE’s new style

@pandorasykes
astrologer Callie says
‘You do you. You’ll her spirit animal is
be crap at trying to an otter, but friends
@hansfeurer @miss_zing
be someone else believe she’s more
By far the most anyway’ is the best Journalist Zing says like a platypus:
enduring memory piece of career her spirit animal is a ‘They’re a bit weird,
photographer Hans advice fashion whale. ‘They appear a bit cute, generally
has of a shoot is journalist Pandora to be capable of assumed to be
one with a Masai has been given. great depths but, harmless — but
shaman: ‘He didn’t Formerly the fashion in reality, spend actually have hidden,
want me to take features editor at most of their time venomous spurs.’
@joshwoodcolour
his picture and The Sunday Times sleeping and eating. Since graduating from
Photographs: Getty Images, courtesy of @hanajirickova, Instagram/@joshwoodcolour, Instagram/@miss_zing, Instagram/@callieahlgrim

provoked a miniature After qualifying at Style, she now works I am also a big Boston University,
tornado to appear in Vidal Sassoon in freelance and has fan of matrilineal she has worked as
front of my camera.’ Leeds, Josh moved written for The Edit societies led by older a freelance journalist
Hans worked as to London. ‘It’s been and The Telegraph, females.’ Starting and writes a monthly
a graphic designer my career home for as well as co-hosting her career at column for Man
and art director 20 years, between her current-affairs Wonderland as a Repeller. A wellness
before taking a trip stints in Los Angeles podcast The High digital editor before enthusiast, she starts
to Africa in 1966 to and New York. Low. If Pandora moving on to Dazed, her multi-faceted day
pursue his passion I opened my first could have dinner she says the ‘siren at 5:45am at her
– photography. salon in 1999, and with anyone, it would call of feminist home in Connecticut:
Throughout his my current home, the be Graham Norton, journalism’ lured her ‘The best part about
50-year career, Josh Wood Colour Tina Brown and Louis to VICE, where she my job is being
he has shot for the Atelier, in 2011.’ His Theroux: ‘Anyone now works as the UK able to write about
likes of ELLE, Vogue top haircare tip? empathetic and editor of Broadly, interesting things, such
and Nova and ‘Always find time to curious about the a digital channel as mental health and
is recognised use an intensive hair world around them.’ for women. As well relationships; the
as securing the mask once a week Pandora writes about as presenting VICE worst part is waking
supermodel – hair needs pre-Instagram brain documentaries, she’s up early. I am not a
status of Iman after nourishing, just like on page 156. writing a book series morning person and
shooting her for your skin.’ Josh says called Forgotten often need a chai
Kenzo’s advertising his plan-B career Women: The latte and an egg
campaign in 1983. would be a yoga Leaders. ‘It’s about sandwich to get me on
‘I like to make teacher. ‘I think to impressive women my way.’ Callie writes
pictures that provoke slow down the pace who have been our style horoscopes
an emotion and of life and be more marginalised by on page 81.
affect you in your mindful would be history.’ Zing delves
feelings. For that, good for me.’ Josh into her family history
both the woman talks about his new on page 167.
and the clothes
need to come alive.’
See Hans’ work
DIY hair colour kits
on page 243.
THE
on page 178.
MARCH
ISSUE
 W

OFFER
JUST £9.99 FOR
SIX ISSUES OF ELLE
EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER-ONLY COVERS
+ SKIN
LAUNDRY
NIGHT RENEW
TREATMENT
DON’T MISS OUT – ORDER TODAY! ELLEUK.COM/SUBSCRIBETOELLE
OR CALL 0844 322 1767 AND QUOTE REFERENCE: 1ES11442
Lines open weekdays, 8am–9.30pm; Saturdays, 8am–4pm. Calls to 0844 numbers cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge.
Terms & conditions: offer valid for new UK subscriptions by Direct Debit. After your first 6 issues, your subscription will continue at £17 every 6 issues unless you are notified otherwise.
All orders will be acknowledged and you will be advised of the start issue within 14 days. Subscriptions may be cancelled by providing 28 days’ notice. Minimum subscription term is 6 issues.
Free gift is available for the first 300 subscribers and is subject to availability. If stock runs out, you will be offered an alternative gift. Please allow up to 28 days for delivery of your gift, which will arrive
under separate cover to your subscription. All savings are based on the basic cover price of £4.40. Subscriptions may not include promotional items packaged with the magazine. This offer cannot
be used in conjunction with any other subscription offer and closes on 6 March 2018. For UK subscription enquiries, please call 0844 322 1767. For overseas subscription rates and enquiries,
please visit hearstmagazines.co.uk. All information is correct at time of going to press. For our data policy, visit hearst.co.uk/dp. For more information about Skin Laundry, please visit skinlaundry.com
 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
TOM MEREDITH

DEPUTY EDITOR/FASHION FEATURES DIRECTOR

KENYA HUNT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S PA/EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

RACHEL MACBETH

[email protected] [email protected] WORKFLOW DIRECTOR

CHRIS TINA S IMONE
FASHION DIRECTOR FEATURES DIRECTOR
CHIEF SUB-EDITOR
P HOE BE ARNO LD HA NN A H NA THA NS ON
EIRWEN OXL EY GREEN
EXECUTIVE FASHION DIRECTOR TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE DIRECTOR
WITH THANKS TO
KI RST Y DALE SUSA N WA RD D A VIES
L IS A MORGA N
ACCESSORIES EDITOR CULTURE DIRECTOR
JENN IFER SPA ETH
D ONNA WALLAC E L ENA D E CA S PA RIS
DA VID ROTHON
ASSOCIATE FASHION EDITOR WITH THANKS TO
HA NN A H GIA CA RDI
HA R RI E T ST E WART S HA N NON MA HA NTY
JUNIOR FASHION EDITOR EDITOR-AT-LARGE
MANAGING EDITOR
FELI C I T Y KAY S TA CEY D UG UID
DEB B IE B L A CK
ACTING GROUP MANAGING EDITOR
FASHION WRITER
CONN IE OSB ORNE
B I LLI E BH AT I A
FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNER, ELLE
FASHION ASSISTANTS
BEAUTY DIRECTOR EMMA JON ES
R OBE RT A H O LLI S
SOPHIE B ERES IN ER
CL E MM I E BRO WN
BEAUTY EDITOR
WITH THANKS TO
JOEL Y WA L KER
B I BBY SO WRAY
BEAUTY ASSISTANT
FASHION INTERNS EXECUTIVE EDITOR
EMIL Y PRITCHA RD
CA T ERI NA O SPI NA OF DIGITAL STRATEGY
J E S S I CA SKE E T E C RO SS B ETS Y FA S T
E NI SUBAI R DIGITAL EDITOR
N A TA S HA B IRD
FASHION PRODUCTION [email protected] DEPUTY DIGITAL EDITOR
& BOOKINGS DIRECTOR L OUIS E DON OVA N
DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR DIGITAL BEAUTY EDITOR
R A C H AE L E VANS
A L B Y B A IL EY GEORG E DRIVER
BOOKINGS ASSISTANT
ART EDITOR DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
CLI O C O O PE R
JO B EL L KA TIE O’MA L L EY
DESIGNER JUNIOR DIGITAL WRITER
CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITORS
KEL S EY FREEMA N D A ISY MURRA Y
R OB E RT RYDBE RG
PICTURE EDITOR
J OA N NA SC H LE NZKA
CL A RE PENN IN GTON
N A TASH A WRAY
PICTURE ASSISTANT
M E L ANI E H UYNH
JA MEEL A EL FA KI
S O L A N GE FRANKLI N
ART INTERN
HA RRIET PA YL ER
WITH THANKS TO
RA CHEL B A IL EY
 PRESIDENT AND CEO MANAGING DIRECTOR, BEAUTY
J A M E S WI LDM AN JA CQUI CA VE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CFO
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/ MANAGING DIRECTOR, AND GENERAL MANAGER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FASHION & LUXURY SIMON HORN E
CL A IR E BLUNT JA CQUEL INE EUWE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER HEAD OF BEAUTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
R OB E R T FFI T C H JA YNE EL L IS , S TEVEN MIL ES JEA N NETTE V CHA NG
CHIEF BRAND OFFICER, HEAD OF FASHION & LUXURY SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/
LUXURY, WELLNESS LE E BROWN, MIL ES DUN B A R, ZOE WIL L IS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
& YOUNG WOMEN WATCHES & JEWELLERY DIRECTOR KIM ST CL A IR B OD DEN
D UN CA N C H AT E R A N NA O’S UL L IVA N
CHIEF OPERATIONS DIRECTOR WATCHES & JEWELLERY MANAGER
CL A R E GO RMAN S HA N NON HOL L IS
CHIEF AGENCY OFFICER MANAGING DIRECTOR,
ellearoundtheworld.com
J A N E W O LFSO N FITNESS & HEALTH
CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER A L UN WIL L IA MS CHAIRMAN &
P A UL CASSAR DIRECTOR OF AUTOMOTIVE CEO LAGARDÈRE ACTIVE
HR DIRECTOR JIM CHA UD RY D EN IS OL IVENN ES
S UR IN D E R SI M MO NS CLIENT DIRECT DIRECTOR, CEO ELLE FRANCE & INTERNATIONAL
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FASHION & BEAUTY CON STA N CE B ENQUÉ
L I S A Q UI NN EMMA B A RN ES CEO ELLE INTERNATIONAL
HEAD OF PR DIRECTOR OF TRAVEL MEDIA LICENSES
FA Y J E NNI NGS DEN IS E DEG ROOT FRA NÇOIS CORUZZI
DIRECTOR, HEARST LIVE DIRECTOR OF HOMES SVP/INTERNATIONAL
V I CT O R IA A R CHB O LD 020 7312 4105 JUL IA G OODWIN DIRECTOR OF ELLE
MD, HEARST BRAND SERVICES CLIENT DIRECTOR, PERSONAL FINANCE VA L ERIA B ESS OL O L L OPI Z
J UD I T H SE C O M BE JA CQUI DUCKWORTH SVP/DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL
MEDIA LICENSES, DIGITAL
MARKETING & CIRCULATION DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT & SYNDICATION
R E ID HOLLAND MICKA EL B ERRET
HEAD OF CONSUMER ELLE INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS
LUXURY DIRECTOR
SALES & MARKETING CHA RL OTTE D EFFE, VIRG IN IE D O L ATA
CHA RL OTTE HOL L A ND S,
M A T T B L A I ZE - SM I T H DEPUTY SYNDICATION MANAGER
S HA RON D A VIS-RID GEWA Y,
HEAD OF SUBSCRIPTIONS MA RION MA GIS
LEE B A IL EY, JHA N RUS HTON
J US T I N E BO UC H E R SYNDICATION COORDINATORS
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
HEAD OF MARKETING PROMOTIONS A NA A FON SO, S OPHIE DU AR TE
LUCY PORTER, ROSALIE ATKINSON-WILLES
A OI B HE ANN FO LE Y COPYRIGHTS MANAGER
HEARST DIRECT MANAGER, CLASSIFIED
DIGITAL MARKETING DIRECTOR & DIGITAL SYNDICATION
L UCY PEN NY
S E E M A KUMARI SÉVERIN E L A PORTE
HEAD OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PR MANAGER SVP INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING
A L EXA ND ER S TA NHOPE
B E N B O LT O N S TÉPHA N IE D EL A TTRE

For all advertising queries, call 020 7439 5615

ELLE is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice
and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact complaints@
hearst.co.uk or visit hearst.co.uk/hearst-magazines-uk-complaints-procedure. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the
Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit ipso.co.uk. ELLE competition terms and conditions Only one entry per reader. Entrants must be 18 or older. Open to resi-
dents of the UK and the Republic of Ireland only. Photocopied, incomplete, defaced or damaged entries will not be accepted. Hearst Magazines UK accepts no responsibility for
the loss of any entries. Proof of postage is not proof of entry. An independently supervised draw will be made on your behalf by an impartial third party one week after the competi-
tion closing date. The winner will be notified within four weeks of the closing date. Entries will not be accepted from employees of Hearst Magazines UK or their families (or those
of the participating third party). The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. No purchase necessary. Should you wish to enter a promotion without
buying a copy of ELLE, print your name, address and the name of the competition, plus any other information requested, clearly on a card and send it to ELLE, Hearst Magazines
UK, 72 Broadwick Street, London W1F 9EP, by the closing date. No cash alternative. Prize is as stated, subject to availability. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Cover printed by Westdale, Cardiff. Distribution by Frontline Ltd, Peterborough (01733 555161)
 EDITOR’S
LETTER

‘ Find out
WHO YOU ARE
and do it
‘I want my
pre-Instagram
brain back.’
Those words
seemed
dominate my
ON PURPOSE’
to

feed during
the ready-to-wear shows via a recur- from Ava DuVernay to Ruth Wilson,
ring meme and summed up the col- about why there has never been a
lective mood. It reflected a conver- better time to use our voice. It’s im-
sation that came up again and a magazine that routinely re- possible to talk about the fight for
again during those moments of chat- flects the zeitgeist, I wouldn’t women’s equality without enlisting
ter between shows — a general want to. My phone keeps me men as fellow change-drivers. Alex-
agreement that we had hit a tipping connected to the world. Rath- ander Skarsgård, who Stephanie
point with social media consumption er, as Price says, it’s about Rafanelli interviews on page 150 for
and an admission that perhaps we ‘turning your phone back the piece Big Little Highs, is a great
needed to step back a little. into a tool, not a temptation’. example of how men can also use by a young, jazz-club-
Call it serendipity, but a week So on that note, may I their voice for the cause. hooping Queen Eliza-
later, fashion journalist and social suggest turning your phone Meghan Markle is also a good beth, and the pearl
media star Pandora Sykes, who has off for a moment and taking example of sisu. When she wrote a detailing just about eve-
an impressive tally of Instagram fol- a deep dive into this March series of features for ELLE in 2015, rywhere. It seems it’s
lowers, emailed with a confession: edition? I hope the issue in- she spoke candidly of the unique time to re-embrace your
‘I’ve taken a two-week hiatus from spires you to think differently, challenges she faced navigating her inner queen.
Instagram… during fashion month, of as it has the team. childhood and adult life as a mixed- There’s also a whole
all times.’ That, coupled with an ex- There’s also been a lot race woman in Los Angeles, refusing host of fashion offerings
tremely timely book launch How To of talk recently in the office to allow her confidence to be rocked this season and a smor-
Break Up With Your Phone by Cath- about the need for strength by discrimination or her identity to gasbord of new ideas
erine Price, and a string of declara- and resilience, or being be defined by anyone else but her- to inspire you for spring.
tions from friends (some of whom more ‘sisu’, as the Finns call self. Meghan is driving our fascina- From our Plastic-tastic
work in the world of tech for a living) it. What’s sisu? It’s the ex- tion with the royals right now, as she shoot (p178), lensed by
that they were taking social media act quality we could all use prepares to marry Prince Harry. the iconic Hans Feurer,
‘sabbaths’, got us talking here at a little more of in a volatile But she is hardly the only one. Jess who has always por-
ELLE, and this month’s series of fea- world. On page 164, ELLE’s Cartner-Morley explores the new trayed women as strong,
Photograph: Kai Z Feng

tures for our section The Conversa- features director Hannah royals and their impact on culture powerful entities, through
tion (p156) was born. Nathanson shows you why. and fashion this season (p162). to the rise of a new take
Of course, it’s unrealistic to think In fact, sisu is on the Their influence was undeniable on punk (p85) and the
we can go backwards now and do rise everywhere you look. during the SS18 shows. See Virgil plethora of fringing, take
away with our smartphones alto- I see it in the women behind Abloh’s entire Off-White collection your pick and choose
gether. And as an editor-in-chief of the anti-harassment and as- devoted to Princess Diana, or the who you want to be this
sault campaign #TimesUp brocade gowns at Erdem, inspired season. And, most impor-
and the women and men speaking tantly, have fun with it. As
out all over the worlds of film, fashion, Dolly Parton – the ultimate embodi-
law, finance, domestic services – the ment of sisu – says: ‘Find out who you
list goes on. In The New Power Gen- are and do it on purpose.’
eration (p135), culture director Lena de
Casparis and writer Shannon Mahanty
speak to dynamic women in Hollywood,
 Have an urban
adventure in Mexico
City. Once the centre
of Aztec civilisation, Jessie Ware is not
it’s now the World only back with a Veganuary may be Coffee capsules
Design Capital of new album, but on a downswing, create a moral
2018. Visit the Frida a new podcast, too. but its spirit lives on. dilemma: so handy,
Kahlo museum, stroll Table Manners with This year will see an but not so
through the art-filled Jessie Ware outpouring of vegan biodegradable.
HIIT classes take on Alameda Central Park is recorded from her recipes. Mildreds Enter Halo, the
a whole new and drink cocktails Ensure your skin’s kitchen table, with Vegan Cookbook UK-based firm
meaning at in the arty circadian rhythm guests including (Mitchell Beazley, behind the new,
London’s At Your neighbourhood of (that’s repeated Sam Smith and Will out now) features fully compostable
Beat dance classes. Condesa. Flights start daily oscillations for Young. Listen out for lip-smacking recipes coffee capsule.
FitBEAT: Dance at £900, ba.com those of us who her mum, Lennie, for everything from After a quick
Cardio & Tone is a aren’t experts) stays who is a pretty Memphis bourbon sell-out last year,
45-minute class that in check with the handy chef. barbecue skewers these pods are
combines muscle Lumity Night Facial. to banana cupcakes set to take over
toning, cardio and The ultimate pamper with chocolate coffee culture.
dance. If that for tired skin, this fudge icing. Who
sounds like too treatment uses small said vegans were
much hard work, circular movements virtuous?
there are also Ever dreamed of to target pressure
StrutBEAT (serious finding love in the points, relaxing
attitude) and queue for an EasyJet muscles ready for a
BashmentBEAT flight? No, us neither. peaceful night’s
(Reggaeton and But Carey Mulligan Zzzs and velvety
Dancehall) classes does just that in skin when The perfect
open to all levels. one-woman show you wake up. opportunity to visit the From Iggy Pop
Girls & Boys at the Lumitylife.co.uk newly opened Tate St and David Bowie to
Royal Court (until Ives, Virginia Woolf Tina Fey and Amy
10 March). That’s not showcases the Poehler, The
all: every Monday, feminist pioneer’s World’s Best BFFs:
on-the-day tickets are writing with visual A Celebration of
released for £12. commentary from Céline’s cocooned Truly Perfect
Theatre at its best. more than 70 artists cape trench coat Friendships (Smith

1
who were inspired by is a mouthful, Street Books) tells
her; 10 February to but worth the the heart-warming
29 April, tate.org.uk explanation. stories behind
It elevates the trench famous friendships.
coat, that Give this to your
quintessential own bestie now.
transitional piece, to
a higher-brow place
Words: Olive Pometsey. Femojis available from the App Store

while keeping its

practical
functionality.

WORKOUT ONMENTALLY FRIENDLY COFFEE, AND

THINGS
A FASHION ICON FOR THE NEW SEASON: WHAT TO CHECK OUT THIS MONTH
 19 FEBRUARY – 2O MARCH 23 JULY – 22 AUGUST 23 SEPTEMBER – 22 OCTOBER

This season sees the chance for new beginnings. Pops of colour will be your best friend in March, A full moon in Libra is heading your way, and will
On 8 March, Jupiter retrograde begins, a time Leo. Fight the doldrums of stubborn winter offer closure for whatever risks you may want to
when unexpected opportunities tend to appear. weather — and the incoming Mercury retrograde, take in March; as it lands on the last day of the
A new moon in Pisces on 17 March offers the which is messing with your usual charisma — month, it will manifest a sense of satisfaction. Use
perfect energy for action. Consider donning with Rixo’s rainbow-hued printed pieces, or this opportunity to try something new. Break out
voluminous balloon silhouettes, as seen at Roksanda’s bold colour-block dresses. Feel of your comfort zone with bold prints and
Comme des Garçons for SS18, and bell-bottom free to experiment with your look and push shoulder-grazing earrings, like those in Stella
trousers like those from Resort 2018, then add boundaries; why not give tonal dressing a go? McCartney’s SS18 collection, and fun fringing,
a pair of statement earrings, such as Nina You may often feel trapped by the concepts of as seen at Loewe and Acne Studios.
Kastens’ striking Picasso-esque Face style. ‘coolness’ and ‘popularity’, but if the combination
You’re often stereotyped as a dreamer, Pisces, of Mercury and Jupiter retrograde is good for 23 OCTOBER – 21 NOVEMBER
but don’t be pigeonholed. one thing, it’s challenging norms.

21 MARCH – 19 APRIL You are sensitive and headstrong, Scorpio,

Collage by
but that doesn’t always serve you well. Jupiter
retrograde enters Scorpio on 8 March, which
SIDUATIONS
You’re in for a picnic this month: both Mercury will force you to confront some insecurities
(the planet of communication) and Venus (the — don’t let them manipulate you into being too
planet of romance and passion) enter your hard on yourself. Look for deep emerald
sign on 6 March. For two weeks, you’ll reap greens and soothing, neutral tones in your
the benefits of these planets’ powerful, warm wardrobe, as seen at Valentino Resort 2018.
energies. Test out some of the coming season’s Embrace cotton, cashmere and other soft
biggest trends – high-shine plastic, perfected materials to help combat your conflicted
by Burberry and Chanel, or sheer layers, nature and find peace this month.
mastered by Christian Dior and Miu Miu.
22 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER
2O APRIL – 2O MAY

You’re known for your positivity, but March

The full moon in Virgo on 1 March may stoke
unexpected fires for you. Keep your heart
and mind open for romantic opportunities STAR will bring some stony realism. The backwards
motion of your power planet (Jupiter, which
enters retrograde on 8 March) may mean you
and epiphanies; the full moon’s energy will
likely cause intense vibrations. Let go of your
characteristic realism and look to the high-
octane glamour seen at Dries Van Noten,
STYLE second-guess yourself. It’s time to reflect.
Don’t let go of winter’s cosy style: get comfy
with pieces such as Mother of Pearl’s velvet
oversized sweatshirt and wide-leg trousers.
Saint Laurent and Rochas, so you shine.
THIS MONTH WE LAUNCH
A NEW HOROSCOPE 22 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY
21 MAY – 2O JUNE PAGE, ALIGNING
YOUR STARS WITH THE
Use your methodical nature to your
Gemini is ruled by Mercury, so the planet’s
FASHION COSMOS. advantage. Mars, the planet of action and
motions have a big impact on you. The first BY CALLIE AHLGRIM WITH strength, enters your sign on 17 March. Look
2018 Mercury retrograde will begin on 22 BIBBY SOWRAY at what’s holding you back, then distance
March, sending you into a bit of a tailspin. yourself from it. It isn’t the time for self-doubt.
For extra clarity, wear collared shirts, Wear tailored trousers, long blazers and heels
tailored jackets and no-nonsense colours; 23 AUGUST – 22 SEPTEMBER to help you hit your stride. Look to Phoebe Philo’s
take your cue from The Row, Mary-Kate optimistic Céline woman for inspiration, then
and Ashley Olsen’s line of wear-forever classics. bulk up your wardrobe with Zara and Arket.
Candour and patience will be your guiding
21 JUNE – 22 JULY virtues this month. Your ruling planet, Mercury, 2O JANUARY – 18 FEBRUARY
heads into retrograde on 22 March, which
stokes misunderstanding. To avoid confusion, it’s
Having your sign ruled by the moon can be a best to wear your heart on your sleeve. Try slogan You can relax this month — the stars have little to
double-edged sword. The combination of a new tees, such as Dior’s now-iconic We Should do with you in March. Your ruling planets, Saturn
moon on 17 March and a full moon on 31 March All Be Feminists, or Valentino’s Pink Is Punk and Uranus, will enter retrograde later this year.
is said to indicate beginnings, but through the fuchsia take. Be inspired by the punk-driven Enjoy the freedom of groundbreaking, unique
process of closure. Look to SS18 trends for a new collections of Alexander McQueen and or controversial designers, such as Demna
image, whether it’s wearing a fresh colour or Givenchy to perfect your no-frills, no-nonsense, Gvasalia’s Vetements or Virgil Abloh’s Off-White,
splurging on a statement Gucci Marmont bag. go-get-’em sartorial attitude. and a comfort-first approach to high fashion.
 Photographs: Getty, Imaxtree

PRE E N

CA L VI N KL E I N
205 W 3 9 NY C

Edited by

KENYA HUNT
mo
AL E XAND E R McQUE E N

P RA
R

P R AD A

J UN YA
WA T A N AB E

MOS C H I NO

T H E LO O KS , FAC ES , P L AC ES , L A B E L S A N D H A P P E N I N GS I N FAS H I O N TH IS MO NTH

 THE ICON

SLICK
WOODS
From her outspoken
S LI CK WO O DS

voice to her zero-fucks

stance on social
media, the model
embodies the spirit
and look of new punk.

VE R SACE
PR AD A

STYLE TIP
Wool skirt,
£500, BLACK
ASHLEY
W IL L IA MS
LEATHER
Easily the clearest
signifier of a badass
attitude, black leather
– in a slick patent – is

KE N Z O
the finish to look for
this seasonn.

Leather boots,
£89,
TOPSHOP
STYLE TIP Denim gilet,

TARTAN £165, THE

KOOPL E S

RETURNS
B A L E N C IA GA

Plaid is a perennial, but

its tougher-edge rework
at Burberry, Miu Miu

Photographs: Getty Images, Graham Walser at Hearst Studios, Imaxtree,

and more is a
refreshing comeback.

THE LOOK Instagram/@slickwoods, Jason Lloyd-Evans, Rex Features

SPIKES
Leather bag,
£395,
V IVIENNE
THAT BITE
WESTWOOD Whether on shoes or in
P A T TI SM I TH , 1 97 4

hair, spikes were long

and razor-sharp on the
runways, as seen at
Balenciaga and Junya
Watanabe.
J UN Y A WA T A N A BE
BA L E N C IA G A
 LO NDO N, 1980 S

FKA T WI G S
C AN R E S I S T AN C E E VE R be boiled down to a look? And can
you be down for the cause while simultaneously wearing fresh-off-
the-runway designer wares? Fashion is arguably at one of its most
self-aware periods in recent history, with brands and designers re-

J U NYA WAT ANAB E

acting to global events, politics and the zeitgeist in both refresh-
ingly explicit and strategically subtextual ways. There was so much
to speak up about during the spring runways: sexism (Dior and
Prada), ‘fake news’ (Balenciaga), the state of America (Calvin Klein),
the state of Britain (Preen). The spring runway shows were a season
of bold statements and sartorial side eyes at the patriarchy/establish-
ment/insert your ill here.
STYLE TIP So it wasn’t a surprise to see the return of punk, fashion’s original
MASH symb bol of defiance. Hardly a new idea, but it suited the current mood
perfeectly. While in one corner most of the fashion world was rebelling
IT UP againnst the status quo with a joie de vivre-fuelled air strike of sequins,
Hardware, texture, optimmism, rainbows, elegance and glamour, those remaining in the
colour, shape and other were responding with bite and spike.
length – the beauty of The look is new punk, but using the old, classic tropes in all their
punk is in the clashing variations. Think of it as a post-punk mash-up — more attitude than la-
of all these things. bels. A little rude boy, a little early generation (pre-nationalism) skin-
head, a little death rock, a tad mod, a little Vivienne Westwood during
the M
Malcolm McLaren days.
Leather jacket,
£2,020, MOSCHINO
A
At Balenciaga and Junya Watanabe, the Eighties-style spikes
were so large and sharp on the models’ shoes and heads they could
have doubled as weapons, like middle fingers with razor-sharp talons,
Leather bag, £1,150, readyy to pop the swelling bubble of populism, while at Kenzo and
JI M MY C H O O Louis Vuitton, the punk moments looked more futuristic, via slick black
leather and patent, coupled with shaggy, Ramones-like hair. And at
Prada a, the feeling was older, via the Sixties and Seventies, with loads
of mannish, black tailor-
ing, retro button-down
MOS C H I NO

LOUD
shirts and a plethora of
studs. Even the collec-
tions that weren’t overtly
punk had a smidge of it:
the biker boots at Alex-

AND ander McQueen and

BAL E N C I AGA

Moschino, the tartan at

PROUD
Burberry and the stud-
ded leather at Balmain
and Versace.
‘Punk means rebel-
lilion and resistance, and
it will always be that,’
says stylist Jan-Michael
Q
Quammie, known for
Leather her own punk-rock look.
choker,, ‘IIt was never meant to
Words by
£200,
be trendy – it’s timeless, it’s a lifestyle. Punks
K ENZO KENYA HUNT
are anti-conformity; they’re misunderstood
and ignored but, most of all, they’re individu-
als, and that’s what makes their look so cool. There is an undeniable
feeling of resistance within subcultures, and your look is part of that.’
Slick Woods and Rihanna are both very new punk – women who
BALMAIN

have incredibly cool, singular, ‘fuck-you’ looks, with equally strong

messages; people who aren’t trying to be different, but just are. It’s not
unusual to see Rihanna’s selfies, lip-gloss plugs and outfits of the day
broken up by calls to action against bullying and racial injustice.
Meanwhile, fashion model Slick, self-described ‘bald-headed ass’
Metal sunglasses,
£275, M IU MIU and Rihanna’s spirit animal (not to mention one of the faces of Fenty
cosmetics), uses her social channels to speak boldly about the impor-
tance of protecting black lives.

ELLE
87 MAR
 Leather pumps,
£1,095,
B A L E N CI A G A

Meanwhile, politics and pop culture are also birthing new

strains of punk: the band of Islamaphobia-fighting musicians, punk STY TIP
Muslims, making headlines from Indonesia, or the wave of post-
Brexit, political rock acts in England, for example. T
In fashion, though, punk is wholly unique, simply because the MIN ET
look of it is so inextricably linked with the mindset and ideas of au- ‘The real punks are
thenticity. You can’t try on punk, take it off and then put it in the back anti-conformist and
of your closet the way we did last year’s tracksuits. Or can you? individual – and that’s wh
Designer jeans, a £1,500 studded jacket and some reimagined makes them cool,’ says
Doc Martens, as prescribed by the runways, does not a badass Jan-Michael Quammie.
necessarily make. Or does it? Sid Vicious famously bought fashion

R I H ANNA
magazines and copied the looks. ‘Complete fashion victim. Noth-
ing he wore really suited him. It was as if the clothes wore him,’
punk godfather Johnny Rotten said in his book Rotten: No Irish, No
Blacks, No Dogs. (Meanwhile, Rotten had his punk card revoked,
in the eyes of many, last year
when he endorsed the con-
servative Donald Trump and
equally conservative Brexit
vote.) Punk isn’t always com-
‘ There REALLY is
pletely original. Hardcore leg-
end Mike Watt, for example, an element of
first stumbled on his signature
style of flannel shirts when FAKING IT until Polyester-mix
trousers,
£49, URB AN
he mimicked the look of John
Fogerty of Creedence Clear-
water Revival at the age of 13.
you MAKE IT ’ OUTFI TTE RS

Patti Smith, undisputed queen

of the genre, chopped her hair
into her trademark cut to look like the boys she knew following
a folk phase in their youth. And in the past, Rihanna has been ac- M hairclip,
cused of emulating everyone from Grace Jones to the New York £ , ASHLEY
countercultural nightlife movement GHE20 GOTH1K. Diamantéé earr ings,
WI L L I A M S
W

Few radicals start off that way right out of the gate – most hone £110, A EY
W I L L I AMS
MS
their voice and style after trial and error and, yees, a little simula-
tion. Like with most fashion, there really is an element of faking it
until you make it; dressing the part until you actually are the brave COLOUR PALETTE
revolutionary you’ve always wanted to be. The sp
plenty of wardrobe options to help get you started
pring season has
d.
RED,, BLACK
& WHI E
Take fashion’s m ost
GIV EN CH Y

conventional coloours
and turn them o n
Leeather belt,
their head.
£520,
G
GIVE NCH Y

Cotton trousers,
£1,500, LO UIS
V UIT T O N
JA N -M IC HA E L Q UA MM IE
U I S V UI T TO N

Photographs: Imaxtree, Style du Monde

L OU

Leather boots,
£1,240,
MOSCHINO

MA
 S S 18
AW17
I
BALENCIAGA POLKA DOT PUMP
OFF-WHITE C/O JIMMY CHOO PLASTIC PUMP

AW17

S S 18
I
I
CÉLINE WHITE-HEELED MULE
LOEWE POINTED SUEDE TRAINER

THE SWAP

THE MOOD
E D

FRIENDLY When it comes to swapping out the old

for the new, footwear offers the

FASHION quickest update to your existing wardrobe.

I

Stomp with intention. BB

Fashion’s feeling warm and fuzzy. So often
an industry synonymous with nastiness
(thank you, The Devil Wears Prada), it’s

Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios, Imaxtree, Getty, RexFeatures, Jason Lloyd-Evans, courtesy of Anya Hindmarch
nice when it proves it’s as much about
ethics as aesthetics. February sees the
launch of Ninety Percent, a groundbreaking
AW 1 7

SS18
ICKST

concept label of well-made wardrobe

basics that prioritises people and product
over profit. This means a transparent SAINT LAURENT CRYSTAL BOOT
L

supply chain and the sharing of 90% of its CHANEL PLASTIC BOOT
profits between a variety of causes. We,
the shoppers, get to vote on where the
money goes. Add to that Gucci’s pledge
to go fur-free from spring 2018 – a move
that will hopefully be followed by others
– and Dame Ellen MacArthur’s push for a
A W 17

S S1 8

circular, waste-free textile economy,

backed by Stella McCartney, and it’s
proof that caring is cool. Bibby Sowray CHRISTOPHER KANE JEWEL CROC
BALENCIAGA PINK PLATFORM CROC

THE STATEMENT T H E C LA S S IC
MAKER Denim skirt, £34.99,
Cotton skirt, £710, MARNI H&M

MARKET RESEARCH

MIDI SKIRTS
The interseasonal wonder piece
H A
£ 9,
I G
VI’S

deserves a place in every wardrobe.

TH E NEW LA DYL I K E T H E MINIMALIST T H E E V E N ING HER O
Silk skirt, £295, Leather skirt, £2,020, Lamé skirt, £695,
G ANNI FE N D I B URB E R R Y

ELLE
92 MAR
 L A B E L T O K N O W :
secured a place. But how did this unknown de-

CONNER signer go on to take centre stage at one of the

industry’s key events?

IVES ‘After I made the dresses for the Tim Walker

shoot, I was already exploring my own projects
outside of a school setting. I made a six-piece col-
A CHANCE DM WITH lection and the Instagram reception was good.
Soon after, I met a friend of Adwoa’s, casting direc-
MODEL-OF-THE-MOMENT
tor Madeleine Østlie, who loved my work. Then
ADWOA ABOAH Adwoa hit me up on Instagram DM last February.
CHANGED THE FATE OF She had been looking at photos of my show, and
THIS BUZZY CENTRAL said, “I haven’t chosen what I am wearing to the
SAINT MARTINS STUDENT Met Gala yet,” and asked if I would like to do it.
Plucked from relative obscu-
Pl I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The
rity, Conner Ives had the sort FOREVER. LYNETTE dress she liked was cotton, so we remade it in a
off 2017 that no PR could have NYLANDER REVEALS double-faced duchess satin. The coat was three
enngineered. First, there were THE STORY metres long and we added appliqué swans.
the custom pieces stylist Jacob BEHIND HIS SUCCESS I made everything from my studio in London’s
K (whose show credits include Seven Sisters, and my parents’ house in Bedford.
Balenciaga and Versace) I was a mess. Until we walked her on to the car-
reequested to shoot on model Edie Campbell, photo- pet, I was sure she wasn’t going to wear it.’
grraphed by Tim Walker for i-D. Then, there were the His clothes marry two sides of an edgy girl’s wardrobe: sporty, with vin-
crreations commissioned by one Rihanna Fenty. But the tage band tees (think Wu-Tang Clan mixed with Metallica) refashioned into
chherry on top was when Adwoa Aboah shunned major dresses; and glamorous, daringly short or sheer pieces, with exposed details.
deesign houses to wear Conner’s work to the Met Gala. Post-Met, fans and stores were quick to want a piece of his work.
O
Oh, and did we mention Conner is only 21 years old? Fashion critic Sarah Mower asked him to be part of #SarahsList, the pop-
Conner’s romance with fashion began in his home up she curated with Liberty, in which he repurposed silk scarves into dis-
to
own of Bedford, New York, a picturesque American tinctive oversized shirting. But with the small task of a BA degree to com-
suuburb. He describes being ‘bothered with aesthetics plete, Conner has been quick to calm the buzz.
annd craft’ from an early age. ‘For me, the love of fash- ‘I want to be mindful of what I am trying to shape myself into. I don’t
io
on was always there. I inherited a lot of it from Mom. want to just make 150 T-shirt dresses and sell them. I don’t want to become
Shhe wasn’t a fashionista, but she had very American known for just one thing. I look at the work of Jonathan Anderson and
taste and swore by Ralph Lauren. She was into herit- Phoebe Philo, how their work challenges people, and I love that. There’s
ag
age, sportswear... everything was really refined. I can no rush. I want to have a long-term impact – that’s my personal goal.’
see that influence in my designs.’
Conner craved something outside of the Aber-
crombie & Fitch hoodies and Patagonia fleeces that dictated style
in his town, and after doing short courses at NYC’s Fashion Institute
of Technology, he knew he wanted to study at Central Saint Martins.
‘I met a rep in Denver, Colorado, when I was 16. She looked at my
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios

work and gave me advice. Knowing that going to Saint Martins was
possible lit a fire under my ass.’
After completing his foundation year and, initially, being rejected
from Saint Martins’ Womenswear BA, he refined his portfolio and

ELLE
94 MAR
 AS SEEN AT MARQUES’ ALMEIDA Poly-mix skirt,
AND VALENTINO, RICH Cotton
£32,
RIV E R
BROCADES AND EMBROIDERY TAKE trousers, IS L A N D
£1,345,
LUXE TO THE NEXT LEVEL JU S T
CAVALLI

AC E
£1,670, VE RS
Le at he r ba g,

L e a th e
r bag
MAR , £409 Leather,
Antique silver C CA ,
IN satin and
necklace, £2,070, cotton-mix
BO T T E G A V E N E T A shoes, £70,
V A GA BO N D

MARKET:

Cotton jacket,
£695,
VALENT I NO FLORALS Cotton shirt,
£795,

& TAPESTRY
SI MO N E
R O CHA

Cotton
trousers, £800,
MAR NI

Wool jacket,
Leather bag,
£1,590,
£2,390,
J U S T CAVALLI
A LEX A N D ER
M C QU EE N

Leather and cotton-mix

shoes, £129, KU RT
G E IG E R

Leather bag, £2,600,

Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios

LO U I S VU I T T O N

Cotto n-mix trousers,

Velvet £6000, M A RQ U E S ’
A LM E IDA

Le a th e r-
m ix
IT H A S
IM M O
NS

ELLE
97 MAR
 Faux-fur coat
Metal earrings,,
M
F
Faux-fur belt, £119, £274,
£70,
S C O TCH
K AT E S E M A RC C A IN
& SO D A

Resin-bead bag,
£450, S HR I M P S 90,
g , £1,1 T
er ba
L e a th T LA
U REN
SAIN

g , £995,
S ue d e b a
CHOO
Leather and JI M M Y Cotton shoes,
metal trousers, £149, KU RT
£5,480, G E IG E R
DS QUARED 2
Cotton-mix blazer, £895,
R O BER T O CAV A L L I

MARKET:

Leather skirt, £296, MA JE

& LEATHER Rhodium-plated earrings,

£99, S WA RO V S KI

b ra ce le t,
nd st ra ss
Leather Le a th e r a H A N EL
£800 , C
shoes,
£59.99,
MANGO

Le ath er ba g,
£1,030, ET RO
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios

CHA NE CLASSI
SIC CAVALLI AND
MAKE EO RD PRINT THE BACK
K
BONE O OUR NIGHT-TIME LOOOK Cotton jacket, £614, and cotton
trousers, £428, both F RA ME

ELLE
98 MAR
 DO LIKE THE VIVIENNE WESTWOOD WO AN
AND PAIR PUNK’S FAVOURITE
Wool kilt,
CHECK WITH REBELLIOUS ACCESS SORIES
S £440, L E KIL T

Sequin and leath

ather
shoes, 3.50,
Silk and wool top, ANT O N
NI O ARRAS
£300, NEI L BAR R ET T

Polyester and
d
leather-mix
mix bag,
£330
30, KE N ZO
Cotton jacket,
£570,
N
ISA ARFEN

Metal, strasss
and glass peearl
505,
necklace, £1,5
MARKET: W ool-mix
jump er, £233,
CHANE L TH E K O OP L ES

Cotton bag,
£29.99,
LI NDEX
TEXTURE

Poly-mix jumper,
£36, R I VER
I S LAND Cotton jacket,
£810,
V IVI EN N E
WE STW O O D
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios

Cottonn top,
£2005,
05
M A RQ U E S ’
A L ME ID A

Tweed bag, £2,670, C HA N EL

Leather boots,
£850,
NICHOLAS Poly-mix trousers,
KIR KW OOD £34.99, H & M

ELLE
100 MAR
 Leather dress, £3,420, GUC C I .
Silk shirt (worn underneath),

1.
THE STATEMENT DRESS:
£170, B Y MAL E NE B I RGE R.
Poly-mix earrings, £8.99, H & M

If I had to pick a favourite

VBS, it would be this dress
Cotton shirt, £295,
R E J IN A P YO . Cotton top
(right): pea green, leather,
(worn underneath), Gucci – what’s not to love?

3.
£870, V A LENT INO . And sleeves aside, if colour
Leather shorts with belt,
£450, P H ILO SO P HY DI
is your thing, SS18 is your
L O R E N Z O SER AFINI. season, with its kaleidoscope
Gold earrings, £3,725, of feel-good tones. The pea THE SIMPLE SHIRT:
T IFFA N Y & C O Taffeta dress, £2,160,
green is worn here over an S TE L L A M C C A R T N E Y.
equally shouty shirt in the This Rejina Pyo shirt (far left) Cotton top (worn
colour of the season, Gen Z is everything a white shirt underneath), £240,
S E L F-PORT R A I T a t
yellow – it’s the new should be, and more: S E L FRI D GE S . Metal and
millennial pink, don’t you structured, tuck-innable and strass necklace, £1,505,
know? (Note: over 25s can with a fine attention to detail C H AN E L

still wear yellow: I will be!) (note the collar, the cuffs
and the contrast stitching).
T R Y T H I S :
Styled here over a ribbed
long-sleeve tee, you could
do the same with any
5.
THE number of zip-up sports
tops. Sometimes it’s updates
THE RETRO REVIVAL:

Stella McCartney’s take

It’s hardly a surprise that super-sized
sleeves are big news – we’ve
watched them soar through the
SUPER on wardrobe basics that
are worth investing in.
on the VBS (above) was
pure Eighties: big, puffy
fashion stratosphere over the past few
SLEEVE 4. shoulders and a clavicle-
exposing neckline in the
Photographs: Fauve Bouwman, 3 Objectives, Graham Walser at Hearst Studios.

seasons, from frothy ruffles to silky

Model: Emory Ault at Premier Model Management. Hair and make-up: Lou Box

bell sleeves – but this spring it’s a big fabric of the decade:
shoulder/tight wrist proportion that IN HER NEW COLUMN, THE PARTY DRESS: taffeta. But for a more
we’re hungry for. It’s a style rooted in modern take on the
ELLE’S ASSOCIATE This polka-dot Topshop
shape, try mixing it with
history (they were first popular in the dress (below) is the most
19th century), and is technically known FASHION EDITOR HARRIET sportswear. I’ve layered
Cinderella of them all.
as a leg of mutton sleeve, but for all STEWART STYLES THE However, should you not
it over a string vest-style
vegans out there, let’s just call them TRICKIEST MICRO TRENDS top here, but you could
wish to go to the ball, there
Very Big Sleeves, or, simply, the VBS. apply the same rule to
is more than one way to
There’s something for everyone any sporty top, be it
style it. Worn here over a
this season, whether your jam is a mesh or Lycra. Think of it
men’s houndstooth shirt
Fifties-style Balenciaga silhouette as eveningwear meets
(very Balenciaga), it’s
with a nipped-in waist or more of sportswear – an
subverted from pretty to
a romantic Victorian blouse. So far athleisure cocktail party,
punk in an instant. I would
so good, right? But how to style a if you will. You could
finish it off with flat brogues,
poufy shoulder without resembling also look to Isabel
or boots for even more
a Disney princess? You’ll need Marant or Puma x Fenty
insouciance.
some layering tricks up your (giant) for more inspiration in
sleeves, slick accessories and good the art of elevating your
wardrobe staples to temper all that sportswear to party
pouf. Here’s how.
2.
THE UPDATED CLASSIC:
territory, or indeed the
other way around.

Cotton top,
£625, ELLER Y Yes, that’s all very well if
you’re trussed up in Gucci,
I hear you say, but how to
do a VBS for work/the LEFT Silk dress, £49,
school run/the pub and look TOPS H O P . Cotton shirt
(worn underneath),
like you haven’t tried? This £115, D A K S
Topshop shirt-jacket hybrid FAR LEFT Cotton top, £59,
(above) is how. Wear with TOPS H O P B O U T I Q U E .
Silver earrings, £279,
Denim jacket, denim or over dresses – it’s TH OMA S S A B O . Leather
£29.99,
NEW LO O K
summer’s answer to a blazer. bag, £2,700, CÉ L I N E

ELLE
103 MAR
 Tulle bodysuit,
£5,600; tulle skirt,
£3,600; blue
leather bag, £2,550;
pink leather bag,
£1,750, all D I O R .
Rhodium-plated
silver ring, £79,
S W AR O V S K I

E
R
 JEWELS, EMBELLISHMENT, SPARKLE; WHOEVER SAID LESS
IS MORE HADN’T MET SPRING’S BOLDEST ACCESSORIES

Photographs by

FRANKIEWICZ
& ROZNIATA

ZO
OM
Cotton-mix dress, £850,
AC NE ST UDIO S .
Neoprene trainers,
£805, and leather and
Swarovski-embellished
bag, £2,800, both
V ALENT INO
G AR AV ANI . Rhodium-
plated silver ring, £79,
SWAR O V SKI
Styling by

DONNA
WALLACE
R O
Organza-mix and
crystal-embellished shirt,
£513, D OD O B A R a t
N E T-A-PORTE R . CO M .

SPARKLE
Cotton and crystal-em-
bellished jeans, £1,709,
AS H I S H . White strass bag,
£12,240; and black strass-

SHINE
mix bag, £11,130, both
C H AN E L . Rhodium-plated
ring, £79, S W AR O V S K I

ZO
OM Photographs: Frankiewicz & Rozniata

ELLE
106 MAR
CRYSTALS
SATIN
PLEATS
Photographs: Frankiewicz & Rozniata

JEWELLED!
PLASTIC Crepe and lace dress,
£320, S E L F-PO R T R A I T
at S E L FR I D G E S .
Satin-mix shoes,
£1,495, OFF-W H I T E X
J I MMY CH O O

ELLE
108 MAR
 RH
Photographs: Frankiewicz & Rozniata

P ! Splattered leather coat,

£4,930, and fringed
pom-pom leather bag,
£1,130, both CA L V I N
KL E I N 2 0 5 W 39N YC

ELLE
110 MAR
 BOOTS

DISCO
SUEDE

ELLE
112
MAR
ZO
OM
£5,900, CA R T I E R
18ct pink-gold bracelet,
VAC C A R E L L O .
L AURE N T B Y A N T H O N Y
boots, £6,855, both S A I N T
dress, £6,855, and suede
Velvet and taffeta-mix

Photographs: Frankiewicz & Rozniata. Hair: Adam Garland at Eighteen using l’Oréal Professional.Make-up: Kamila Forini
at Eighteen using Laura Mercier. Nails: Pebbles Aikens at The Wall Group. Model: Lulu Allie at Elite Model Management
 BECAUSE ONE PIECE IS NEVER
ENOUGH, GO BIG ON SILVER, GOLD
AND BLING WITH MULTIPLE
LAYERS. EMBRACE THE JEWELS

Model’s right hand: gold, enamel

and tsavorite bracelet, £9,000,
G U C C I . Gold and diamond
ring (thumb), £3,550, DIO R
J OA IL L E R I E . Gold, silver, topaz,
spinel and pearl ring (index
finger), £1,350; and gold, silver,
ruby and sapphire ring (middle
ZO Model’s left hand: watch with
diamonds, £6,500; diamond
line bracelet, £14,000; gold
micro-link bracelet, £1,400; gold
link bracelet, £2,575; gold ring,
£1,075; white-gold ring with
diamonds (both index finger),

OM
finger), £4,780; both GUCCI. £8,400; gold ring, £1,500, all
Left hand: gold, silver, diamond TI FFAN Y & C O . Right hand: gold
and pearl ring, £2,390; and gold, bangle, £7,000, T I F F A N Y & CO .
silver, topaz, spinel and pearl Yellow gold and diamond ring,
hand accessory, £1,430, both £4,780, ME S S I K A . Cotton shirt
G U C C I . Gold and diamond ring, (worn throughout), £80, G A N T .
£3,900, D IOR J O AILLER IE. Denim Denim jeans, £253, F R A M E
jeans, £85, LEV I’ S. Denim jeans
(worn underneath), £253, FR AM E
Photographs: Frankiewicz & Rozniata. Nails: Joanna Newbold at ERA Management using Chanel SS18. Model: Ayobami Okekunle at IMG

Styling by

DONNA
WALLACE

Bracelets, from top: gold and

diamond, £3,250; white gold
and diamond ‘LV’, £1,280; and White gold and diamond ring
yellow gold and diamond ‘LV’, (index finger), £9,250; white,
£1,280; all LO UIS V UIT T ON yellow, rose gold and diamond
FIN E J EWELLER Y . Gold, steel double ring, £2,700, both L O U I S
and diamond watch, £10,330, VUI T T O N F I N E J E WE L L E R Y.
C H O P AR D . Pink gold ring with From top: white gold and pavé
pavé diamonds (thumb), £6,050, diamond bracelet, £24,800,
B U L GAR I . Pink gold ring with B UL GA R I . Steel and diamond

LAYER
diamonds (index finger), £11,600, watch, £6,400, CH A N E L
C A R T IER . Gold ring with diamonds W ATC HE S . Gold bangle, £7,000,
and tsavorite (ring finger), £2,390, TI FFAN Y & CO . Rose gold and
G U C C I. Denim jeans, £85, LEVI’S diamond bracelet, £1,640,
ME S S I K A b y G I G I H A D I D .
Denim jeans, £85, L E V I ’S

MIX
ELLE
117
SPARKLE
MAR
!
 LLY
BA
7 5,
, £5
ag
e rb
Le ath
AS
O CH
,R
80
£8
a g,
xb
ure
dl
an
ilk
n, s
tto
Co

S
AN
Y JE
MM
, TO
£ 70
g,
ba
tin
Sa
A
HK
J E N US
, MA , NA
05 30
, £2 , £3
ag ag
rb rb
the the
Lea n le
a
Y
a CH
d veg V EN
an GI
air oth
lf h ,b
Ca 7 04
g ,£
ba
de
d sue
an
Photographs: Pixelate Imaging. Edited by Donna Wallace

er
12 OF THE BEST: d lea
th
an
5,

BUM £ 28
elt,
rb
the
Lea

IT’S TIME TO GET WAISTED

BAGS
AND TRADE YOUR
CROSS-BODY FOR A BELT STYLE

I
CC
, GU
L 7 65
NE ,£
C HA b ag
4 0, n vas
2,7 ca
g ,£ a nd
r ba th er
the Lea
Lea

NI
VA
RA
GA
O
IN
E NT
V AL
5,
1 ,26
g ,£
RK ba
YO er
W & M th
NE ,H Lea
AD
E .99
SP £ 19
TE a g,
,K
A rb
1 78 e ste
g ,£ P oly
ba
th er
Lea

ON
ND
LO
CE
LA
SO
5 0,
, £3
ag
e rb

119 Le ath
ELLE MAR
 DENIM
TAKE THE ESSENCE OF PRINCESS DIANA’S EIGHTIES
STYLE AND MIX IT WITH THE OPULENCE OF DALLAS,
THEN REVEL IN SPRING’S MOST VERSATILE TREND
Photographs by

FAUVE
BOUWMAN

Styling by

FELICITY KAY

ELLE
124 MAR
 SHOOT

THIS PAGE
Cotton shirt, £95, POLO
RALPH LAUREN . Cotton
jeans with rhinestone-sequin
tassels, £125, TOPSHOP .
Silver collar tips, £8,
JESSIE WESTERN . Nastya’s
right hand: silver Russian
wedding ring, £55, and
silver band ring, £35, both
PANDORA . Left hand: silver
signet ring with lapis lazuli,
£170, and silver signet ring
with Cancer symbol, £110,
both RACHEL ENTWISTLE
OPPOSITE
Cotton-mix blouse, £281,
SHUSHU/TONG . Denim
jeans, £420, AG JEANS .
Felt hat, £51, LACK OF
COLOUR . Leather belt,
£40, TOMMY HILFIGER

BEDAZZLE YOUR DENIM, BUT KEEP

THE REST OF YOUR LOOK SIMPLE;
A CRISP, WHITE SHIRT WILL SUFFICE

ELLE
125 MAR
Linen blazer, £549, and
denim shorts, £99, both
P OL O R ALP H LAUR EN.
Denim jacket, £89, G UESS .
Diamanté earrings, £7,
C L A IR E’ S . Nastya’s
right hand: silver Russian
wedding ring, £55, and
silver band ring, £35, both
PANDORA. Left hand: silver
signet ring with lapis lazuli,
£170, and silver signet ring
with Cancer symbol, £110,
both RACHEL ENTWISTLE

BLAZER
GLORY
A BOXY, LONG-LINE BLAZER
TAKES PALE DENIM UP A NOTCH

ELLE
126 MAR
 Silk shirt, £243, F R A M E .
Denim jeans, £34.99,
H& M . Silk scarves, from
£180 each, R O CK I N S a t
N E T-A - P O R T E R . CO M .
Black stone and gold signet
ring, £42, N U & M I I

THREAD A SCARF – OR TWO – THROUGH

YOUR BELT LOOPS FOR AN EASY-BREEZY
STYLE UPGRADE

ELLE
127 MAR
 Oversized denim
jacket, £55, RI VE R
I S L AN D . Cropped
denim jacket (worn
underneath), £34.99,
H & M . Cotton shorts,
£30, L E S GI RL S
L E S B OY S

Cotton-mix roll-neck body, £145, WOLF ORD at

NET -A-P O R T ER.COM. Denim jacket, £330, CURRENT/ELLIOTT .
Denim jeans, £85, LEVI’S . Diamanté earrings, £7, CLAIRE ’ S

Cotton T-shirt, £130, AG

JEANS . Denim jeans,
£330, THE HILFIGER
COLLECTION. Vintage
gold clip-on earrings,
£95, SUSAN CAPLAN .
Gold necklace, £8,875,
TIF F ANY & CO . Rings,
as opposite page

Silk shirt, £243, FRAME . Felt hat,

£51, L AC K OF C OL OUR

ELLE
128 MAR
 SHOOT

Denim jacket, £100, DKNY.

Two-tone jeans, £330, THE
HILFIG ER COLLECTION .
Leather cowboy boots,
£355, GANNI . Gold
necklace, £8,875, TIF F ANY
& C O . Nastya’s right hand:
gold signet ring with lapis
lazuli, £210, and gold
signet ring with Virgo
motif, £140, both RACHEL
ENT WIST LE. Left hand: gold
and black stone signet ring,
£42, NU & MII
O P P O SIT E
(BACKG R OUND PIC)
Cotton T-shirt, £130,
AG JEANS . Denim jeans,
£330, THE HILFIGER
COLLECTION
Darphin Skincare and YSL Beauty. Model: Nastya Zakharova at Next Models London
Hair: Benjamin David using Davines. Make-up and nails: Martina Lattanzi using

DOUBLE UP
CONSIDER YOUR DENIM JACKET AS A TOP – BUTTON IT AND
SHRUG IT OFF THE SHOULDERS. ADD MATCHING
JEWELLERY FOR A HIGH-OCTANE, PARTY-READY LOOK

ELLE
129 MAR
 a
pl yelle

R
Edited by

LENA
DE CASPARIS

RA
HOW WILL HOLLYWOOD LOOK AFTER THE AGE OF #TIMESUP AND #METOO?
AS THE LIST OF SEXUAL ABUSERS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
GROWS, WOMEN ARE FIGHTING BACK. MEET THE WRITERS, PRODUCERS,
CINEMATOGRAPHERS AND DIRECTORS SHIFTING THE BALANCE IN HOLLYWOOD
 ‘I THINK THERE IS A TENDENCY to say we
[people of colour] never saw ourselves on
television, when actually it’s more about
infrequency compared to the mainstream.
While the pickings were relatively slim, I did
see myself, and I have to tip my hat to those

*Report for Toronto International Film Festival, 2017. Photographs: Emma McIntyre/BAFTA LA/Contour by Getty Images, Getty Images, Picture Lux/Eyevine, Chad Griffith
creators. Growing up, I saw a black family
represented on TV in The Cosby Show, and
with fantastic sitcoms like Living Single
and Martin. My teenage years offered me
access to the world of Spike Lee films – small
whispers in between the avalanche of images
by the dominant culture from which we were
excluded. In my own career, I’ve tried to
continue offering images and stories that
elongate the view of black life in film and TV
and infiltrate that dominant gaze in some way.
Whether through my independent films, my
work for brands like BET [Black Entertainment
Television] and Ebony magazine, my series
Queen Sugar on a black-woman-owned
network, or my depiction of black life in studio
films – from Selma to 13th to A Wrinkle in Time
– my goal is the amplification of reality.
‘I’ve worked to assert my voice by fiercely
holding on to the notion of independence.
I don’t go to Hollywood rooms with hat in
hand, because I don’t feel that way. I feel
that what I have to offer is valuable, and if
you don’t do it or buy it or validate it, it only
means it’s going to get done another way.
Words by
But it will get done. I may not be able to make
SHANNON the project for however many millions, but
MAHANTY that’s OK, because I know how to make
things work at any number. And I enjoy it. And
there’s power in that. We have to find new
ways to work without permission; new ways
to go through doors that are closed to us;
new ways to create our own audiences and
tell our own stories and create our own doors.
‘In terms of where the world is now, A
Wrinkle in Time is a timely story, yes, but with
its themes of love and darkness, it’s also a very
timeless story. Madeleine L’Engle published
her novel in 1962, and people have loved
it ever since. There have always been dark
times and there’s always been love.
‘My advice to aspiring film-makers?
Don’t wait for permission. Give permission

OF THE TOP 25O FILMS OF 2O16, ONLY

7% OF DIRECTORS WERE WOMEN*
to yourself. And do it now.’
A Wrinkle in Time is out on 9 March
 A WOMAN HAS NEVER been
nominated for a cinematography
Oscar, and in 2016, women made up
just five per cent of cinematographers
working on the top 250 domestic-
grossing films. These statistics, from
the Toronto International Film Festival,
show what cinematographer Bruus
Christensen is up against – and is
slowly changing, one blockbuster at
a time. She was the woman behind
the lens for The Girl On The Train,

.
Far From The Madding Crowd,
Fences and this year’s Molly’s Game,
starring Jessica Chastain.

3.
GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEE
Hannah’s first ever script, The Post,
impressively has Steven Spielberg
directing and Meryl Streep and Tom
Hanks in starring roles. The story
follows Washington Post publisher
Katharine Graham (Streep), who
takes the decision, with executive
editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), to print
the Pentagon Papers. In doing so,
they expose classified government
lies about the Vietnam war
and win a landmark case
against the White House.

4. TAKING OVER HOLLYWOOD

one side-splitting role at
a time, Haddish (left) last
year marked her breakout moment with the release of Girls Trip. The comedy
follows four life-long best friends – Jada Pinkett-Smith, Queen Latifah, Regina
Hall and Haddish – who come together for a wild weekend. Taking more
than £100 million at the box office, it confirmed Haddish’s place as one of
the funniest people alive. Her memoir, The Last Black Unicorn, was published
last year, and in her next project, she takes the lead in comedy Night School.

5.
THE CHILEAN ACTRESS (right) generated
significant Oscar buzz with her second-
ever film performance. Taking the lead in
A Fantastic Woman (out now), transgender
actress Vega wowed audiences across
the film festival circuit as Maria, a waitress
who loses her partner, and then her rights,
after his family refuses to acknowledge her
because of her gender identity.
 . WHAT SHE SAID :

‘Every time someone writes that I play

“a strong woman”, what they’re implying is
that most women aren’t.’

‘HAVING ACTED IN 25
FILMS and co-written five
blockbusters, Gerwig now
adds a solo directorial
project, Ladybird, to her
impressive IMDB credits.
One of our favourite ‘If this year’s [2017] Oscars proved
films of this year’s award anything, it’s that the voices of women and
season, it’s a brilliant female people of colour matter.’
coming-of-age story starring
Saoirse Ronan.

7. BORN IN NASHVILLE, Rees (below left)

is committed to putting women’s stories
front and centre. Bessie, a biopic of blues
performer Bessie Smith, won her an Emmy in 2015, but Rees truly made her
name at the helm of Mudbound, the Netflix tale of two intertwining families
during the Second World War, starring Carey Mulligan and Mary J Blige.
Next up, she’ll direct Mulligan again, as Gloria Steinem in An Uncivil War.

‘If we educate young girls and give them the

8. opportunity to see what a wonderful business

it is, we can guarantee their success.’

DEVELOPMENT FOR A LIVE

ACTION Wonder Woman
film first started in 1996, but
after decades of waiting,
Jenkins (right) was the woman
to finally bring the long-
awaited superhero to life. In
doing so, she became the first
female director of a Marvel or
DC film. It also took more than
£600 million at the box office,
making Wonder Woman the
highest-grossing superhero
film of all time.
 MEN OUTNUMBER WOMEN IN PRODUCTION ROLES 5:1 *

WHEN RUTH WILSON WAS A CHILD, growing up

in Surrey, she was a Brownie. Her three older
brothers, meanwhile, were Boy Scouts. One
summer, all the Wilson children went to camp and,
when they returned home, she was struck by her
brothers’ stories: anecdotes of adventure and
making fires in the woods. Her experience, though,
involved making beds and peeling potatoes. ‘It
was boring, and I remember thinking, “Why am
I doing this when they get to have fun?”’ she says
by phone. Wilson refused to go to Brownies again.
These days, she’s just as passionate, candid
and committed to pointing out injustice, and, as an
actor quickly ascending Hollywood’s upper ranks,
she’s seen her share of sexism. ‘As you get older,
you realise you’re treated differently or don’t get
the same opportunities because you’re a woman.’
Though she’s spoken out in the past about
being offered ‘offensively two-dimensional’
parts, the actor has taken on a slew of nuanced
characters since her breakout role as a fiery Jane
*WeForShe/Women in Television. Photographs: Erik Tanner/Contour by Getty Images, D+V Management Archive, Rex Features, Getty Images

Eyre in the BBC’s 2006 adaptation. In Luther,

she played a charming serial killer; she won a
Golden Globe for her portrayal of Alison in The
Affair; and last year played a modern, vitriolic
incarnation of the 1891 title role in Hedda Gabler
at the National Theatre.
‘I’ve always been very vocal,’ says Wilson of
her career, ‘but there have been moments where
I’ve found it difficult to negotiate things that are
about gender. Whether it’s things like sex scenes
– we’re in an industry that sells sex – or equal
pay – which is hard because it’s based on value,
and how do you measure value? Is it the number
of awards you’ve won or how many people went
to see your movies? There are a lot more roles for
men than there are for women. So men get their
fee up by sheer quantity of material.’
For her latest film, Wilson is confronting the
issue by surrounding herself with female film-
makers. Dark River boasts a triumvirate of female
powerhouses: director Clio Barnard, producer
Tracy O’Riordan, and Wilson in the lead role. In
it, she plays a farmer who, after her father’s death,
returns to her village for the first time in 15 years to
dispute the tenancy of the farm with her estranged
brother (Mark Stanley). It’s an uncomfortable
watch, but a striking portrait of sibling tension and
the hardships of rural post-Brexit-vote England.
For all the uncertainty facing women in a
changing world, Wilson is hopeful. ‘It feels like
there’s a community of women for the first time,’ she
says. ‘I was doing Hedda during the Women’s
March, and knowing that women were out there
marching [while] we were putting on this show –
you could sense in the room that everyone was
hyper-alert to what it is to be a woman. It was
an act of communion, and it felt powerful.’
Dark River is out on 23 February

ELLE
139 MAR
 GENEROUS, INTELLIGENT AND COPIOUSLY
TALENTED, Wright is the new face of a changing
Hollywood. This month she stars alongside
Lupita Nyong’o and Chadwick Boseman in the
highly anticipated Black Panther, the first Marvel
superhero film with a majority-black cast. Next up
is Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One in March,
before she dons her superhero suit again for the
next Avengers film in April. We caught up with the
actor to talk about her silver-screen takeover…
E L L E : Tell us a bit about Shuri, your character in
Black Panther…
L W : I love that she’s an 18-year-old princess and
she’s in charge of so much. I watched YouTube
videos of real African princesses: they’re normal
girls who happen to be royalty, and I wanted
to hijack that idea and make her really fun.
E L L E : It’s Marvel’s first superhero movie starring
a mostly black cast. Why has it taken so long?
L W : I think it just takes the realisation that people
want something different. For me, because there
was such a lack of [diversity in film], then we did
get it, there’s a real appreciation of it. It shows that,
as audience members, we want to see different
things now; we want to see society reflected on
screen. I’ve always wanted to do projects that
have an impact, and this is a film that is going
to shift things in a positive direction.
E L L E : You attended Identity School of Acting in
London, a part-time drama school. How important
are institutions like that?
L W : Instead of complaining about how high the
RADA fees are, Femi Oguns, my friend, agent
and the CEO of Identity, formed his own school.
Identity has supported the dreams of so many
people, from John Boyega and Idris Elba to
Malachi Kirby and myself. I don’t think it’s a bad
thing to go to a traditional drama school, but if
you can’t afford it, what can you do? The school
*BFI, 2017. Photographs: Camera Press/Rachell Smith

helped me so much.
E L L E : What else can be done to make the film
industry more inclusive?
L W : We need to include more writers from
different backgrounds and ethnicities. We need

R to see different experiences instead of the same

people writing the same kinds of stories. We need
to hire more young people, and more women,
because that shakes things up. We need to open
up the circle, and make things different; that’s
how you get the Ava DuVernays and the Ryan
Cooglers of the world. Audiences are screaming
for something different, and there’s an awakening

ONLY 3O% OF FILMS HAVE A GENDER-BALANCED CAST*

happening. Let’s push each other forward.
Black Panther is out on 12 February
 This BAFTA Breakthrough Brit takes the
lead in upcoming thriller Beast.

Her 2O18 debut film, I Am Not A

Witch, is about a girl accused of witchcraft.

Her screenwriting feature debut, thriller

Lady Macbeth, won five BIFAs last year.

PUGH GOT HER FIRST BREAK playing a Sixties IMPORTANT THING IS THE CHARACTER I’M
student in 2014’s The Falling, an indie drama PLAYING: she has to impact people; she has
about the ‘hysteria’ and fainting fits that to have something to say. Female actors are

Photographs: Camera Press/Charlie Clift/BAFTA, Rex Features, Getty Images

take over a suburban school. Last year she fed up with fluffy roles without context. I play
bagged a British Independent Film Award Raya Knight in Fighting With My Family (out
(BIFA) for her sadistic performance in Lady later this year) – she came from a small
Macbeth, and this year she’ll continue her wrestling family in Norwich and became
spell of complex, nuanced and intriguing a superstar. I had an amazing experience
characters. We asked her how she does it… learning how to wrestle. I finished King Lear Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix
‘MY FIRST ROLE WAS MARY IN MY PRIMARY- (out later this year on BBC2) a couple of star in her 2018 film, Mary Magdalene.
SCHOOL NATIVITY, so I always felt weeks ago, with Anthony Hopkins and Emma
comfortable performing. It was my thing Thompson. I just sat in the rehearsal room for
– to be loud and noisy and on a stage. two weeks and kept my eyes open, watching
‘I THOUGHT IT WAS NORMAL TO HAVE every single person do their thing.
A FEMALE DIRECTOR, because my first film, ‘EMMA THOMPSON IS SUCH A POWERFUL
The Falling, was directed by Carol Morley, WOMAN. She gave me books about
and it was my introduction to the industry. amazing women who have been shunned
‘WITH LADY MACBETH, EVERYBODY KNEW over time. It’s heartbreaking to hear stories
THEY WERE IN FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL. of scientists having their own ideas sent back
The budget was tiny, so no one was doing to them 10 years later by a man, and then
it for a massive pay check but because they suddenly it’s groundbreaking. Emma is my
felt something was powerful in the script. star. I often think, “How is this my job – The first woman to win two Best Picture
‘WHEN I’M CHOOSING A ROLE, THE MOST hanging out with the coolest woman ever?”’ Oscars, for 12 Years A Slave and Moonlight.

ELLE
142 MAR
Y JEANNE DAMAS

Photographs by

SANDRA SEMBURG

Words by

BILLIE BHATIA
Think of all the French-girl clichés: insufferably cool, unkempt-but-
flawless hair, a red-wine-stained pout, disarming come-to-bed
eyes, finished off with a Breton top and coffee in hand. Now ‘It has to be the
meet the real-life version: Parisian-born model, actress, muse to Fondation Henri
designer Simon Porte Jacquemus and French It-girl, 25-year-old Cartier-Bresson’
Jeanne Damas. She’s a heady mix of the French icons – Brigitte
Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg and a dash of
Françoise Hardy – who, thanks to her enduring cool-girl appeal,
is amassing an empire of fans (600K on Instagram and counting).
The entrance to Damas’ top-floor, two-bed apartment,
situated near Le Marais, is archetypally Parisian; step through a
heavy wooden door with an iron knocker and you find yourself in
a tree-lined courtyard. Then squeeze into an ornate iron lift – et
voilà – welcome to chez Damas. ‘I have always lived in this part
of Paris,’ Damas says of the neighbourhood. ‘You can practically
see my old apartment from here – my sister lives there now. I love
this area, it’s very me.’
Damas and her cat Charlie moved to her current place just three
months ago, but it took no time to add her personal touches. On the
walls of the spacious living room hang
black-and-white drawings sketched
by her grandfather, an architect.
Adjacent walls house photographs
taken by friends and a large picture ‘It’s all about
by renowned Japanese photographer
Masao Yamamoto. Vases of dried FRIENDSHIPS.
flowers are scattered throughout the
apartment – in the corners of the living I am MORE
spaces, on shelves and a large quantity
amassed in the middle of the dining CONFIDENT
table. ‘My friends call me grandmère
Jeanne because I dry flowers and don’t
like going out. I even take the flowers
with my friends’
with me when I move house. Some of
these I’ve had for years.’
When we ask Damas where she shops for her home, she
shrugs and lets out a very French ‘Bof’ – meaning I don’t know.
‘It’s mostly vintage shops. I go to Marché aux Puces de Saint-
Ouen as it is full of amazing finds, or, for more contemporary
pieces, I like Merci, a super-cool lifestyle place.’ But with a space
like this, one barely needs furniture at all. Light streams in from four
small balconies dotted across the apartment. Damas heads on to
the balcony directly next to her mosaic-tiled kitchen, saying; ‘This
is my spot every morning – the sun shines right through me.’ ‘I love a strong
Damas admits she lucked out with the master bedroom, which red wine’
had been decorated by a previous owner in Farrow & Ball
wallpaper. ‘It’s very expensive, no?’ A second bedroom has
been converted to Damas’ wardrobe, and stacks of denim and

‘The wonderful
Romain Gary’

ELLE
147 MAR
 basket bags are piled in each corner. ‘I have a bit of an obsession
with denim,’ she admits, ‘I think I must have about 50 pairs of
‘Swimming, jeans. My favourites right now are the vintage pairs and those by
preferably in Re/Done – I wear them all the time.’
the sea’ Damas discovered her love of fashion as a child. She grew
up just two miles away, in a flat above her parents’ restaurant
at the time, Le Square Trousseau, a typically French brasserie
famed for a clientele of cool actors and celebrities. ‘I grew
up in the restaurant, so it was like having an extended family.’
Her father, Philippe, no longer runs the restaurant, but Damas
still eats there regularly, and it was in the atelier next door
that she met French designer Nathalie Demeix. ‘I would go to
her shop after school and hang out.
We would talk about clothes and boys.
Then she would put clothes on me, and
‘I GREW UP in I became her in-house model,’ she says.
‘When I started to become famous on
a restaurant; it Instagram, we decided to collaborate
on a collection together, which is how
was like having Rouje was born.’ The brand is comprised
of classic pieces – straight-leg jeans,

an extended blouson-style wrap dresses and heeled

suede boots – that all sell out almost as

FAMILY ’ soon as they are launched online.

Damas’ close network of fashion
friends also includes designer of the
moment Simon Porte Jacquemus, who
she met on social network Skyblog at just 13. The pair quickly
became the best of friends, travelling from Paris to the South of
France to spend time with each other, and have maintained their
friendship ever since. ‘For me, it’s all about friendships in my life.
I am more confident with my friends. Plus, we love to dance!’
Hair and make-up: Leslie Dumeix

When she needs a break from the fashion world, books

and food are Damas’ escape, with an entire part of her home
dedicated to shelving biographies and novels. ‘I love having
people over for dinner. My favourite thing to cook is boudin noir
‘I adore aux pommes.’ Damas clarifies, ‘It’s a dish of blood sausage and
Moroccan apple. It’s the best French dish in the world, but not very sexy.’
food – and a Though, naturally, in Jeanne Damas’ hands, it’s exactly that.
chicken pastilla
is hard to beat’

‘Aux Deux Amis,

in Paris’s
Oberkampf
district, is great’

ELLE
149 MAR
 Collage by

PATRICK
WAUGH

I
I HS
FROM A TORSO-BURSTING TARZAN TO NICOLE KIDMAN’S
MANIPULATIVE ON-SCREEN HUSBAND, ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD
IS HAVING THE PROFESSIONAL TIME OF HIS LIFE. AS HE TELLS
STEPHANIE RAFANELLI, HE IS A SELF-CONFESSED WOMAN’S MAN.
AND, IT SEEMS, THE FEELING IS ENTIRELY MUTUAL
 in HBO’s eight-time Emmy Award-winning Big Little Lies. ‘It’s such a girl-power
story,’ he raves. Skarsgård flew into LA from a shoot in Spain for the awards and
a welcome reunion with the female-dominated cast, including Kidman and Reese
Witherspoon, who also executive produced the series. ‘It was just an incredible
gang of women, who are not only supremely talented, but the loveliest people
you’ll ever meet. I was part of that girl gang and it was extraordinary.’
Who wouldn’t want Skarsgård as an honorary member of their girl gang?
Never mind that he is Viking vertical. He seems even taller than his 6ft 4in when
I meet him in a hotel room in Paris. (He conducts the interview precariously bal-
anced on a miniature Marie Antoinette chair more suited to a garden gnome.)
He could be a second row for the Stockholm Exiles rugby team, were it not for
his refined features and sensitive, antifreeze-blue eyes, with the very slight squint
of a man who is without his glasses. (This look, coupled with an eyebrow move,
has been officially fetishised as ‘The Skarsbrow’.) Skarsgård is resolutely pro-
woman. ‘I’m 100 per cent feminist. Sweden is very progressive. In terms of equal
rights, I think it’s ahead of most countries.’
To prove it, he went to the 2015 LA premiere of The Diary Of A Teenage
Girl in Farrah Fawcett-style drag, to celebrate the film’s all-female visionaries:
director Marielle Heller and graphic-novelist Phoebe Gloeckner. In the film, he
played the affable moustachioed loser Monroe, who has a sexually explicit af-
fair with his girlfriend’s under-
age daughter – another re-
proachable supporting male
in a female-led story. And at
‘I’m 1OO% 2017’s Emmys, Skarsgård
cheered in support of Wither-

DURING THE SHOOT for FEMINIST. In spoon’s rallying cry for more
women’s stories to be told in
Duncan Jones’ new noir
sci-fi Mute, filmed in Berlin
at the end of 2016, Alex-
terms of equal Hollywood. ‘I think our soci-
ety is changing and it’s fan-
tastic that we have all these
ander Skarsgård sampled
the city’s smorgasbord of
rights, SWEDEN projects now where women’s
voices are heard,’ he says.
nightlife, often with his co-
stars Paul Rudd and Justin IS AHEAD of ‘That they’re not just actresses
being hired; they are the gen-
Theroux. ‘One of the best
ones was a hot chocolate
rave at three o’clock on a
most countries’ esis of the project. It’s them
telling their stories, and I real-
ly think Big Little Lies is a great
Sunday afternoon,’ he tells example of that.’
me, rhythmically flashing He is also quick to ac-
his eyes wider, as if to the pulse of strobe lights (this is just one knowledge that, when it comes to on-screen roles,
of his eccentric tics). ‘To get in, you first had to be “cleansed” by there is definite gender bias in the industry. Skarsgård
this woman with a feather… It was in some industrial warehouse has appeared on our screens in 50 shades of naked
– the only thing they served was hot chocolate, and there were – as Eric Northman in seven seasons of True Blood,
five-year-old kids and their grandmothers on the dancefloor. The Legend Of Tarzan in 2016, and exposing his
I was like, “Wow, this is totally crazy. I’ve never experienced appendage in Big Little Lies. But flesh exposure has
anything like this before.”’ never limited his career. ‘There is a double standard
It is not easy to elicit a ‘wow’ from Skarsgård. As the eldest [in the film industry]. I notice that with actress friends of
of eight children born to Swedish hippies – his father is actor mine. And it’s disgusting.’ And, as for casting-couch
Stellan Skarsgård, the esteemed muse of arthouse director Lars culture post-Harvey Weinstein, he adds, ‘It’s not a
Von Trier, while his younger brothers Gustaf, Bill and Valter are problem that is specific to Hollywood. I think you see
all rising screen stars – he has seen a few ‘crazy’ things in his this in many professions, where men with power think
41 years. But he has cause for exclamation of late. His most re-
cent wow moment was a kiss from Dolly Parton – to date, ‘the
best kiss of my life’. This took place at last year’s Emmys, when
she and her co-stars in his favourite girl-power film 9 To 5, Lily
Tomlin and Jane Fonda, presented him with the Best Supporting
Actor award for his turn as Nicole Kidman’s abusive husband

ELLE
151 MAR
 By the age of 13, Alexander had landed a lead role in a Swedish TV show,
which made him famous in his own right. ‘To have people talk about you and say,
“Well, this is who Alex is…” when I had no idea myself, it just fucked with my self-
confidence. Because if a girl looked at me or seemed interested, I thought she was
only interested because she had seen me in the movie. It made me feel worthless.
I wanted girls in school to like me because I was funny or cute or interesting – that’s
what you want, isn’t it? When you’re 13? And I guess when you’re 40 as well…’
He lets out a wry laugh.
A fascination with British culture – ‘I grew up watching Alan Partridge religiously’
– brought him to the UK for a year-long stint studying English at Leeds Metropolitan
University. When I ask if he has a penchant for funny British girls (he dated Alexa
Chung for two years), he sidesteps my question: ‘British humour is the best. Brits
are very dry, sarcastic and self-deprecating.’ It was at Leeds that he took up act-
ing again, having quit in his late teens, and went on to study first at the Marymount
Manhattan College in New York, then moving to LA.
Apart from his three-minute wonder turn as Scandi model Meekus in Zoolander
in 2001, it took him another seven years to get his big break – in 2008, with a key
role in HBO’s Iraq War series Gen-
eration Kill. This was soon followed
by vampire drama True Blood. The
Legend Of Tarzan was Skarsgård’s
first big-budget movie, and it necessi-
‘Sometimes, tated nine months of intense monastic
living. ‘A part of me was miserable on
they’re entitled. So these wom-
en are very brave to talk about I think it’s good a Saturday night, knowing my friends
were out having a good time and
it, and I do believe it will funda-
mentally change things.’
Skarsgård is ponderous
to be BORED. I was at home eating broccoli about
to go to the gym. But in a sadistic way,
I really embraced the challenge.’
on such disturbing matters, but
when talk turns to himself, he
CREATIVITY is When he wrapped the Tarzan shoot
at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire,
is playful and wonderfully sar-
castic; so much so that it leans
towards avoidance. There is
born that way ’ he took a car from Watford straight to
his dad’s rental flat in east London:
‘I spent three days on his couch with
no earnest account of method a funnel in my mouth being fed bone
preparation for his lead role in marrow and wine.’
Mute, where he plays a mute Due to a back-to-back film sched-
former-Amish man working as a bartender in 2052 Berlin – a futuris- ule that meant he would be on the road for seven months,
tic immigrant city-turned-Gomorrah where every aspect of human lives Skarsgård recently gave up his New York apartment of
is entirely and enforcedly run by corporations. So did he stop talking two years. For now, he’s living out of a single suitcase.
for several months? ‘I never do preparation,’ he jokes. Stay silent be- ‘It makes you think about overconsumption. Because, if
tween takes? ‘I talked a lot – and I mean a lot.’ The film was in some it doesn’t fit in the suitcase, I can’t get it.’ He has also shot
ways a tribute to director Jones’ late father, David Bowie, whose most The Aftermath in Hamburg, a post-World War II film op-
creative periods were spent in Berlin with his son: ‘We definitely felt posite Keira Knightley, as well as Hold The Dark, about a
[Bowie’s] presence.’ wolf hunter in the Alaskan wilderness (the actor is environ-
Mute juxtaposes futuristic Berlin – full of drone-flown ethnic takea- mentally conscious and recently went to Greenland with
ways, cyber-brothels and sexbots – with the spartan, anti-technological Greenpeace). With five more projects in the pipeline, in- Photographs: Justin R Campbell/Contour by Getty Images
existence of the Amish. Skarsgård can certainly see the appeal of the cluding tech-trader drama The Hummingbird Project, for
latter. He doesn’t really partake in the social media world. ‘Sometimes, which he’s been sporting a ‘spectacular’ monk-like hair cut
I think it’s good to be bored, because that’s when your mind wanders; – ‘I have an inclination that I’ve lost a lot of my fans’ – there
creativity is born that way. But we don’t allow for those moments any is no sign of Alexander Skarsgård unpacking just yet.
more, because if there are three seconds of downtime, you are on your Mute launches on Netflix this month
phone or you’re checking your Insta-feed or Twitter.’
Skarsgård grew up in the then working class, now gentrified, hip
district of SoFo (that’s ‘south of Folkungagatan’) in Stockholm. His
mother was a doctor and his father, Stellan, worked with legendary
director Ingmar Bergman at Stockholm’s Royal National Theatre. ‘It
was more like a commune – very artistic, very hippy. Our apartment
was a social hub in south Stockholm. Lots of Dad’s friends were actors,
musicians, painters or intellectuals; left-wing, anarchistic. My dad was
either naked or in something free-flowing.’

ELLE
152 MAR
 GET THE INSIDE TRACK ON SS18
!
AT THE LONDON
FASHION WEEK FESTIVAL
You’re invited to the ultimate fashion experience
– London Fashion Week Festival. Prepare to shop
a curated edit of designer collections at insider prices,
get a head start on the key trends of the coming SS18
season and take notes from industry experts sharing
their secrets on making it big in fashion.

Ever wondered
what it would be like Meet the industry movers
to sit front-row at an and shakers as they
exclusive show? Now share their secrets to
you don’t have to: success. The schedule
London Fashion Week’s includes a series of Q&A
y Du Monde,, Graham Walser at Hearst Studios, Alamy

most inspiring designers interviews and panel

will be showcasing their discussions with both
collections at the event, leading industry experts
plus there’ll be presen- and rising stars.
tations, styling tips and Jumpstart your Recharge with
exciting new trends.
trends new-season wardrobe a pampering session
with want-it-now fashion with beauty pros
updates from more
m than courtesy of Maybel-
150 British and interna- line New York and
tional designeer brands, Toni&Guy. There’s
with many offering
o no better time to try
exclusive insider prices. out a fresh new look,
So whether it’s a new safe in the hands
summer dress,, an outfit- of the experts.
enhancing necklace orr
g , Imaxtree,, St yle

go-anywhere handbag,
h
your shoppinng spree
starts here. Extra bonus:
you’ll be ablee to take
y - Evans,, Gett y Images,

home your find ds in a de-

signer tote bag g created
exclusively for London
Fashion Week Festival
by Markus Lupfer.
p
Photographs:
g p Jason Lloyd

When: 22–25 February 2018. Where: The T Store Studios,

180 Strand, London WC2R. Ticketss: from £20;
londonfashionweekfestival.com. Get 20% % off Festival Entry
and Silver tickets – quote ‘ELLE’ at thhe checkout.
 LITERARY EDITOR MARTA BAUSELLS PICKS THE
BOOKS TO DEVOUR THIS MONTH

ALMOST LOVE
by Louise O’Neill
Honest and
poignant, Almost
Love tells a story of
falling in and out of
love, of obsession
and of reckoning ASYMMETRY
MOTHERS with the common by Lisa Halliday
by Chris Power saying that ‘if it A novel in three
LOVE & TROUBLE: These short stories doesn’t hurt, it’s parts: a love story
MEMOIRS OF are so familiar they not love’. between a
A FORMER could be about publishing assistant
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios. East by West , by Jasmine Hemsley (Bluebird), is out now

WILD GIRL you. The characters in New York and a

by Claire Dederer are exquisitely much older, famous
Claire is 44 and portrayed, too. writer; the tale of an
has all the things American-Iraqi man
she wanted for her detained in
life – a great Heathrow airport;
husband, great and a fictional MISS BURMA
kids, a great house SAL Desert Island Discs by Charmaine Craig FIRE SERMON
in the suburbs. But by Mick Kitson interview with the Relating the by Jamie Quatro
all of a sudden she Sal is 13, loves previously turbulent history of Sexy, thoughtful and
can’t stop longing books, knows mentioned writer. modern Myanmar, lyrical all at once,
for the wild, everything about It’s a smart, this epic novel, this novel is about a
‘horrible’ girl she SIGHT survival, and has insightful read inspired by the brief affair between
was in her teens by Jessie Greengrass a younger sister to about love, life author’s own family, Maggie and James,
and early 20s. A book about the protect. After plotting and art. follows one couple and the meeting of
complexities of for a year, the girls from two different artistic minds.
pregnancy, escape their abusive ethnic groups, and
motherhood and home for rural their daughter
ageing. Cerebral Scotland. Gripping Louisa, who BECOME A
and tender, and hopeful. becomes the LITERARY
Greengrass’s voice country’s first JUDGE:
is smart and original. beauty queen. Be part of Hearst’s
Big Book event by
joining the judging
‘ A GREAT BOOK LETS ME TRAVEL FROM THE COMFORT OF MY panel. Head to
OWN SOFA. NO PASSPORT REQUIRED! ’ hearstpanel.co.uk/
JASMINE HEMSLEY, AUTHOR, CHEF AND ENTREPRENEUR join for the chance
to be selected.

ELLE
155 MAR
CONVERSATION :
Is it time to break up
with your phone?

Edited by

HANNAH
NATHANSON

Main photographs by

CLARA
BALZARY
 my urge to shop was curbed by at least 70%.
I found myself on Twitter much more – a platform
with which I have a wholly positive relationship be-
cause it’s less visual – rooting out brilliant pieces of

?
journalism from all over the internet.
THE MAIN ESSAY Since then, my relationship with social media
has shifted a gear. I try to post a picture no more
than every few days, rather than my previous habit
of two pictures a day, plus furious scrolling. I follow
a vague routine of one scroll in the morning, one in
the evening (yes, I’m aware I’m starting to sound
WHEN JOURNALIST PANDORA SYKES like a Weight Watchers ad, but for phones), and
while I don’t always stick to this self-induced regime,
TOOK AN EXTENDED BREAK FROM I do try not to touch that square-by-square drug at
INSTAGRAM, THE EFFECTS WERE LASTING other times of the day. To be clear, this is a tale of
caution and not redemption: I have not quit Insta-
gram and probably never will.
As a journalist, brand consult-
ant and podcaster, I need it for
RECENTLY, I TOOK A TWO-WEEK SABBATICAL FROM INSTA- my work. But I have found a
GRAM. An Insta-fast, if you will. It was during Paris Fashion Week, way to create a healthier,
amid the incessant slew of Zoolander meets The Truman Show Insta- more distant relationship with
gram Stories, that I realised I needed a break from blink-and-you- the platform. The word I now
miss-it visuals. Over the previous five years, the longest I’d ever spent use when I talk about it is ‘dis-
off Instagram was two days. Before I went freelance in engagement’.
January, the thought would have filled me with horror. THE STATISTICS Much has
Going off the photo grid meant digital suicide. been made of
* Survata for LivePerson, September 2017

And then I quit, for a bit, right in the thick of it. What how the fashion
a shoddy fashion journalist I must be, to press that little industry, by dint
wobbly ‘x’ by the Instagram icon and forfeit this reel of of 18-34-year-olds take of its focus on
information during the fashion industry’s most important their phone to the toilet* the aesthetic, has
period. And yet I survived. I read the catwalk reports on been altered by
my desktop and clicked through some street-style galler- Instagram and its
ies to see what surprising new trends were parading along the Paris- 800 million-strong community.
ian pavements. I would describe the adjustments I made over those ‘If [a brand] has one influencer
two weeks of my Insta-fast as small but meaningful. I took fewer pic- in the audience with, say, one
tures and, instead of mindlessly scrolling through my feed, I read million followers, what will
books. I didn’t get FOMO, my anxiety diminished and I’m pretty sure those one million followers

ELLE
157 MAR
 experience?’ said Eva Chen, Instagram’s head of fashion partnerships,
recently when talking about the so-called ‘ripple effect’ of shows. The
money that brands now invest in Instagram marketing is unprecedented:
Chiara Ferragni, 30, arguably one of the most influential influencers, with
11 million followers and counting, allegedly commands more than FLIPPING OUT
Anna Wintour, Kate Beckinsale and Rihanna have all
£60,000 for a single sponsored post. shunned a smartphone for a more low-tech flip model
Instagram allows the fashion world – a previously
closed industry, accessible only to the elite – to be
experienced in a 24/7, real-time loop. A recent pic-
ture of a front row full of editors at a catwalk show in ‘I have a flip phone that
Beijing during China Fashion Week made me balk:
not one single editor was looking at the catwalk; all barely texts. It’s particularly
were furiously ’gramming (yes, that’s a verb now).
According to popular blogger and super- slow when you’re
influencer Camille Charrière, 29, ‘Instead of enjoying
and then digesting a show, Instagram forces us to spit having a text argument
out gut reactions. Before the show even starts, I am
anxious – I know that I have to please both the people
who have invited me to the show and my own audi-
with your husband’
QUOTED: ZADIE SMITH
ence, who are expecting great coverage.’ For
Charrière, who has 623K Instagram followers and
works with brands such as Dior, Mango and Chloé, there is scant choice ‘Instagram has created a more brittle sense of self,
but to be Insta-hooked. ‘Instagram is a big part of my job, and while it hasn’t where validation becomes external, rather than internal.’
replaced blogging, that really isn’t a priority anymore. I’m conscious that I Yet another vehicle through which we can feel less confi-
am working with brands who care about the content they have paid for.’ dent about ourselves and our image? Oh, joy! No won-
Charrière, like many, admits she’s addicted to communication. ‘First it der you see women in real life who – with the aid of re-
was email, then MSN, then Facebook, and now Instagram and What- touching apps – look nothing like their Insta-image. And
sApp. If my battery dies in the middle of the day, I will buy a charger and sit who can blame them?
in a café to charge it. I cannot survive without my phone. If my phone is on While this might have crept up on us as we were
the table, I will check it every five minutes, so I try to keep it in my bag when busy positioning our selfie sticks (disclaimer: I’ve never
I’m with friends. It’s definitely a bad habit of mine.’ used one), it certainly isn’t a surprise to the hubristic app
It may be a bad habit, but it’s not one Charrière is willing to give up. To creators. ‘[This] social-validation feedback loop [ex-
shut down her Instagram account would be ‘ridiculous’, she says. ‘I always ploits] a vulnerability in human psychology,’ said the co-
detox over New Year, when I allow myself to post one picture every two creator of Facebook, Sean Parks, last year. ‘[We] under-
days, but to quit would be to bite the hand that feeds me. Try to give it less stood this consciously. And we did it anyway.’ But some
meaning? Yes. Try to work on other projects of these creators are now speaking out. Justin Rosen-
with more depth? Yes. That’s why I co-created a stein, a tech executive who helped create the Facebook
DIGITAL LEXICON fashion podcast, Fashion: No Filter.’ ‘like’ and Google Chat, admitted he’d installed ‘block-
A few years ago, none of us really knew ers’ on his devices to avoid Facebook and Snapchat,
what dopamine was. Now, we talk about the which he compares to heroin. Facebook also acknowl-
Snubbing someone chemical neuro-transmitter, which controls edged in a recent blog post that social media can harm
in favour of the brain’s pleasure centre, constantly. We post, mental health, and has introduced new features such as
a mobile phone like and comment in the hope that likes and Snooze (which allows you to hide a person for 30 days
comments will also come our own way. ‘That without having to unfriend them) and Take a Break (help-
expectation of reward encourages dopamine- ing people get through a break-up by limiting access to
seeking behaviour,’ explains digital psychologist an ex’s activity). The conclusion of the post, written by
Nathalie Nahai. ‘It’s exactly the way gambling Facebook’s director of research David Ginsberg and
machines work.’ But, she adds, these ‘little hits’ research scientist Moira Burke, was telling: ‘Our re-
Messaging in secret are ‘inherently unsatisfying’ and anxiety-inducing. search and other academic literature suggests that it’s
about someone, about how you use social media that matters when it
even when that person is comes to your wellbeing.’
in the same room
Feeling guilty about app usage is a ridiculous-sounding but very
real problem. Not that we should blame ourselves, says science jour-
nalist and author of How to Break Up With Your Phone, Catherine
Price. Distraction is our brain’s ‘natural prefer-
ence’ and social media merely reinforces THE STATISTICS

Direct Messaging ‘the same mental circuits that made it hard to

someone, sustain our focus to begin with’.
usually flirtatiously How to Break Up With Your Phone is vital
DIGITAL DETOX
Influencer Camille Charrière reading for those addicted to the mindless of people have side-bar
tries to give her phone less meaning scroll, or looking to create distance between conversations*

ELLE
158 MAR
 their brain and smartphone (I send an urgent
copy to Charrière, at her request). Price’s sug-
gestions include putting your phone ‘to bed’ be- THE STATISTICS
fore you do so yourself and ‘getting it up’ later
than you do (mine goes down at 9pm and is
awoken at 9am), and employing your phone’s
airplane mode (which can feel slightly less scary hours – the duration
than turning it off completely). I have introduced 16-24-year-olds spend
all these changes in the past few months and on their phone a day**
feel calmer and more productive as a result.
‘The point of this book is not to throw your phone
under a bus,’ explains Price. It is to turn your
phone back into ‘a tool, not a temptation’.
I couldn’t agree more – although it does of 18-34-year-olds sleep
piss off my friends sometimes (I have missed im- with their phone
within arm’s reach***
portant news, such as a close friend having a
baby, when I was merrily airplane-ing away).
But what if you aren’t able to switch to airplane
mode regularly? It’s not a total dystopian doomsday, says Nahai.
‘If we can raise awareness around social media use, which is
absolutely happening, then we can start to think more consciously
about our actions online.’
Tech hysteria, perpetuated by the media, would have us be-
lieve that Instagram is rotting our brains. Last year, a set of truly ter- OPINION
rifying stats went viral via The New York Times, among numerous
other outlets: that the average attention span is down from 12 sec-
onds in the year 2000 to eight seconds now. But panic not, smart-
phone junkies: these stats
are unsubstantiated. In fact, FILM CRITIC AND PODCASTER
says cognitive psychologist DANA STEVENS
Gemma Briggs, the idea
that Instagram is eroding
‘ I’d rather have a TAKES A ‘TECH SABBATH’
our concentration span is ‘a
modern myth’. ‘There is no
rectal exam on Though I’m not religious, for the past few
years I’ve tried to observe what I call
credible evidence to sug-
gest that social media is af-
live TV by a ‘tech sabbath’, in which I – and, when
I can get them to agree, my family — spend a
fecting our concentration
span, nor damaging our
a fellow with cold whole day, usually from sunset on Friday to
sunset on Saturday, away from electronic
hands than
Photographs: Getty Images, Instagram/@Pandorasykes, Splash News. * FaceBook Messenger,

brain. What we do know is devices. (There are exceptions: we’re allowed

November 2017. **Kantar TNS, October 2017. ***Survata for LivePerson, September 2017

that if you dual-task, or multi- to consult the maps app on a phone, text a
task, then your concentra- have a Facebook friend to arrange a face-to-face meet-up, or
tion will vary’ – and there-
fore, diminish – ‘as you shift
between the various tasks’.
page ’ enjoy a movie at home if the family is watching.)
This tradition was partly inspired by Judith
Shulevitz’s book The Sabbath World, in which
After all, how often are you QUOTED: GEORGE CLOONEY she suggests that a regular day disconnected
on Instagram while cook- from production, consumption and constant
ing, talking to a friend or connectedness can play a meaningful role in
scrolling through Netflix? You’re possibly doing all four at once. It even secular lives. But the main impetus for
is that flittery sense of not being present in any given moment that instituting the tradition was simply the
has led us to believe that we can no longer focus on one thing. recognition of how depleted I felt at the end
The answer lies in balance. No, I know, balance isn’t terribly of a working week spent online. Often, the
sexy. We hear it all the time: in food, in work, in tech. But that’s be- 24 hours of freedom from the digital space
cause it makes sense; if only when you realise that you’re the only proves so cleansing that I have to force myself
person not Instagram Storying the ‘super-cute’ dinner table. back online late on Sunday. Spending a
‘Anonymity will become prized again,’ promises Nahai. planned day offline forces you to live inside
‘When a social trend becomes too big’ – in this case, the utter your body rather than your buzzing screen-
here’s-everything-I-did-today transparency of Instagram – ‘there is connected brain. For me, the day often fills up
a kickback in the opposite direction.’ For all the worries we have with activities like cooking, reading, dog walks,
about app-addicted teens, Generation Z appears more cynical a craft project with my daughter or — sure, I’ll
about Instagram than Millennials do: a Digital Awareness UK sur- INSTA-TAKE admit it – having sex. A wise person tweeted
vey conducted in October 2017 revealed that 63% of teens said Journalist Pandora recently that, a few years ago, going online felt
Sykes took a
they would be happier if social media did not exist. There’s hope two-week break like an escape from real life, but that now real
for my daughter, then, at least. from Instagram life feels like an escape from being online.
 THE STATISTICS

The number of times the

?
ADVICE average person touches
their phone in a day*

FAKE PHONES, FOREST BATHING AND

LEARNING HOW TO TALK AGAIN

Two books, Shinrin Yoku: The Art of Japanese Forest Bath-

ing by Yoshifumi Miyazaki (Aster) and Dr Qing Li’s Shinrin-
Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing (Penguin Life),
hail 2018 as the year of, yes, forest bathing – the Japanese
tradition of hanging out with trees. It could be the ultimate
remedy to social-media stress: a study of 500 people found
that those exposed to the tranquillity of woodlands showed
a 12.7% decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. Sound
baths (meditation to the sound of
gongs or crystal bowls) also provide
similar relief. Jasmine Hemsley, co-
founder of Sound Sebastien, which
currently has a residency at The Lon-
don Edition, says, ‘In playing sound
‘I took 9O days
from something like quartz crystal of
the highest grade [99.99% pure
off and did
crystal], you change the brainwaves
of the individual to ones that encour-
not have my
age complete and utter relaxation.’ cellphone. It
was the most
refreshing,
With so many digital ways of inter-
acting, real-life conversations are calming, practice makes us much worse at actual
conversation, which is what inspired radio
happening less and less. While texts
and emails are certainly an easy rejuvenating host Celeste Headlee’s book We Need to
Talk: How to Have Conversations That
win for convenience, being out of
feeling’ Matter (Harper Collins). From embracing a
childlike curiosity to learning when to stay

Additional words: Shannon Mahanty. *dScout, Inc, June 2016

silent, it’s a bible for would-be conversa-
QUOTED: SELENA GOMEZ tionalists whose speaking skills have suf-
fered from the rise of emoji-speak.

Smartphone fatigue has paved the way for the nostalgia phone.
Last year’s relaunch of the cult Nokia 3310 saw the phone selling
seven times more than predicted. Leading the anti-smartphone
movement is electronics company Punkt, which designs sleek
phones that can make and receive calls and texts... and do abso-
lutely nothing else. Taking things a step further is the (successfully)
crowdfunded NoPhone, a piece of plastic in the shape of an
iPhone that acts as a ‘technology-free alternative to constant hand-
to-phone contact’. The perfect excuse for missing a call...

ELLE
160 MAR
 Collage by

KELSEY FREEMAN

ROYAL DRESSING USED TO BE EVERYTHING FASHION WASN’T –

PREDICTABLE, TRADITIONAL AND ALL ABOUT PRECEDENT OVER INNOVATION.
BUT ALL THAT IS CHANGING FASTER THAN EVER, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT
OF A CERTAIN SPRING-TIME WEDDING, SAYS JESS CARTNER-MORLEY
 NO MODERN, LIBERATED, INDEPENDENT- always eye-catching – as the Queen herself we wear to keep warm, that’s just clothes; what
MINDED, ELLE-READING WOMAN would is said to have put it, ‘I need to be seen to be we wear to express something about who we
ever want to dress like a princess. Surely believed’ – but in a practical sense rather are and how we live, that’s fashion. What is
not. The very idea is ridiculous. We grew than a seductive one. Those brightly coloured happening in fashion is a reflection of a new
out of princess dress-up in single figures, suits are, essentially, posh hi-vis. The look is connection to the royal family. Prince Charles
when we graduated from party frocks with buttoned up for duty, rather than dressed up always seemed to belong to an earlier era than
sashes and frilly socks and started putting for fun. Sunday-morning-church best, rather most men his age, but William and Harry are
trainers on our birthday lists instead. Our than Saturday night ‘out out’. in step with their generation. The once attic-
female role models don’t cut ribbons, they But then Kate Middleton came along dusty royals have a new vibrancy.
smash glass ceilings. Right? and changed what royals look like. With The global fashion search engine Lyst
Wrong. Take a look in the mirror at what her perfectly styled hair and Pilates-toned recently revealed its ranking of celebrities
the modern, liberated, independent-minded, abs, Kate looked less like a traditional royal who most influence our wardrobes, based on
ELLE-reading woman is wearing right now. wife-to-be than a celebrity. While not one to the impact seen on online searches for outfits
Because she is dressed like a princess, push the fashion envelope – her heart lies worn in public appearances. While Rihanna,
even if she doesn’t know it. That checked with a flattering dress and a mid-height heel Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid take the top
blazer you’ve been wearing over almost – she has a very modern understanding of three spots, places four and five go to Meghan
everything? A dead ringer for the Bill Pashley fashion messaging. She chose Sarah Burton and Kate respectively. Kate’s maternity wear,
tweed immortalised in Princess Diana’s to make her wedding dress, knowing that or Meghan’s Misha Nonoo ‘husband shirt’,
Balmoral honeymoon shoot in August 1981. not only would Burton deliver a gown of have the power to set the world shopping.
That divine Erdem dress you’ve been lusting exquisite beauty, but the name Alexander Which shows the influence of rose-trellised
after, with the jazzy floral print and the pretty McQueen would bring an air of boldness Kensington Palace when compared to the
pearl buttons? A direct homage to the charm and daring that would add to the excitement bright lights of New York and LA.
of a young Queen Elizabeth, who bewitched of her wedding. And then, the following In a strange way, the royal traditions,
the famous jazz musician Duke Ellington day, she chose a £34.99 Zara dress for which once seemed irrelevant and out of
when they met in 1958. Diana and the Queen her honeymoon going-away outfit, a wink to touch, now look to have been ahead of their
have never been more fashionable than they us norms that becoming a Duchess had not time. Monarchy is as much about family life as
are in 2018. The Queen’s signature quilted robbed her of her common touch. it is about pageantry. You could say the same
coats and neatly tied silk headscarves were And then there was Ms Markle, who was for the Instagram fetishisation of the kind of
seen not only on the SS18 London catwalk for holding her own on the red carpet long before family photos that were once safely stashed
Mulberry, but at Milan menswear, where the she met Harry. (Modern-day princesses don’t away. Social media has turned daily life into
MSGM show saw male models sporting the have to wait for a prince to show up to go a never-ending series of public appearances.
look. Princess Diana was given the ultimate to the ball.) Meghan’s brand of glamour is The tradition of the Royal Tour, in which every
hipster accolade when Virgil Abloh based an California casual, a world away from the stop on a jaunt abroad would be documented
entire Off-White collection around her. Even fusty tropes of debutante dressing. True to her for posterity with a stage-managed photo
Kim Kardashian has caught the Diana bug, West Coast roots, she seldom looks better opportunity, is now replicated on Instagram
channelling her in Eighties cycling-shorts-and- than in blue jeans and a crisp white shirt. As after every hen weekend. The public living out
sweatshirt mode. we go to print, the fashion world is taking bets of domestic life, which once seemed a quaint
And the royal buzz is now turbo-charged, on who designs her wedding dress. What aspect of the royal tradition – visiting shopping
thanks to The Wedding. Everyone centres, kissing babies, all
loves a fairy-tale nuptial, and Harry the while smiling brightly –
and Meghan’s has more stardust than is something we all do now.
most. He may be below his brother in
the order of succession, but everyone ‘Royal TRADITIONS, So who better to take style
tips from than the family
knows Harry is the prince with star
quality. And he is marrying no virginal which once seemed who’ve done this forever?
At the heart of the royal
country mouse from the shires, but
out of touch, now family is, of course, ma’am
Photographs:Getty Images, Rex Features, John Frost Newspapers

a divorced actress from the US. herself. Her 90th birth-

Decidedly racy – for the Windsors.
And, as if that weren’t excitement look to have been day and Sapphire Jubilee
served to remind us of the
enough for the younger-generation
royals, the season will also see the
arrival of baby number three for the
AHEAD of their time’ extraordinary singularity
of the Queen. Her pastel-
coloured ensembles have
Cambridges. There is no clearer become ever more iconic,
proof of how seriously the Duchess of as the length of her reign
Cambridge takes glamour than her willingness does a self-proclaimed ‘strong, confident, becomes near-mythical. A society that yearns
to pose on the steps of the Lindo Wing, within mixed-race woman’, a proud feminist who for female leadership – one that has bought
hours of giving birth, in high heels and a red- told ELLE in 2016 that, ‘I’ve never wanted to 2.25 million copies of Sheryl Sandberg’s
carpet-standard blow-dry of the kind that be a lady who lunches, I’ve always wanted book Lean In and mourns the Madam Presi-
requires hot brushes and clouds of Elnett. to be a woman who works’ wear to marry into dent Clinton who never was – has begun to
Royal dressing used to be everything that the British royal family? Now, that is going to notice that a formidable example of female
fashion wasn’t. It was about precedent rather be a fashion moment. leadership was there all along. Queen Eliza-
than innovation. It aimed to shore up tradition When you drill down into the bones of it, beth: leaning in since 1952. It doesn’t get
rather than rock any sartorial boats. It was fashion is always about how we feel. What much more fashion-forward than that.

ELLE
163 MAR
 Collage by

PABLO
THECUADRO

O U
R O ?
FORGET HYGGE – THERE’S A NEW NORDIC TREND IN TOWN.
SISU IS THE FINNISH WORD FOR RESILIENCE, A HOT TOPIC IN
THE SELF-HELP WORLD. HANNAH NATHANSON
EXPLAINS WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY YOU NEED IT
 situation, there’s a lot of restlessness; people are looking for answers,’ she says.
‘We’re seeing the ugly side of the systems around us.’
It’s not just the Finns acknowledging that now, more than ever, we need to
display strength and courage in the face of adversity. Psychologist Sam Owen’s
recent book Resilient Me, How to Worry Less and Achieve More (Orion Spring)
PICT URE A ST OR M , with tornado-force winds. Now is a practical guide that aims to help readers achieve inner strength in four weeks.
imagine you’re a tree (bear with me). What kind of tree She chose to focus on resilience because, she says, ‘It’s a core element of what
would you want to be? A solid oak whose roots have determines people’s progress and how easily you bend with all that life throws at
grown for hundreds of years underground, or a palm you.’ There’s that palm tree flexing in the storm again.
with a trunk that bends in the wind? If you chose to In her book, Sam identifies three pillars of resilience: positive outlook, driv-
be a seemingly invincible oak, your trunk would have ing motivation and a problem-solving approach. Without one of those pillars, it’s
snapped in half, uprooting you. If you opted for the palm, impossible to build your inner strength. She also offers eight resilience-boosting
with its flexible trunk, you survived. Well done! habits, which include closing unpleasant chapters and setting achievable ‘true
The storm-tree analogy has long been part of psy- goals’. These, she says, will help train the brain to fall into a healthier pattern.
chology speak, but its implications are more relevant So even if you’re not sure how tough you actually are, it’s something that can be
than ever. After a turbulent 2017 and an uncertain start learnt. ‘Resilient people have a positive outlook from the outset,’ says Sam. ‘Even
to 2018, resilience is emerging as a self-help buzzword; if it’s a horrible, scary, gut-wrenching situation, they’ll still keep a positive mindset
it’s something we’ll need to weather the social and politi- about it, and will take proactive steps to try to resolve it.’
cal storms ahead. And you might not be surprised to hear While Sam’s is more of a traditional self-help book, Ama Marston, a leadership
that, as with Danish hygge (making life cosy) and Swed- expert, has collaborated with her psychotherapist mother Stephanie Marston to
ish lagom (meaning ‘in moderation’), the hype around write ‘a big think piece’ that aims to change the conversation around resilience. The
resilience is aligned with another Nordic import: sisu. book – Type R: Transformative Resilience for Thriving in a Turbulent World – is, says
And yes, it’s a Nordic word you can actually pro- Ama, ‘not focused on the traditional approach to bouncing back, but transformative
nounce: ‘sis’ with an ‘uh’ sound at the end. It also has resilience – the idea of building on challenges and using them to your advantage by
far more meanings than its hygge predecessor. Accord- learning, instead of feeling that it’s a waste that you’ve gone through difficult times.’
ing to Helsinki-based journalist Joanna Nylund, If this all sounds like hard work, the
whose book Sisu: The Finnish Art Of Courage good news is that, as a woman, Ama says,
(Gaia) is out now, sisu is difficult to translate. In her HOW TO BE you’re more equipped to initiate transforma-
book, she uses several different words to describe
it, including resilience, willpower, toughness,
MORE SISU tive resilience: ‘Women tend to be raised as
communicators and encouraged to be self-
tenacity and strength. If you were to think of the Sisu may be a Finnish word, but it’s reflective, so they have a skill set that lends
British equivalent, Joanna says, it would be akin to a universal trait, says Joanna itself to being more “Type R” – people, lead-
having ‘fire in your belly’: ‘For me, sisu is a visceral Nylund, author of Sisu: The Finnish ers, business owners who turn challenges
force, and usually we point to our stomachs when Art Of Courage. Here are her tips: into opportunities for innovation.’ Although
we talk about it: the term actually comes from the it’s obviously not entirely unique to women,
Finnish word for guts.’
According to Joanna, sisu can be applied
to several areas of life, from wellbeing (there’s
* PREPARE YOURSELF
If you have to do something that
makes you nervous, prepare as
Ama acknowledges that ‘we face a number
of unique stresses and pressures – such as
lower pay, which affects our finances and
a chapter about reconnecting with nature, which much as you can. If your nerves our mental health, plus having to juggle work
also gives foraging tips – nettle soup anyone?) start to fray, at least you won’t and personal lives. We often have to learn
to how to talk using sisu. And just as hygge went worry about not knowing your stuff. how to work around those things and adapt,
on to influence everything from home interiors while also speaking up for what we believe is
(just light one more candle) to our wardrobes
(chunky knitwear), sisu looks set to shape both
our lifestyle and our outlook on life. In Finland, tell-
* CARE FOR YOURSELF
When the going gets tough, we
often neglect ourselves. Get plenty
right.’ Which seems more relevant than ever
in a post-Weinstein, #TimesUp age.
Resilience is an important topic, not just a
ing someone they have sisu is one of the biggest of sleep, fresh air and good Nordic import encouraging us to light more
compliments you can give. ‘It’s a wonderful thing nutrition, and you’ll feel the effects. candles. From the Finnish art of courage to
for someone to say, “Oh, you have so much sisu .” transformative resilience, it has many angles
It’s like saying you have strength of character and
strength of personality in one go,’ says Joanna.
But it’s not something Finns brag about: ‘It runs un-
* CENTRE YOURSELF
An essential part of being able to
tap into your sisu is silencing noise.
and perspectives. But it seems only fair to give
Emilia the last word: ‘Sisu is a four-letter word
that’s so tiny, yet so powerful,’ she says. ‘And
derneath everything we say and do. It’s always Declutter your mind through it means a different thing for each person.’ So,
there, almost omnipresent.’ meditation and deep breathing, or the next time you’re facing a storm, why not
So how can we achieve it, and who is a by simply spending time in nature. channel sisu and be the palm tree?
good example of someone who displays sisu?
For her book, Joanna interviewed expert Emilia
Lahti, who has researched sisu as a psychological construct. When I ring Emilia, who is
Photographs: Kai Z Feng

blonde, beautiful and typically Finnish-looking, she demonstrates sisu as soon as she picks
up the phone. She’s just come in from a two-and-a-half-hour run in the snow as part of her
training for 50 ultra-marathons in 50 days across New Zealand; this is in aid of ‘Sisu Not
Silence’, her personal campaign against domestic violence. But, Emilia says, ‘Sisu isn’t
something we do all the time; it’s a place we visit in those moments that are so tiring we feel
we’ve consumed all our energy.’ I ask why it feels so relevant now. ‘If you look at the global

ELLE
165 MAR
 ONLY IN APRIL ELLE

25% OFF
WAREHOUSE
INSTORE AND ONLINE. PLUS
DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO
SHOP THE WAREHOUSE X
BARBICAN COLLECTION, ON SALE
FROM 8 FEBRUARY
25% OFF
DISCOUNT CARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH
x ra h

APRIL ISSUE ON SALE 7 MARCH

P h ogra
 ON AS SHE TURNS 3O, ZING TSJENG HAS BECOME OBSESSED WITH TRACING
THE WOMEN IN HER FAMILY, AND FINDING HER OWN FEMINIST ICONS
Growing up, I was never one for family gatherings. When my mother
began one of her long, meandering tales about my grandparents
at parties, I began mentally counting down the hours until I could be
reunited with my PlayStation 2.
So why, just as I’m about to turn 30, am I calling my mum up on
...forgotten
women
of the island. My nan travelled to the camp regularly with her
newborn son in her arms, but one day she was stopped en route
by an enemy soldier. She answered his probing questions in clear
and fluent Japanese – the language she learnt while growing up in
his homeland. He was impressed enough to give an apple to her
a Sunday afternoon to hear one of those distant stories? Why am son, my uncle Tony.
I looking up ancestry testing kits on Google? Why am I listening Then there was my grand-aunt, one of those 12 girls. Her name
rapt as my coworkers tell me how their 23andMe results show that is long gone from my mum’s knowledge, but the clearest memory
they are definitively 4% Moroccan? Mum has is of her aunt putting on a show of resistance during a
I always thought that family history was for retirees with too visit to the family home. Of all the siblings, she never married. She
much time on their hands, but my recent browsing history says oth- was gay, and in Fifties Hong Kong, this was tantamount to heresy.
erwise. I am one step away from being the aunt who makes the And yet my mother remembers her waltzing sweetly – though with
entire family sit through a Christmas slideshow projection of life in tongue planted firmly in cheek – with a pillowcase in front of every-
the good old days. one, including Mum’s then eight-year-old self and her undoubtedly
Maybe this is the culmination of the move I made when I turned uncomfortable father. ‘She was missing somebody, I suppose,’ my
16, trading the humidity of Singapore for London’s chilly, grey skies. mother laughs now. Or, as I see it, trying to make a point.
For a sexually confused, bookish tomboy, a chance at reinvention I’m not the only one with long-forgotten heroines in their history.
felt like salvation. But once I’d worked out my identity (less keen on My partner’s grandmother lost the use of her arm after a childhood
gaming, still a fan of books, fancier of women and men), I started bout of polio, before losing her Navy husband to illness. She went
feeling a little rootless. on to raise seven children by herself in a one-up-one-down house
As I entered my 20s, I became keenly aware that I didn’t see in the Midlands – the kitchen was so small that they had to come in
myself in British culture – not at the movies, not on the news, and to get dinner in shifts. All the girls slept in one bed; the boys slept
certainly not in any of the period dramas that took over TV sometime in the other. She made do with the sofa.
in the early Noughties. My childhood heroes only sustained me to These women are not commonly remembered as family heroes.
a degree; now I hungered to see my identity reflected back at me. They don’t have war medals or OBEs to prove their merit. At the
I wanted my Asian-ness to be a descriptor of heroism, not a pretext dinner table, it’s not their foibles that get told and retold to tired
for a gag about eating dogs. The closest I got was Mulan. and listless children. Women slip all too easily into the margins of
But an animated Disney princess can only take you so far until history, but their lives echo down into the generations after them.
you start to yearn for the real deal. I wanted women I could look When I began writing the Forgotten Women book series last
up to, whose qualities and achievements told me something of my year, I had the pleasurable task of translating to page the real-
past and my future. Today, we want our feminist icons to be perfect, life travails of courageous women who had tumbled out of public
and we look to celebrities and politicians to fill that need – and consciousness. My days were populated by the words of Ancient
disappointment should come as no surprise when they inevitably Egyptian queens, Korean empresses and obscure but ground-
fall short. But what if we could find these heroes in our own families? breaking scientists. But I always had, in the back of my mind, the
Men loom large in my family folklore; my grandfather was one women in my family.
of 13 children, 12 of them girls. And yet it was his stories – the time I think about their quiet courage and their self-assertion, made
he fell off a horse, blind drunk; that time he bought my nan a neck- even more notable for occurring at a time when women were ex-
lace from Tiffany while on the lash with a bunch of British sailors – pected to remain docile and acquiescent. In an age where we are
that I heard first from my mother. But I excavated further; what about desperate for role models to look up to, we could do a lot worse
the women? It turns out that the women in my family had stories, too. than to revisit our past. Our heroines, at least, won’t be fictional –
Illustration: Jo Bell

(And ones less worryingly tied to alcoholism.) and they’ll be a lot closer to home.
During Japan’s occupation of Hong Kong in World War II, ‘Forgotten Women: The Scientists’ and ‘Forgotten Women: The
my Kyoto-born grandmother used to sneak food to British friends Leaders’ by Zing Tsjeng are published by Cassell, £15 each
held at Stanley, a notorious internment camp on the southern tip

ELLE
167 MAR
 THIS PAGE
Techno poplin jacket,
VAL E N T I N O . Cotton vest
and polyamide elastane
bikini bottoms, both
L E S GI RL S L E S B O YS . Puka
shell and rose-gold
necklace, D E Z S O b y
S ARA B E L T R Á N . Pink-gold,
sapphire and tsavorite
necklace, and malachite
ring (worn as pendant),
both B U L G A R I . E namel
bracelet, R O X A N N E
AS S O U L I N . R ose-gold,
carnelian and diamond
bracelet, and rose-gold
bracelet, both CA R T I E R ( all
jewellery worn throughout) .
OPPOSITE
Cotton-silk T-shirt,
L OE W E . Neoprene wet
suit, R O X Y. Rubber and
foam sandals, T E V A

Photographs by

ALEXI
LUBOMIRSKI

Styling by

SAMIRA
NASR

Words by

SETH
PLATTNER
 M
WITH HER LATEST AWARD-NOMINATED FILM,

MARGOT ROBBIE – SHE OF THE HOLLYWOOD A-LIST

AND FLAWLESS BEAUTY – IS WAVING A FLAG FOR MISFITS EVERYWHERE

(NOT TO MENTION SINGLE- HANDEDLY BRINGING

BACK THE SCRUNCHIE). WE GET TO KNOW AND LOVE HER

 who’s very much alive and is widely docu-
mented, can be more intimidating. But also,
the character I’m playing now is fictionalised,
and I feel just as intimidated to get her right.
A J: And what character is that?
MR: It’s our third LuckyChap film, shooting in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it’s an indie
film — like, really little. I’m playing an outlaw
in the Thirties Texas Dust Bowl.
A J: Where do your ideas come from?
MR: I guess my reading list is endless and
my movies-to-watch list is endless. Any time
I meet someone particularly fascinating –
you know, a director or writer or anyone who
seems to have a love of films – I always ask
them, ‘What are the five films you want me to
watch before I die?’ And I try to make sure
I watch them. That always brings about new
ideas and new work, and, honestly, I just like
being in the real world, when I’m not really
stuck in this little movie bubble. Some of my
friends are actors and are in the industry, but
most aren’t. My family isn’t, either, and nei-
ther are the places we go and hang out; I just
don’t want to be cut off from the real world.
I catch the tube or the subway, and I walk
THE PIERCING EYES. THE MEGAWATT SMILE. The extreme cha- places and really like to stay in the real world and see what other
risma. Margot Robbie is, yes, a knockout. But like the women she’s people are thinking and doing. Every time I talk to my friends, I get
portrayed in her decade-long career — a trophy wife on a mission more and more ideas, and every time I hear about what’s upsetting
in The Wolf of Wall Street; a no-holds-barred war reporter in Whis- them at the moment or how they feel about certain situations, all
key Tango Foxtrot; the pioneering feminist Jane in The Legend of that stuff is informative in creating characters and creating projects.
Tarzan; and, of course, Suicide Squad’s lovable lunatic criminal Real life is more fascinating then not, so look around you.
Harley Quinn — the Australian-born actress is so much more than A J: I’m totally impressed that you act and produce — it would be
an ingénue. In truth, Robbie, 27, is a character actor, ready to take too overwhelming for me.
risks with roles that are as transformational for her as they are pure MR: I love acting so much because I love movies. The first second
cinematic joy for the rest of us. I walked onto a set, I was fascinated by everyone’s department,
In her most recent award-worthy work, as Tonya Harding asking a million questions: What’s this? What’s that? I love the
in I, Tonya — a dark, mockumentary-style comedy about the life process in its entirety, and I eventually realised that producers do
of the infamous Olympic figure skater — Robbie’s bravura ex- that creative development. I don’t enjoy sitting on, like, seven-hour
tends beyond the screen. She both led and produced the film closing calls with bonding companies, but figuring out budgets and
via LuckyChap Entertainment, which she created in 2015 with getting thrifty — to me, that’s exciting.
her husband, British assistant director Tom Ackerley. ‘I still A J: In I, Tonya, you had to learn to figure skate in three months.
love acting, but I’ve spent the past 10 years on a film set, and How’d you find that confidence?
I realised that if I’m pouring my heart and soul into a film, I want MR: I grew up Rollerblading, and when I came to America I joined
to be one of those voices in the conversation making decisions.’ an ice-hockey league for a season until I started working again.
Now the production company has more than half a dozen You did it heaps, didn’t you?
films and one recently sold TV show – a Hulu comedy called A J: Yeah, I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater, but I was just
Dollface – in development. When she’s not producing, Robbie too tall. It’s such an acrobatic sport, for God’s sake. You have to
continues to take on meaty roles, such as Queen Elizabeth I in be compact and fierce. You are fierce and pretty fucking fearless.
Mary Queen of Scots (co-starring Saoirse Ronan), for which Rob- MR: Clearly, I don’t have boundaries.
bie dons the period costume, pasty make-up and a wig you’ll have A J: You’ve played a flight attendant, a con artist, a war reporter,
to see to believe. The multitasker somehow found time to sit down a criminal, an ice skater and now a queen. If you could be any of
with her I, Tonya co-star Allison Janney – who plays Harding’s un- those for a day, which would you pick?
hinged, abusive mother – for a charming, personal conversation. MR: A war reporter. That world is fascinating and I don’t feel like
ALLISON JANNEY: Margot, I just Googled your Queen Elizabeth I got to explore enough of it.
look. My jaw is on the floor. A J: A Christiane Amanpour type [chief international correspondent
MARGOT ROBBIE: It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? for CNN].
A J: Do you feel intimidated by playing a real-life character? MR: Oh my God, yes. She’s incredible.
MR: There have been so many other interpretations of Queen Eliza- A J: Do you have a mentor?
beth, so in some ways I feel intimidated. But I also feel liberated by MR: I don’t really have a mentor, but I do have a lot of people that
the fact that she’s been dead for hundreds of years. Playing Tonya, I seek advice from. I ask for advice from everyone, all the time.
Printed jacket,
CO ACH 1941 . Cotton
T-shirt, stylist’s own.
Jewellery, as before

ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI
Cotton-blend sweater, MISSONI . Neoprene
wet suit, BO DY GLO V E . Jewellery, as before

IF I’M POURING
HEART INTO A FILM
I WANT TO BE
MAKING DECISIONS
ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI
 Silk top and silk shorts,
both L OU I S V U I T T O N .
rubber and foam sandals
(just seen), T E V A .
Jewellery, as before.
HAIR: R E N A T O
C AMPORA A T T H E WA L L
GROUP. MAKE-UP: P A T I
D UB ROFF A T F O R WA R D
ART I S T S . N A I L S :
AL E XAN D R A J A CH N O .
SET DESIGN: B R YA N
PORT E R F O R O WL
AND TH E E L E P H A N T .
PRODUCTION:
NATH A L I E A K I YA
AT KRANKY
PRO D U K T I O N S .
FASHION ASSISTANTS:
Y AS H U A S I M M O N S
AND MARK-PAUL
BARRO

ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI
“

“
It’s safe to assume that every single person you meet knows some- day: ‘How do you find it, as a woman in the film industry, with what’s
thing you don’t. going on?’ I was like, ‘How do I find it as a woman in this world?’
A J: And what are you wearing right now? I’ve had far, far worse things happen to me in just everyday-life situ-
MR: Right now? Oh, Allison! [Laughs] I’m wearing an Alice ations. It’s something women everywhere are dealing with. I think
McCall jumpsuit, no shoes; I’ve got a scrunchie in my hair from that probably a lot of women out there aren’t aware or didn’t know
I, Tonya. I stole so many scrunchies from that set! they were allowed to speak up and say ‘Hey, don’t do this to me
A J: Are you bringing the scrunchie back? right now,’ or ‘I’m uncomfortable with this.’ And maybe there’s an
MR: My goal in life: bring scrunchies back. educational aspect that needs to take place for everyone in any
A J: I’m in sweatpants and a ‘C’est la vie’ T-shirt, with a sweatshirt workplace, or just in life in general.
half on and half off my body. Which leads to my next question: the A J: This job certainly comes with a lot of highs and lows. What
glitz and glam. You are ridiculously beautiful — that’s a fact. But the have been the big highs and lows in your career?
dressing up, the make-up — do you enjoy that part? MR: The high was when I did Pan Am [the television show about
MR: It’s nice to do sporadically. The misconception is that we are Sixties air stewardesses]. Everyone was like, ‘You’re crazy to go
always in glamorous places wearing glamorous dresses. A film set to America! You’ll never make it!’ But it happened. Growing up,
is really just a glorified construction site and 98 per cent of the time I’d always seen people get gifts in the little blue box from Tiffany &
I’m running around in the dirt. But the two per cent of the time I’m Co. And I always wondered whether anyone would ever give me
able to get glammed up and put on a Dior dress or whatever, it’s a little blue box. So when I got to New York for the first time, hav-
really fun. Do you like it? ing wrangled my way into this industry, I took my first pay cheque,
A J: In moderation, it can be amazing. But I feel self-conscious walk- walked straight to Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue and bought a little air-
ing on the red carpet. Like, am I holding in my stomach? plane charm that goes on a bracelet. It was the least expensive
MR: The red carpet is terrifying. There’s just screaming. I have to thing in the store, but it came in a little blue box.
sing a song in my head to calm down. But it’s nice having an event A J: I love that!
for a project that you’ve spent months or years of your life working MR: It was the best feeling ever. I got my little blue box, and I got
on. That makes it special. it for myself.
A J: Diane Keaton is the reason I wanted to become an actress. A J: Now I’m wanting to go get you a figure-skating charm.
Watching her made me think, ‘That’s how I feel!’ Did you have a MR: Oh my God, I didn’t even think about that! I bet they have one!
moment when someone inspired you in that way? A J: So, Margot: you can hold your own in an ice-skating rink. You
MR: I’ve always loved watching actresses on screen who just do not have some skills on the trapeze, I hear. What’s the next thing you’d
give a fuck about how they look or what they’re doing. Juliette Lewis love to have a go at?
is one of those women — I was just watching Natural Born Killers. MR: I recently bought fire-twirling poles, because I really want to
A J: I assume you’ve been watching lots of criminal-duo movies to get good at it.
research your outlaw role. Did you watch Bonnie and Clyde? A J: Are you serious?
MR: Yes, it’s so good. But it’s also hard to watch those older movies MR: Yes! When I was backpacking in the Philippines, there were
now. The misogynistic comments make my blood boil. heaps of fire twirlers on the beach and it was so cool. I was like,
A J: Speaking of that, how are you feeling now about what’s hap- wow, I really want to do that. But beyond sports, I want to learn to
pening in our industry? Has anyone tried to abuse their power with play the banjo and make jam.
you in a way you care to talk about? A J: Well, I will happily make jam with you, Margot Robbie, but as
MR: Not in the acting world. I’ve never had a casting-couch situa- for the fire twirling — you’re on your own.
tion. But in the real world? Yeah. Someone asked me this the other I, Tonya is released in the UK on 16 February
P ASTIC
C
HIGH SHIN
phs by

NS
RER

PACT, HIGH FASHION, HIGH DRAM

Styling by

CLAUDIA
ENGLMANN

PLASTIC
C
C-TASTIC
TO VALENTINO AND MARNI, PLASTIC GETS LIFTED THIS SEASON

C-TASTIC
 THIS PAGE PVC cape, £2,775;
tweed skirt, £2,365, both
CHANEL . Jersey swimsuit,
£525, DAVID KOMA . Silver
earring, £184, LINE & JO .
Acetate and metal bangles,
£132 each, GAS BIJOUX .
Wood and metal bangle,
£810, ROBERTO CAVALLI
PRE VI OUS P A G E Nylon
jacket, £585, ISABEL
MARANT . Leather bag,
£2,670, CHANEL .
Polyamide-mix swimsuit,
£115, YASMINE ESLAMI .
Plastic coat (worn around
waist), £1,060, ALBERTA
FERRETTI . Neoprene
trainers, £780, GIUSEPPE
ZANOTTI . Silver hoop
earring, £184; silver and
sapphire earring, £398;
silver and sapphire pendant
necklace, £772, all LINE &
JO . Gold circle pendant
necklace, £496,
GINETTE NY . Gold-plated
crystal pendant necklace,
£340, REGINA DABDAB .
Cotton and rose-gold
bracelets, from £431 each,
GINETTE NY. Black gold
and diamond ring, £6,960,
ALEXANDRA DARIER

HANS FEURER
Sequin dress, £10,572, CÉLINE . Silver hoop earring, £184; silver and sapphire
earring, £398, both LINE & JO . Plastic headband, stylist’s own
HANS FEURER
Leather coat, £4,390, M ARNI . Viscose-mix body, £255, AL E XAN D RE VAUTHI E R . PVC trousers, £790, E L L E R Y .
Leather trainers, £800, L OUI S VUI TTON . Silver hoop earring, £184; silver and sapphire earring, £398;
silver and sapphire necklace, £772, all L I N E & J O . Gold circle pendant necklace, £496, GI NE TTE N Y .
Gold-plated crystal pendant necklace, £340, RE GI NA D AB D AB
Silk ruffle top, £2,000; jacquard waistcoat, £3,700; leather trousers, £3,400; leather
trainers, £800, all L OU IS V U IT T O N . Silver earring, £184; silver and sapphire necklace,
£772, both L IN E & J O . Cotton and rose-gold bracelets, from £431 each; gold circle pendant
necklace, £496; all G IN E T T E N Y . Acetate and metal bangles, £132 each, GAS B I J OUX .
Gold-plated crystal pendant necklace, £340, R E GI N A D A B D AB
HANS FEURER
 Leather jacket, £3,311,
B AL MAI N . Cotton shirt,
£1,050, RON A L D V A N D E R
KE MP . Viscose-mix body,
£255, A L E X A N D R E
VAUTH I E R . Silver earring,
£184; silver and sapphire
necklace, £772, both L I N E
& J O . Gold circle pendant
necklace, £496, G I N E T T E
NY . Gold-plated crystal
pendant necklace, £340,
RE G I N A D A B D A B

HANS FEURER
Leather jacket, £3,500, TOD ’ S . Polyester long-sleeved top, £152, ANNAKI KI . Lycra swimsuit,
£205, DSQUARED2 . Silk trousers with waist tie, £1,425, RONAL D VAN D E R KE MP . Mylon
sunglasses, £410, MYKI TA + TI M C OPPE NS . Silver hoop earring, £184; silver and sapphire
earring, £398; silver and sapphire necklace, £772, all L I NE & J O . Gold circle pendant
necklace, £496; cotton and rose-gold bracelets, from £431 each; all GI N E TTE NY . Gold-plated
crystal pendant necklace, £340, RE GI N A D AB D AB
Nylon coat, £1,060, ALBERTA F ERRETTI . Jersey swimsuit, £525; satin-mix
trousers, £1,196, both DAVID K OMA . Leather trainers, £800, LOUI S
V UIT T O N . Silver earring, £184; silver and sapphire necklace, £772,
both LINE & J O . Gold circle pendant necklace, £496, GINETTE N Y . Gold
chain with medallion, £6,150, ALEXANDRA DARIER . Wood and metal
bangles, £810 each, ROBERTO CAVALLI

HANS FEURER
Polyurethane coat,
price on application,
GAR ET H P UGH . Polyamide
sweatshirt, £190;
polyamide trousers,
£170, both GANNI .
Leather trainers, £800,
LO UIS V UITTON . Silver
hoop earring, £184;
silver and sapphire
earring, £398; silver
and sapphire necklace,
£772, all L INE & JO .
Gold circle pendant
necklace, £496,
GINET T E NY . Gold-plated
crystal pendant necklace,
£340, R EGINA DABDAB.
Wood and metal
bangle (just seen),
£810, R O B ERTO CAVALLI
 Blue polyester raincoat,
£315; red polyester raincoat
(worn around waist), £315;
polyester trousers, £220;
polyester bag, £365, all
KE NZ O . Polyamide vintage
swimsuit, £21, L O S F É L I Z .
Silver hoop earring, £184,
L I N E & J O . Gold circle
pendant necklace, £496,
GI N E TTE N Y . Gold-plated
bangle, price on application,
D I AN E VON F U R S T E N B E R G

HANS FEURER
Polyester cape with hood, £65, I VY PARK . Polyester-mix cardigan
(worn around neck), £1,195, C H RI S TOPHE R KAN E . Polyester jacket,
£90, CHEAP MONDAY
HAIR : ALESSANDRO RE B E C C H I US I N G MR. S MI TH . MAKE-UP : L L OY D
SIMMONDS AT AGENCE C AROL E US I NG MAY B E L L I N E . MODEL : H E RI E TH
PAUL AT ELITE LONDO N . LOCAL PRODUCTION : PE RUL L I PROD UC TI ONS
 Alderney (left) wears:
sheer nylon jumper,
£1,535; twill dress,
£1,820; cotton vest (worn
underneath), £145; leather
belt, £440; and nylon
socks, £145, all MIU MIU .
Patent leather shoes,
£357, Y UU L YI E . Doherty
(right) wears: wool cape,
price on application,
L OE W E . Cotton and silk
corduroy jacket and
trousers, both price on
application, both CARUSO .
Cotton T-shirt, £28, ROKIT .
Leather shoes, £460,
DSQUARED2 . Cotton socks
(just seen), £15, LONDON
SOCK COMPANY

BRIGHT
STOMP INTO THE NEW SEASON WITH AN AIR OF RE
 Photographs by

JAMES
PEROLLS

Styling by

ANNE-MARIE
CURTIS

G THINGS
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN AND MORE TAKE INSPIRATION FROM THE PUNK MOVEMENT
 Doherty (left) wears: cotton
sweatshirt, £500; cotton
T-shirt (worn underneath),
£320; and wool trousers,
£1,100, all D I O R H O M M E .
Leather shoes, £375,
Z AD I G & V O L T A I R E .
Alderney (right) wears:
embroidered tulle dress,
£8,900; viscose body,
£1,300; and cashmere
socks, £300, all D I O R .
Leather shoes, £475,
S HUS H U/ T O N G . Silk and
glass earrings, £315,
RANJANA KHAN

JAMES PEROLLS
Leather jacket, price on
application; cotton T-shirt,
£267; feather and tulle
skirt, price on application;
viscose boots, £1,030;
and canvas hat, £310, all
M O SC HINO . Nylon tights,
£4.99, P AM ELA M ANN
 Alderney (left) wears:
velvet and taffeta
dress, £6,855, S A I N T
L AURE N T b y A N T H O N Y
VAC C A R E L L O . Nylon
tights, £4.99, P A M E L A
MANN . Feather, velvet and
crystal earrings, £255,
RAN J A N A K H A N .
Doherty (right) wears:
wool waistcoat, £1,250;
cotton shirt, £410; wool
trousers, £1,100, all D I O R
HOMME . Leather shoes,
£460, D S Q U A R E D 2

JAMES PEROLLS
 Denim coat, £1,720;
poplin and brocade shirt
dress, £1,720, and cotton
trousers, £735, all P R A D A .
Faux-fur, glass and
crystal earrings, £290,
RANJANA KHAN
 Wool sweater, £6,975;
glass organza skirt,
£6,540; antique silver,
crystal and beaded
necklace, £845; and
antique silver and crystal
earring, price on
application, all
AL E XAN D E R M C Q U E E N
Alderney (left) wears:
vintage leather jacket,
£2,558, R E/DO NE . Wool
jumper, similar styles from
£550; embellished tulle
T-shirt (just seen), £225;
cupro skirt, similar styles
from £550, all C O ACH
1 9 41 . Patent leather shoes,
£357, YUUL YIE . Nylon
tights, £4.99, P AM ELA
M ANN . Grosgrain ribbon,
feather and glass earrings,
£290, R ANJ ANA KHAN .
Doherty (right) wears:
leather jacket, £599,
T IGER O F SWEDEN .
Cotton T-shirt, £150; and
cotton trousers, £195, both
C OACH X KEIT H HAR ING .
Leather boots, £385,
R USSELL & BR O M LEY .
Leather and nickel choker,
£190, M O SC HINO

JAMES PEROLLS
 Leather jacket, £1,050,
H AI ZH E N WA N G .
Embroidered silk jacquard
dress, £3,990, E R D E M .
Leather cuffs, price on
application, M O S CH I N O

JAMES PEROLLS
Embroidered silk
dress, £6,100,
V ALENT INO . Suede
boots, £1,050, G IV ENC HY.
Felt hat with pearl
chain, £1,060,
M AISO N M ICHEL
 Cotton top, £771; and
nylon skirt, price on
application, both J U N YA
W ATAN AB E . Cotton body,
£130, W OL F O R D . Leather
and nickel choker,
£190, M O S CH I N O

JAMES PEROLLS
Alderney (left) wears:
cotton knitted top, £1,610;
silk shirt (worn underneath),
£710; silk skirt, £1,480;
all M AR NI . Suede boots,
£1,050.68, G IV ENC HY .
Nylon tights, £4.99,
P AM ELA M ANN. Felt hat
with veil, £550, M AISO N
M IC HEL . Doherty (right)
wears: silk cardigan,
£600; cotton shirt, £280;
cotton trousers, £365, all
V IV IENNE WEST WO O D .
Cotton socks, £15,
LONDON SOCK COMPANY.
Leather shoes, £460,
DSQUARED2. Felt hat with
pearl chain, £1,060,
M AISO N M ICHEL.
HAIR: HALLEY BRISKER AT
THE WALL GROUP USING
COLORPROOF. MAKE-UP:
NAOKO SCINTU AT THE
WALL GROUP USING
CHANEL NEAPOLIS: NEW
CITY AND BLUE SERUM
EYE. NAILS: EMMA WELSH
AT FRANK AGENCY USING
CHANEL LE VERNIS IN
ANDROGYNE AND LE
CRÉME MAIN. MODELS:
ALDERNEY STREET AND
DOHERTY AT PREMIER
MODEL MANAGEMENT.
LOCATION: WITH THANKS
TO MINLEY MANOR AND
THE COLLECTIVE. GREAT
DANES SUPPLIED BY
DOGS ON CAMERAS
 TH I S PAGE Tafetta-mix
dress, £1,585,
AL E S S AN D RA R I CH .
Straw hat with leather
buckle, £310, E M P O R I O
ARMAN I . Leather bag,
£1,750, ROGE R V I V I E R .
Stainless-steel watch
with leather strap,
£219, S W AR O V S K I
OPPOS I TE Viscose jacket,
£630; silk-satin trousers,
£720; and straw hat with
leather buckle, £310, all
E MPORI O ARMAN I . Silk
scarf, £145, HE R M È S .
Leather bag, £1,750; and
leather shoes, £465,
both ROGE R VI VI E R . Gold
and pearl earrings,
£255, S AS KI A D I E Z .
Stainless-steel watch
with leather strap,
£219, S W AR O V S K I

FRESHEN UP YOUR FRILLS. POP YOUR COLLAR. TAKE THE

 Photographs by

CARLIJN
JACOBS

Styling by

JOANNA
SCHLENZKA

SLOANEY
PONY
LADY TO NEW FRONTIERS. INTRODUCING THE SLOANE 2.O
 Organic cotton shirt,
£530; taffeta moiré
trousers, £620; both
S TE L L A M C C A R T N E Y .
Silk, leather and crystal
belt, £257, C A & L O U .
Satin shoes, £202, YU U L
Y I E . Rhodium-plated
earrings, £159;
rhodium-plated
necklace, £85; and
rhodium-plated bracelet,
all S W AR O V S K I
Cotton trench coat,
£1,695, BUR BER RY .
Silk blouse, £1,170;
and crepe skirt,
£1,170; both G UCCI .
Leather bag, £1,750,
R O GER V IV IER .
Rhodium-plated
earrings, £79,
SWAR O V SKI

CARLIJN JACOBS
 THI S PAG E A N D
OPPOS I TE Cotton-blend
jacket, £350, B O S S .
Silk dress, £2,320,
L ANVI N . Parasisal
beret with veiling and
crystals, £1,500, P H I L I P
TRE AC Y . Silk scarf,
£145, HE RMÈ S . Leather
shoes, £485; and
leather bag,
£1,750,both R O G E R
VI VI E R. Rhodium-plated
earrings, £79,
S W AR O V S K I

CARLIJN JACOBS
 Silk dress, £2,100; silk
scarf, price on
application; leather
and metal belt, £1,102;
and leather and
gold-metal bag,
£1,931, all VE R S A CE .
Gold-plated pearl
earring (Laura’s left
THI S ear), E L £120;
ena (land)
weegold-plated
ars: s wool jum pearl,
earring
0; (right ear),x
lyamide-mix
£95,
t, £ both M Aa
0; silk R I Ad
£. Gold
eB LsACrt,tK£1, 05 ;watch,
leat r
£20,500, C A £ R T I E R0

CARLIJN JACOBS
Silk jacket, £1,650;
and silk trousers,
£1,400, both GIORGIO
AR M ANI . Cotton blouse,
£310, M O NO G RAPHIE .
Wool cardigan,
£260, LACO ST E .
Silk and leather belt
with crystals, £256,
CA&LO U . Suede shoes,
£80, V AG ABO ND . Gold
and pearl earrings,
£255, SASKIA D IEZ
 Tweed dress, £6,315;
metal, strass, pink
glass, pearl and resin
necklace, £1,425;
and metal and leather
necklace, £680,
all C HAN E L . Leather
shoes, £185, R U S S E L L
& B ROML E Y . Silk
headband with crystals,
£169, C A& L OU. Crystal
watch with leather strap,
£249, S W AR O V S K I
Polyester-mix top,
£355, ISABEL M ARANT .
Crepe skirt, £795,
V IC T O R IA BECKHAM .
Elastic belt with
crystals, £151; and
gold-plated and
crystal earrings,
£169, both CA&LOU

CARLIJN JACOBS
 Sustainable viscose
jacket, £926, AN D R E A S
KRON THAL E R f or
VI VI E N N E W E S TW O O D .
Muslin shirt, £480,
PHI L OS OP H Y D I
L ORE NZ O S E R A F I N I .
Gold-plated and
crystal earrings,
£132, C A & L O U

Supersize

CARLIJN JACOBS
Cotton-mix jacket,
£2,555; and
cotton-mix shorts,
price on application,
both BALM AIN . Crepe
blouse, £1,250,
DIO R . Leather shoes,
£485; and leather
bags, £1,750 each,
all R O G ER V IV IER .
Nylon tights, £8,
ASO S . Gold-plated
pearl earring (just
seen), £120, M ARIA
BLACK . Gold watch,
£20,500, CAR T IER.
HAIR: HIR O SHI
M AT SUSHIT A USI NG
O R IBE HAIR CAR E.
MAKE-UP: NAO KO
SCINT U AT T HE WALL
GR O UP USING CHANEL
NEAP O LIS: NEW CITY
AND BLUE SER UM EYE.
NAILS: EM M A WELSH AT
FR ANK AGENCY USING
NAILS INC. MODEL:
LAUR A J ULIE AT N EXT
M O DELS LO NDON
SUNSETSTRIPPhotographs by

CLAY S
GARDNER

Styling by

ROBERT
RYDBERG

FLUID LAYERS, WARM TONES AND THE UNDONE

SENSIBILITY OF SPRING/SUMMER 18
SHINE IN THE GOLDEN GLOW OF DOWNTOWN LA
 THIS PAGE Suede trench, £4,815; and leather bag, £735, both MI C HAE L KORS C OL L E C TI ON . Cotton shirt, £169,
HUGO BOS S . Silk and cotton skirt, £514, D I AN E VON FURS TE NB E RG . Leather shoes, £260, FRÉ D A S A L V A D O R . Silver
hoop earring, £250, AL L B L UE S . OPPOSITE Leather coat, £4,930, C AL VI N K L E I N 205W39N YC
T H IS P AG E Silk coat, £3,525, VALENTINO . Silk-cotton dress, £2,300, FE N D I . Cotton trousers, £191,
W O O D WO O D . Leather belt, £80, HOPE . Leather shoes, £260, F RÉDA S AL VAD OR . Gold-plated ear
cuff, £458, M AR IA NILSDOTTER . Silver hoop earring, £250; silver ring (left hand), £175; and silver signet
ring (right hand), £225, all ALL BLUES . OPPOSITE Leather jacket, £3,000; and silk dress, £3,360, both
C H L O É . Leather boots, £368, F RÉDA SALVADOR . Earrings, as before
CLAY S GARDNER
CLAY S GARDNER
 TH I S PAGE Cotton jacket, £2,218; cotton shirt, £576; wool trousers, £841; and leather bag with cloak
bag, £1,993, all B AL E N C I AGA. OPPOS I TE Cotton-mix coat, £135, C OS . Viscose-mix dress, £1,230,
AL B E RTA FE RRE TTI . Cotton-mix dress (worn underneath), £565, S TE L L A M C C ARTNE Y . Silver hoop earring,
£250; and silver ring (ring finger), £175, both AL L B L UE S . Gold-plated ear cuff, £458, M A R I A
NI L S D OTTE R. Gold rings (index finger), £81 each, S I F J AKO B S J E WE L L E R Y
T H IS P AG E Denim jacket, price on application, MAX MARA . Silk blouse, £350, ROC KI N S . Wool and cotton-
mix trousers, £720, M IC HAEL KORS COLLECTION . Leather boots, £465, Z AD I G & VOL TAI RE . Silver hoop
earring, £250, ALL BLUES . Gold-plated ear cuff, £458, MARIA NILSDO TTE R. Silver signet ring, £225, AL L B L UE S .
OP P O SIT E Wool crepe and lace dress, £4,616; leather boots, £1,238, both GI VE N C HY
CLAY S GARDNER
CLAY S GARDNER
TH I S PAGE Cotton coat, £995, C AS E L Y -H AY FORD . Silk and cotton-mix dress, £2,930, E T R O . Cotton-mix
scarf, £250, L OE W E . Alternappa sandals, £675, S TE L L A M C C ARTNE Y . Leather bag (just seen), £425,
I S AB E L MARANT . Silver signet ring, £225, AL L B L UE S . Gold ear cuff, £917, G E O R G J E N S E N .
OPPOS I TE Viscose-mix top, £155, S AND RO . Silk shorts, £795, VAL E NTI NO . Luz’s left ear: silver hoop
earring, £250, AL L B L UE S . Right ear: gold ear cuff, £917, G E O R G J E N S E N
T H IS P AG E Shearling vest, £1,800, COACH 1 9 4 1 . Cotton dress, £740, S PORTMAX . Cotton trousers, £717, E L L E RY .
Leather boots, £368, FR ÉDA SALVADOR . Gold ear cuff, £917, GEORG J E N S E N . Luz’s left hand: silver ring
(ring finger), £175, ALL BLUES. Gold rings (index finger), £81 each, SIF J AKOB S J E W E L L E RY . Right hand: silver
signet ring, £225, ALL BLUES. OPPOSITE Leather and silk dress, £4,008, C É L I NE
 HAIR: D I MI T R I S G I A N N E T O S A T
OPUS B E A U T Y U S I N G L ’O R É A L
PROFE S S I O N N E L . MAKE-UP:
ME L A N I E I N G L E S S I S A T
FORWA R D A R T I S T S U S I N G
C HAN E L . MODEL: L U Z P A V O N
A T N E W YO R K M O D E L
M A N A G E M E N T . LOCAL
PRODUCTION: G L A M P R . WITH
THANKS TO T H E A CE H O T E L ,
D OW N T O WN L O S A N G E L E S
CLAY S GARDNER
 a
b uty
1.
THE LOOK

BRAVE AND
UNAPOLOGETIC colours
set the tone for your
new-season attitude. Wear
them in painterly strokes
across your eyes,
experiment with shape and
textures on lips and go
neon in the nail department.
It’s a direct order from
Edited by
make-up messiah Pat
McGrath: ‘It’s make-up. If it SOPHIE
goes wrong, it wipes off. BERESINER
It’s supposed to be playful
and experimental.’ Collages by
in Matte Raspberry, £25; Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid in Romantic, £9.99. Words: Joely Walker.

PATRIC K
CHANEL Le Vernis in Espadrilles, £20; NARS Long-wear Eyeliner in Khao San Road, £19; DIOR Lip Glow

WAU G H
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios, Jason Lloyd-Evans

T H E S S18 T R E N D S T H AT W O R K I R L
 THE LOOK

THE KIND OF PERFECTED

but not overly done hair
you really want to wear –
less Noughties blow-dry
and more low-key luxe.
‘We take the essence of
glamour and make it more
modern,’ says backstage
hair hero Guido at
Versace. ‘It’s more about
quality than texture – shiny,
healthy, polished.’

GHD REDKEN D OV E MARIA NILA GNEISS E VO

Gold St yler, Triple Take 32 Pure Care Dr y Oil Moulding Spike brush
£139 Hairspray, £17 Treatment Balm, £6.99 Paste, £14.99 (38mm), £38.95
 THE LOOK

MAKE-UP ARTIST
PETER PHILIPS perfectly
summed up the shimmery
Dries Van Noten look that
sent Instagram into
double-tap overdrive. This
is the kind of grown-up
glitter inspiration we’ve all
been waiting for. How to
get the right result? Put all
your efforts into the sparkle
and pare down the rest.
Think carefully considered
and effortless, despite
its eccentricity.

YSL COUTURE URBAN DECAY STILA THE BODY SHOP MAC

Holgram Powder, Eyeshadow in Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Glitter Dust in Dazzleshadow in
£23.50 Extragalactic, £15 Eye Shadow in Ballet Baby, £23 Gold, £7 Get Physical, £16
 THE LOOK

SILK WRAPS , woven bows,

pearlised pins – they
might appear to fit into a
ladylike box, but look
closer and you’ll notice a
rebellious streak that sets
them apart. Oversized
shapes, punchy colours,
wayward textures – an
anything-goes attitude to
hair styling that will
make you feel happy by
hair osmosis.

GISOU L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL TEMPERLEY WELLA SYD Y ER

Texture comb, Lumino Contrast Silk scar f, Keratin Restore diamond h ir 3,0 0 0, and
£40.70 Shampoo, £11. 50 price on application Mask, £31.65 black diamond hairpin, £2,50
£2 0
 5. THE LOOK

THIS IS HEALTHY,
rich-looking skin, built
up in layers for a flawless
finish while still letting your
skin breathe. Your actual
face looks great instead of
your make-up; highlights
are created with gloss and
moisturiser over shimmery
powders. In make-up artist
Mark Carrasquillo’s words
at Etro: ‘We’re aiming
for angelic skin.’
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios, Jason Lloyd-Evans

NARS L’ O R É A L PA R I S C OV E R F X C U S T O M TOM FORD M A X FAC T O R

Natural Radiant Longwear Infallible Longwear Shaping Cover Illuminating Miracle Glow Duo Pro
Foundation in Punjab, £35 Stick in Gold Is Cold, £8.99 Drops, £36 Primer, £57 Illuminator, £10.99
 THE LOOK

DRAWING OUT of the lines

and experimenting with
shapes takes your feline
flick into new-season
territory. From Tom Ford’s
rounded tips to Acne’s
floating lines, make-up
artists took something
inherently glamorous and
gave it bite. The key? ‘The

E ans
eyeliner has to fit the girl,
J son L loy -Ev
not the other way around,’
says Val Garland at Erdem.
Phott ographs: Gr aham
h W als S u ios, Ja
H rst St
l er at Hea

C H RIS TIAN LOUBOUTIN CÔME M AY B E L L I N E YSL COUTURE BOUR JOIS

Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Cr ol in Eye Studio Master Eye Liner in Black Liner Feutre Slim Ultra
Liner in Khol, £58 N ir, 50 Smokey in Black, £5.99 Matt, £25 Liner in Noir, £6.99
 BEING THE DAUGHTER of a man who went bald in his early
twenties, I’ve often thanked God I was not born with the Y chro-
mosome. I love my hair; it can affect my mood and how good
I feel about myself and therefore, sometimes, my life. It is intrinsi-
cally tied to emotion. I’m categorically qualified to make this
claim because I did go bald once (briefly and chemotherapy
induced), the result of which was an ephemeral relationship with
my new hair. Now, it doesn’t matter if I don’t love a new cut,
because I’ve had worse and it grew back. Yet, on the flip side,
I also have a genuine appreciation for every hair on my head.
So, it’s difficult to know which side to blame for my
aversion to the greys that keep appearing on my hairline.
Is it the life-loving me that doesn’t want to engage with
the reality of ageing? Or is it the hair-loving me that doesn’t
want to give my hard-earned waves over to the white side?
My wariness takes on a familiar cycle: get into lift at work,
scrutinise parting in lift mirror – gah! THREE MORE! Isolate,
pluck, discard, grieve.
The average age for women to start greying is 35 (30 for
men), and popular theory dictates that approximately 50% of
the population will be 50% grey by age 50. So why the aver-
sion? According to trichologist Anabel Kingsley, it is down to
societal norms. ‘It’s generally acceptable, even attractive, for

DYE
a man to sport grey hairs. Hence the phrase ‘silver fox’. How-
ever, greying for women has different connotations. It is asso-
ciated with the negatives of ageing.’ A
there is no reversal option and no scienti
that any tinctures, tonics or vitamins will
of vitamin B could make you go grey p
best thing you can do to ‘treat’ grey hair i
it right. ‘Grey hair can be tricky to col-
our, as it doesn’t often retain dye very

HARD
well,’ says Anabel. ‘To achieve lasting
colour, permanent dye is needed and,
between colouring, it can be useful to
apply a temporary colour to the root
area, too.’
While I do hear you, Anabel, my
problem is that, along with my grey
hairs, I also tend to evade hair salons,
places that can expertly fix them.
Shocking for a beauty editor, I know.
I find the expectedness of the whole
thing boring. I know exactly how the
process is going to go, I know the amount of small talk I’ll most
likely partake in, and I know how much time I’m spending not
doing the other things I have to do. It is this (annoyingly intoler-
ant) attitude that means I will never be one of those organised
women who make – and keep – their every-three-weeks
appointments to touch up their roots and trim their ends. The
monotony! The expense! The indulgence!
Therefore, an off-the-shelf box dye is both a friend and
a foe to me, and I’m assured by Mintel stats that I’m not ONLY 25 PER CENT OF WOMEN WHO COLOUR
Photograph: Stocksy

alone. Of the 80% of women (globally) over the age of 25

who colour their hair, 75% do so at home. This is huge. It
seems we are in the midst of a home-hair-colour revolution.
This could, in part, be down to trial and error. Women spend
approximately 30 minutes lingering in the home-hair-

ELLE
243 MAR
 you, but you can’t leave it to break the cycle.’ Indeed, according to Mintel, of the
women who colour their hair, just 24% are happy with their colour, 32% are neutral
and 44% are actively unhappy. Psychologically, most people get ‘attached’ to a hair
colour when they were at their happiest. Usually when they were very young, maybe
when they fell in love, so they want to be that colour forever. Josh says this is where
most of us go wrong. ‘I say you started there, but you moved on.’
We lay out the kit – but not before I’ve dropped the Bircher muesli bowl and
watched the contents arc like the Trevi Fountain across the kitchen, splatting my friend
Bianca’s (there for moral support) white jeans, turning them the kind of dusty-rose pink
colour aisle, compared to the three minutes they Josh Wood himself created for the Alexander Wang SS18 show. I may be embarrass-
spend in all others. This makes sense to me. There ingly clumsy in the presence of greatness, but at least I’m still on brand.
are so many promises, so many options, so many So, where to start? As with any smart idea these days, the answer lies in the
boxes. But I don’t trust the box. The result is flatter online consultation. Much like a father who would prefer his child to first dabble in
than the look the box promises me. And how long alcohol under his own supervision, Josh wants control of the colour conversation –
is permanent? HOW LONG? something he couldn’t do if he couldn’t reach people digitally. It’s supremely comfort-
I know a man who knows. Josh Wood is a ing to think of the Josh Wood Colour Collection as home hair dye with Parental Guid-
highly sought-after colourist. Otherwise known ance. My online consultation (no 30 minutes staring at images on the back of a box
as ‘The King of Colour’, sometimes a ‘technical here) tells me I am a ‘5.5 brunette prone to frizz’ (the ‘frizz’ bit – defined by Josh as
genius’ and potentially the most in-demand hair ‘quite thick and likely to dehydrate’ – is for the collection’s care products). This is a
colourist In. The. World. I’m lucky enough to be permanent colour, but I know that I can touch it up very simply with the products easily
a sometimes-client. He was the man responsible shade-matched to 5.5 until I dye it again – the Root Smudger (£12), the Blending
for turning my newly grown-in hair from a meek, Brush (£15) and the Tinted Dry Shampoo (£10). This system is simply genius.
mousy brown to the kind of vibrant, fiery auburn I put on salon-grade gloves, Josh makes himself another
I never even knew existed. Since then, I have hap- cup of tea. I apply salon-grade protective barrier cream to my
pily put my entire trust in him. hairline, Josh lets the cat sit on his lap. I then set the stain-remov-
‘A woman in London who spends £1,000 ing wipe and the deep-conditioning Everything Mask treatment
in a salon to have me colour her hair, or a woman (£15) aside for later, mix the colour with the activator and start
in Newcastle spending £10 in Boots on a box ‘drawing in’ my roots, using the microwave door as a mirror.
dye, it’s the exact same emotion,’ says Josh. Josh tells me to always start colouring at the point where you
£1,000. I know, right? The thing is, with are the greyest – this is usually around the hairline.
Josh comes an expertise that After a couple of minutes, I scrunch the rest through my
doesn’t with me. Until now, that is. ends and leave it for half an hour. While I wash and condition
Now, you can get Josh in a box. over the bath, and blow-dry and style using my own Dyson dryer and GHD
Josh-in-a-box! That’s correct, Josh tongs, Josh and Bianca tackle the Bircher clean-up operation, and when
Wood for a tenner in Boots, I bounce down the stairs, frankly in awe of my newly improved hair, the kitch-
because The King of Colour has en floor is as shiny as my chocolate-brown roots. Let me clarify something
finally imparted his knowledge and here: I never have shiny roots unless I book in a blow-dry before work.
developed a revolutionary home- Even Josh was a little shocked. The colour is harmonious, tonal,
hair-dye system that promises natural and, like the world’s most amazing foundation on your skin, makes my
to make home hair colour some- hair an infinitely better ver-
thing women can actually cele- sion of itself. There is just
brate, rather than merely tolerate. one problem. I’m worried
With that in mind, he came round to my Josh has done himself out of
house to oversee my DIY job, and I felt like I was a future of salon clients.
receiving the Queen. I made cinnamon buns and He’s available on 99 per
Bircher muesli from scratch, I tidied my house to cent discount in Boots for an
within an inch of its life, I gave my cats a strong unlimited time only. Best bar-
talking to about behaviour and noise levels, then gain I’ve found in my life.
I trod in some of their vomit with bare feet while The Josh Wood Colour Col-
I made Josh a cup of tea. Strong start. lection is available at Boots
We’re in my kitchen, Josh is explaining to me now, from £5. Consultations
that the best hair colour should be invisible. Like at Joshwoodcolour.com
perfect foundation, you don’t want it to show. His
system is about natural maintenance and 100%
grey coverage. Most people only change their
hair colour when they have a massive life change, such as divorce or a new job, so his
philosophy is based on the best natural version of you. ‘I’m known for turning people
grey as a fashion choice. But if the decision is you don’t want to wear or be grey, then
you should NEVER have to see a grey hair again.’ Me: *raises hand*.
The thing with maintenance is it’s almost worse to colour the hair and have
regrowth. If the pigment is lost, it can almost look like you’re balding, like a wider part-
ing. Josh explains: ‘You can easily become trapped in the wrong colour. If you’re bru-
nette, you’re colouring regrowth every three weeks. You know the colour isn’t right for

ELLE
244 MAR
 MADEM be PCOS. ‘Well, yes, your chin hair

-OIS
could also be an excess of testoster-
one,’ Pearson suggests.
After hanging up, I call her for
the 5,906th time, and ask for an
action plan that doesn’t involve bor-
rowing my boyfriend’s razor for the
next 40 years. ’Go to your doctor,

ELLE
who can run tests to look at levels of
R and how that could be affect-
DHT and hair growth.’ Instead
dragging a razor down my face,
parently, I should see a laser-
ir-removal specialist. As opposed
previous incarnations of lasers
t only worked on contrasting
skin and hair tones, they can now
treat all skin and hair types pain-

Step away from lessly. Pearson suggests I make an

appointment at Soprano (soprano

the razor: this month, laserclinic.com), a hair-removal spe-

cialist in London. She also suggests
I maintain a healthy weight, reduce

our columnist gets stress and eat a nutrient-dense diet.

‘Eliminate sugar and refined carbs

to grips with some from your diet, as there is a strong

link between insulin resistance and
PCOS.’ I glare at my third cocktail.

unruly facial hair ‘Keeping blood sugar levels regu-

lated is important,’ she continues.
‘Low-grade inflammation has also
been associated with PCOS, so
GETTING READY TO GO OUT for dinner one French Martini later, I text Kim. Not a eating an anti-inflammatory diet and taking
one evening while on holiday last summer, Kardashian, but Kim Pearson (kim-pearson. an omega-3 supplement is a good idea. Try
I slipped into a slinky black McQ dress co.uk), a nutritionist who’s helped me out of flaxseeds in soups and salads.’
before checking the magnifying mirror to a few sticky spots over the years. ‘Hi, Kim, Back home, I sign-up to Rosemary Fer-
manoeuvre a pair of brightly coloured pom- am on hols with the fam and appear to have guson’s 5 Day Plan (rosemaryferguson.
pom earrings towards my earlobes. As a sprouted a beard. Can you talk?’ co.uk). Nutritionist Ferguson knows a thing
shimmer of early evening sun lit up the side ‘Don’t panic!’ blinked my phone within or two about delicious, healthy food, and
of my face, the world seemed to spin a tiny seconds. In full-blown-meltdown mode, I call after a week of eating incredibly well, I re-
bit faster. What was that? Too much NARS her immediately. ‘One of the most common member the other piece of advice Pearson
Orgasm blush? No, dears, that’ll be chin causes of facial hair in women of repro- passed on: exercise.
hair. It’s official, I have a beard. ductive age is polycystic ovary syndrome, ‘Hi, Jos, what type of exercise do you
Cancel drinks? Stay cooped up in a ho- affecting between five and 10 per cent of recommend for women with, um, hormo-
tel room? No, I did what any self-respecting women. PCOS is a hormonal disorder, nal issues?’ Joslyn Thompson Rule (joslyn
woman in need of a large cocktail would which can contribute to darker, thicker and thompsonrule.com), NIKE Global ambas-
do: grabbed my boyfriend’s razor, shaved more noticeable facial hair, and is charac- sador, trainer and sports therapist, is the
my chin and vowed never to speak of it terised by follicles on the ovaries and other woman who got me through the London
again. Except, of course, I had to. I had to symptoms, including irregular periods, acne Marathon without crying; I trust her com-
deal with the fact I’d sprouted a beard. So, and weight gain…’ My head feels weird. pletely. ‘Move every day for at least 30 min-
I have none of the other symptoms… utes – that’s just 3 per cent of your waking
After consulting ‘Doctor’ Google, hours! Strength-train – you can’t afford not
I discover chin hair can mean A: imminent to, even in your twenties; the physiological
Illustration by
death and B: menopause. This reminds me benefits are too great to ignore,’ she says.
JO of my late granny’s hairy cheek; I used to So, my hairy-chinned sisters, eat well,
RATCLIFFE call her Fozzie Bear. WAIT, I’m nowhere take omega-3, work out, be physically
near granny’s age! It’s been 10 whole strong and seek help from the experts. As
minutes since my last call to Pearson, so for Bic razors, Fozzie Bear here might keep
I ring back to deliver my Google news. one stashed in her make-up bag in case of
Menopause? Nope, far too young, Must an emergency. I know, I’m such a muppet.

ELLE
246 MAR
 THE WOMAN
The Proenza Schouler
woman is strong and
completely individual.
Age doesn’t matter – it’s
about a certain attitude,
curiosity and character, all
translated into a fragrance.

T H E I N S I D E R :

SCENT
TRIP
AFTER 16 YEARS IN
THE BUSINESS, PROENZA
SCHOULER IS FINALLY
VENTURING INTO PERFUME.
THIS IS THE DESIGNERS’
SCENT JOURNEY
THE BACK STORY
Our collections are always about the
meeting of two minds. By blending
two distinct ideas, we hope to create
something bigger – and it’s exactly
Arizona by Proenza Schouler, £99 for 90ml, exclusive to Selfridges. Compiled by Sophie Beresiner. Collage: Gus & Stella

how we approached the fragrance.

THE NOTES
To us, the fragrance
smells like sun, minerals
and skin. The white cactus
flower and orris, the most
THE STARTING expensive ingredient in
perfumery, make it feel
POINT sensual, but in a subtle,
The idea for the bottle
non-obvious way.
actually came before the
fragrance itself. The
starting point was a
collection of geodes we
found on a road trip out
west to the Arizona
desert – so the bottle has
a crystal vibe, with a
shape inspired by the
ravines and ridges.

THE FEELING
We wanted something THE RESULT
with a feminine energy It’s clear the power fragrances have
to it. It’s where the name over our memories and how they
Arizona came from, represent moments in time. We
with its sense of wanted the scent to be in sync with
unexplored nature. the powerful woman of right now.

ELLE
249 MAR
 ROSACEA IS ON
Photograph by
THE RISE, AND QUICK
FABRICE
ACTION IS THE
BOUQUET
KEY TO GETTING
IT IN CHECK.
HERE’S EVERYTHING
YOU NEED TO KNOW
TO TACKLE REDNESS

S
HEAD ON

RO ACEA
THE BASICS
FACT: WOMEN ARE THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER
FROM ROSACEA THAN MEN
Despite affecting one in 10 people, experts still can’t put their Words by
finger on exactly why rosacea rears its rosy head. Theories range
JOELY
from sun damage to genetics and even an allergic reaction to
tiny skin mites (demodex) that naturally set up camp on the skin’s WALKER
surface but can cause trouble in numbers. Inflammation breaks
down the skin’s elastic tissue over time, leaving it vulnerable. The
*Rosacea Review, National Rosacea Society, June 2014

earlier you take matters into your own hands, the better. has been shown that, when exposed to increased heat or stress,
people with rosacea will have a greater nerve, blood flow and
SYMPTOMS sweating response than people without the disorder.
A 2015 survey in dermatology journal Cutis revealed that 47% of PERSISTENT REDNESS This is rosacea’s most recognised symptom
rosacea sufferers hadn’t heard of the condition before diagnosis, – unlike flushing, the redness remains.
and 95% knew almost nothing about the warning signs. Look out for: BUMPS AND PIMPLES These are the reason rosacea is
FLUSHING This is caused by a quick increase of blood flowing linked to acne. But the difference is that instead of black- and
through hundreds of dilating vessels, making them expand. It will whiteheads, which signify true acne, these spots can be solid
usually occur around the centre of the face, chin and forehead. It (papules) or pus-filled (pustules).

ELLE
251 MAR
 TREATMENTS SPICY FOOD Opt for herbs instead of hot
TO TRY spices, which can cause a flare-up.
Hailed as the most effective POLLUTION It repeatedly assaults the skin’s
VISIBLE BLOOD VESSELS These can form in way to treat rosacea, protective barrier and so increases inflammation.
clusters and are also known as telangiectasias. pulsed dye laser (PDL) and
They occur when dilated blood vessels lead to intense pulsed light (IPL) SKINCARE SOS
threadlike, or ‘spider’, veins. treatments use targeted ‘The most important thing you can do for your
BURNING OR STINGING This is a common narrow beams of light to skin is to prioritise using calming, hydrating
side effect that is linked to sensitised and easily kill off the dilated blood and protecting products,’ explains Dr Hextall.
irritated skin. vessels that cause flushing, ‘This encourages the skin barrier to do its job
DRY, GRITTY, SWOLLEN EYES This can be with minimal damage to the properly, ultimately safeguarding your skin from
a symptom of ocular rosacea and should surrounding area. Courses damaging aggressors.’
be taken seriously, as it requires immediate vary, but two to four sessions CHOOSE a gentle cleanser that doesn’t leave
medical attention. It can sometimes be the first are recommended for long- your skin feeling tight or ‘squeaky clean’ (a sign
sign that you may later develop the facial type term results. Alternatively, the skin barrier has been stripped). Try Cetaphil
of rosacea, so seeking advice early can be there’s LED therapy, which Gentle Skin Cleanser, £6.99.
beneficial in the long run. Dr Hextall recommends AVOID aggressive scrubs and astringent gels,
SWOLLEN APPEARANCE When your face for its anti-inflammatory which sensitive skins find difficult to tolerate.
appears slightly inflamed, this is a result of benefits with no downtime. OPT for hydrating formulas, such as Avène
thickening tissue linked to phymatous rosacea. Always see a doctor or Hydrance Intense Hydrating Serum, £18, to
When it occurs around the nose, it is called dermatologist for a proper soothe dry skin and help with any excess water
‘rhinophyma’, but this is extremely rare in women. diagnosis and full treatment loss caused by constant flushing.
plan beforehand. TRY antioxidant serums to give skin an armour
that protects it against free-radical attackers.
WHAT’S YOUR TRIGGER? GUT APPLY SPF daily (factor 30 or above), choosing
Although rosacea is currently incurable, INSTINCT gentle formulas with mineral ingredients, such as
knowing what triggers individual flare-ups will Although it’s yet to be zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
help you prevent and keep the redness under proven, the gut might play a WEAR make-up that is allergy-tested and
control. As consultant dermatologist Dr Justine pivotal part in rosacea. ‘Our fragrance-free, such as mineral foundations.
Hextall explains, ‘Triggers can differ from person gut can change our skin’s SEE a doctor or dermatologist, especially if
to person, so it’s key to isolate and understand barrier and is therefore you want to discuss topical prescriptions (such
yours as early as possible.’ There are, however, linked to inflammation,’ Dr as Soolantra or Mirvaso), oral medication and
common culprits, and these are: Hextall explains. ‘I suggest antibiotic options, but know that the last of these
SUN EXPOSURE According to a 2014 review Symprove [a liquid comes with long-term side effects.
by the National Rosacea Society, 88% of supplement] to rebalance Following these tips will calm rosacea and
rosacea patients reported a the gut. It’s a water-based keep your skin feeling – and looking – happier.
decrease in flare-ups when probiotic, which doesn’t
wearing SPF daily. trigger acids or their
EMOTIONAL STRESS This breakdown in the stomach.’
sends the body’s senses
into overdrive, causing it to THE TOOL KIT:
overreact and stimulating
both chemical and physical
changes in the body.
HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES Extreme
weather conditions are often detrimental to
sufferers with this condition, as rosacea settles
in consistently tepid temperatures.
HEAVY EXERCISE Strenuous physical activity,
particularly cardio, rapidly increases heart
rate, blood flow and body temperature, all of
which can exacerbate rosacea. ANTI-RED R E G I M E :
ALCOHOL This is a vasodilator (it causes more blood to run through Z O S KI N Health Medical Rozatrol Normalizing Serum treatment, £79;
vessels, subsequently reddening skin). Beer and wine contain high D E RMAL OGI C A UltraCalming Barrier Repair, £40; C L I NI Q U E redness
solutions makeup spf15 in alaBaster, £15; L A ROC HE POS A Y Anthelios XL
histamine levels, which also trigger and aggravate rosacea. Red Cream SPF 50+, £16. 50; B ARE MI N E RAL S Original Foundation SPF 15,
wine is often cited as the biggest culprit. £27; AVÈ N E Antirougeurs Calm: Soothing Mask, £16. 50

ELLE
252 MAR
 With goji berries,
SKIN SUPERFOODS broccoli, ginger,
For fresh skin and fast results, you need one chia seeds and
ingredient: vitamin C. Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin quinoa, Elemis’
C Brightening Skin Corrector (right), £28, new Superfood
works wonders on dull a complexion. Day Cream, £42,
and Night Cream,
£46 (both right),
are healthier than
Gwyneth Paltrow’s
fridge. Plus, they
make your face
THE IT CROWD
feel so well. IT Cosmetics’ Confidence in
an Eye Cream (below left),
£30, has avocado to thank for
its rich texture, and its subtle
apricot tint can fake eight
hours of sleep, no problem.

BY JOELY WALKER

News just in: my go-to Kiehl’s

Powerful-Strength Line-
Reducing Concentrate, £49.50
SKIN
(above), a do-it-all serum that’s
given me reliably healthier
skin, has just been made even
better. Each revamped bottle
now packs an extra 2.5% of
vitamin C for a total of 12.5% THE STRESS
(impressive for such a soothing
formula) and adds a hit of
BUSTER X
Rub in, zone out,
hyaluronic acid that sorted my Gross, but the commute
with Darphin’s Vetiver
dehydrated skin in a week. congests your skin as much as
Stress Relief Detox
Oil Mask, £45 – an it does the roads. ThisWorks’
oil-to-milk mask that Evening Detox Spray-on
literally washes Exfoliant, £28 (right), reverses
stress away. the effects of the daily grime
build-up, making it an
immediate essential.

NO SCRUBS FACE FACTS

Tired of exfoliating gloves in ,
your shower? REN’s Ready
Steady Glow Daily AHA
Tonic, £25 (left), does the
trick by incorporating lactic
acid, which dissolves flaking
dead skin.

ELLE
257 MAR
 There are 24 on-point shades. After 1.25
minutes in the ELLE office, there were
two left. The people have spoken. Laura
Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lipsticks
are amazing. Try (from top, below)
Dominate, Boss and Ruthless, £22 each.

P T LY
E

t
v

THE ONE
BY SOPHIE BERESINER
I am being escorted into a top-secret lab in deepest
France by a man in a skin-tight astronaut suit. This is
relevant, I am assured, as I take an ergonomic space
seat. Ready for an education in mascara physics? Benefit
BadGal Mascara, £21.50 (right), is bad in the good
way: voluminous, blackest black and, yes, gravity-defying.
And it’s all thanks to the aero-particles, aka the lightest
raw material known to man. Why is this good for your
eyelashes? Imagine a kilo of lead compared to a kilo of
feathers and the kind of space they’d both take up. The
lighter something is, the more volume you get. You see?

BEAUTY LEXICON:

THROWING SHADE
The make-up industry is waking up and considering every customer,
no matter the colour of their skin. Case in point: Bobbi Brown’s award-
MAC DIRECTOR OF MAKE-UP ARTISTRY winning Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation, £31 (above), now
TERRY BARBER (@TERRYBARBERONBEAUTY) available in 30 shades. The SPF15 is an added skin-protecting bonus.

ELLE
258 MAR
 There are 10 new fragrances in Atelier Cologne’s Maison
Collection. The Rose London Candle, £55 (below), is unexpectedly
PROTAGONIST’S
wonderful, thanks (in part) to ginger and dark wood. PERFUME
F Scott’s Fitzgerald’s
novel Tender Is The
Night is the glamorous,
angst-y inspiration
behind these fragrances.
One brief was given
to two perfumers at
Miller Harris, resulting
in Scherzo – fun and
floral – and the more
grown-up Tender,
both £165 for 100ml
EDP (both left).

SUPER-
SCENTS
OUR PICK OF THE SEXIEST
SMELLS MONEY CAN BUY

EROTIC, SIMPLE and

a little bit primal; like the
late Alaïa’s designs, Alaïa
Paris Nude, £93 for 100ml
(right), is meant to mimic a
second skin. But a really,
really fragrant one.

TIME TO RETHINK
VANILL A . Far from swe et
and ‘beige’, Floral
Street Wild Vanilla
Orchid, £55 for 50ml
EDP (right), is raw-edged
and intriguingly unusual.

THE KIND OF PERFUME

bottle a Bond villain would
display on her yacht. Bottega Veneta’s Knot
Bulgari’s Splendida Eau Absolue, £88 for 75ml EDP
Magnolia Sensuel, from Harrods (right), is the
£97 for 100ml EDP timeless Bottega Knot bag
(right), smells exactly in scent form: warm, rich
as decadent as it looks. and outfit-elevating.

ELLE
260 MAR
 SPOT ON
‘You can always count on spots to
With two heat plates instead of one, a new amp up the fun factor, as seen at
rounded barrel for easier curling, and Byblos. Try alternate sizes for
a very short 25-second heat-up time, endless patterns, experimenting
the sovereigns of straight hair are with different tools, such as cotton
back. It’s GHD as you know buds and cocktail sticks.’
it – only better. GHD
NAIL EXPERT MARIAN NEWMAN
Gold Professional @MARIANNEWMAN
Styler, £139.

HAIR &
NAILS RARE HAIR
PICTURE THIS: a glorious
waft of Tom Ford’s Black
Orchid with every toss of
the head, every flick of
your (expensively shiny)
ponytail. OK, so buy the
new Hair Mist, £50 (left).

Words: Emily Pritchard. Photographs: Jason Lloyd-Evans, Graham Walser at Hearst Studios
You already know it
works. Fast. Silicon-
free and infused
with antioxidants,
the new Aussie Pure
Locks 3 Minute
Miracle Deep
ULTIMATE Treatment, £4.99,
leaves hair looking
BOOST cool-girl clean.
Hands down one of
the best volume-boosting
treatments we have ever
tried (and we’ve tried
a lot). Living Proof Davines The Circle Chronicles Hair Masks,
Full Dry Volume Blast, £7.90 each (left), are single-use deep-
£25 (left), increases treatment masks for every hair crisis. We love
the space between The Spotlight Circle (pre-night out) for a shiny
your hair fibres to mane, and The Wake-Up Circle (post-night
add weightless texture out) for a refreshed scalp.
that lasts all day.

ELLE
262 MAR
 SOPHIE
SAYS
ELLE BEAUTY DIRECTOR SOPHIE BERESINER
Q SO, APPARENTLY MY SKIN NEEDS ACID…
IT SOUNDS VERY COUNTER- INTUITIVE,
AND I ’M PA R ANOI D ABOUT GE T TI NG IT
TACKLES YOUR SKINCARE WOES WRONG. HELP! K ATE, EDINBURGH
AND MAKE-UP DILEMMAS
A Your skin might not necessarily need acid – like I don’t
need a Preen coat, but my whole outfit will be better for
it. No, your skin will LOVE an acid (mine loves Glossier Solu-
tion, for instance). However, depending on type and concen-
tration of acid, your nearest and dearest might not agree. I’m
P E T E R T H O M A S R O T H 3% Glycolic speaking from recent personal experience here: having
Solutions Cleanser, £31.20 REN SKINCARE
Glycol - Lactic Radiance
starved myself all day in anticipation of the best chicken biryani
Renewal Mask, £34 in the history of Indian restaurants (it’s at
Babur in southeast London, FYI), I sat and
waited for my two friends to turn up. One
was a little late as she’d been, she told
L I X I R Night me, ‘peeling the edges of my face off in
Switch
BHA/AHA the bathroom’. The other was like, ‘That’s
10%, £20 so weird – I had an acid peel a couple of
days ago, too. I’m probably a bit ahead
of you.’ Watching two women’s epider-
mises flake into their parathas over a
Thursday-evening catch-up is not, let me tell you, the most ap-
petising experience. That is the specific kind of chemical-peel
acid (medical-grade trichloroacetic, to be precise)
MALIN+GOETZ you might benefit from if you want total skin resurfac-
10% Resur facing
Glycolic
ing, to combat pigmentation, lines, acne scarring
Pads, £40 and so on. But let’s start small: Acid For Beginners. An
idiot’s guide, if you will (no offence).
In very basic terms; an acid works like an exfoli-
ator, gently dissolving the top layer of dead skin
PA U L A’ S C H O I C E cells, or daily grime, so anything that follows it can
Skin Per fecting work a lot better and your skin will be fresher. It can
2% BHA Liquid
Exfoliant, £25
be a toner, mask, serum, cream or cleanser.
F O R O I LY S K I N The acid you’re likely to recognise
the most is salicylic, a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) good for spot-
prone or oily skin – it really unblocks pores. Paula’s Choice
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, £25, is gentle
S K I N C EU T I C A L S
Blemish + Age enough to use daily.
Defense, F O R A L L S K I N (especially mature) An AHA (alpha hydroxy
£82.95 acid), such as glycolic acid, has smaller molecules that work
more deeply in the skin, stimulating collagen and speedier cell
turnover. Try SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense, £82.95.
F O R S E N S I T I V E S K I N You’re better off with a less-irritating
PHA, or polyhydroxy acid, due to it being a larger molecule
that’s absorbed quite slowly, meaning it’s great for rehydrat-
Photographs: 3 Objectives

ing. Try Lixir Night Switch BHA/AHA 10%, £20. Oh, and hya-
N I P + FA B luronic acid is not an acid, it’s a molecule that hydrates. Got it?
Dragon’s
Blood Fix T H E M A I N T H I N G Remember, your skin doesn’t need to liter-
Plumping ally peel with an acid. You can enjoy your biryanis in peace.
Mask, £14.95 THE ORDINARY
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling G E T I N TO U C H W I T H S O P H I E N OW
Solution, £6.30
@S O P H I E B E R ES I N E R #S O P H I ES AYS

ELLE
264 MAR
 el l e p r o m o t i o n

bright star
Tired, dull-looking
skin? With 15% pure
Vitamin C, VICHY
LIFTACTIV VITAMIN C ASK PERT
BRIGHTENING SKIN Consul ologist
Dr Anjali Mahto (above)
CORRECTOR promises on the benefits of vitamin C
fresher, brighter-looking
Why is vitamin C such a
skin in just 10 days powerful ingredient in skincare?
Vitamin C has a number of
skincare benefits, particularly
Brightness. It’s one of beauty’s holy grails. when used in topical form. First of
After all, bright skin looks fresh, invigorated, all, it’s essential to make collagen,
well-rested, more youthful. It’s also one of the protein that gives our skin
the first things to take a hit when life picks up support. It’s also a really powerful
pace — not least because when we’re busy antioxidant, so it helps protect us
‘something’ has to give and the compromises from the free radicals we come
that are made, from diet to those vital eight- into contact with, such as UV light
hours sleep, are often reflected in our skin. from the sun, and from pollution.
It is, as anyone who’s been there knows all too Last but not least, as we get older
well, a vicious cycle. And that’s before we get we start to get uneven skintone
into the havoc other elements (pollution, travel, and more skin blotchiness, and
UV rays and all the rest) can have on our skin. vitamin C helps with that as well.
Luckily, science is here to help. Specifically,
science in the form of new LiftActiv Vitamin C Is all vitamin C made equal or
Brightening Skin Corrector from expert French are some forms better to use?
beauty brand, Vichy. It boasts one o There are different derivatives.
highest levels of vitamin C available (pur d Left: VICHY Its purest form is ascorbic acid
LiftActiv
concentrated at 15%). This is combined with th Vitamin C [as used in LiftActiv Vitamin C
powerful antioxidants such as vitamin E and a tening Brightening Skin Corrector].
fragmented hyaluronic acid (‘fragmented’ to S n Corr rrector, Concentration is also important.
£ (boots.ccom;
help penetrate more deeply into the epidermis vichy.co.
At too-high concentrations
and better prevent skin ageing), and Vichhy’s vitamin C can be an irritant so it’s
own Mineralizing Thermal Water, known for about finding the right level: high
its soothing and restorative properties. There’s enough concentration to get all
no perfume or silicons in its hypoallergenic anda the positive benefits but not too
quickly-absorbed formula; only the ingredieents high to avoid irritating skin.
your skin needs to look brighter, smoother and a
fresher in just 10 days. Is the 15% in LiftActiv
Better yet, it’s easy. (seriously, who hash B
Brightening Skin Corrector a
time for a complicated daily beauty regimee?). go
ood concentration to be using?
Model does not endorse featured product

Whether you’re looking for a visible differennce It is. LiftActiv definitely has
in less than two weeks or seeking long-teerm science behind it. It’s a good
transformation, all it takes is just four-to-f ive c oncentration, which should be
drops gently massaged onto cleansed s kin e
effective to use. Vitamin C has
before your regular serum or cream as par t of multiple benefits for the skin —
your morning skincare routine. Job done! definitely make it part of your
Find out more on boots.com or at vichy.co.uk skincare routine.
 o
expl re elle

Edited by

SUSAN WARD
DAVIES

Collages by

GUS
& STELLA

O U T- O F -T H E - O R D I N A RY ESC A P ES ( T H I N K TA J I K IS TA N , M A L AW I ,
PA PUA N E W GU I N E A ), P LUS P I S T E - S I D E PA DS , S K I PAC K I N G
A N D A N I C E L A N D I C ROA D T RI P
 HAVE AN ADVENTURE IN…

TAJIKISTAN
‘SALOM,’ SAYS A TAJIK POLICEMAN,
leaning through our car window, shak-
ing our driver’s hand. This has become a
familiar scene for my friend Anna and me
and, despite the friendly manner, there’s
a whiff of corruption to it. We’ve been in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, for just three
days and have been pulled over as many
times: once for ‘crossing the line without
indicating’ and twice, it would appear, just
to say hi. It turns out you need a driver not
only for getting around, but also to deal
with these ‘bureaucratic’ exchanges.
Dushanbe is not a walkable city, so
take cabs (cheap) or hire your own driver
(indy-guide.com). Ours is called Hikmat,
and I fall a little in love with him during the
trip after he saves me from an awkward
dancing situation in a remote village and
from being trampled by a spooked horse
– but more on that later.
I’ve always been intrigued by Tajikistan,
the smallest of Central Asia’s five former-
Soviet-state ’Stans’, which are sandwiched
between Russia, China, Afghanistan, Iran
and Pakistan. It was included in the world’s
top three fastest-growing holiday destina-
tions in 2016, and I’m curious to experience
what is attracting the real tourists. They’re
certainly not coming for the charms of the
capital: Tajikistan is beautiful, with wild trek-
king territory (more than 50 per cent of the
country sits above 3,000m), but Dushanbe
itself is less appealing, with only a handful
of luxe hotels, although its Navruz Palace
and the National Museum of Antiquities of
Tajikistan are must-sees.
There’s no shortage of natural beauty
within an hour’s drive of Dushanbe (think
clear blue lakes and snow-capped moun-
tains) – and the city is a great springboard

2O18 IS ALL ABOUT OFF-THE-RADAR ESCAPES. NATALIE EGLING

TRAVERSES TAJIKISTAN, WHILE SARAH MARSHALL
DISCOVERS THREE MORE PLACES TO TOP YOUR HIT LIST
 for day trips to Hisor Fort and the Nurek
Dam on the Vakhsh River, which is a scenic
two-hour drive southeast. It’s the latter we
drive to, bumping up a pitted dirt road, then
tramping through wild flowers to find a pic-
nic spot, passing pink-bloomed pistachio
trees sticking out from mountain crevices.
The waters off the dam are an unreal blue,
and we share the stillness with just a couple
of cows for company.
It’s in the mountain villages, though, that
we really fall for Tajikistan. Like when we’re
on our way to Margib, a village you need
to wind through dramatic valleys to reach,
but get waylaid by revellers celebrating
Navruz (spring festival) out on the street.
Women in colourful headscarves (Tajik-
istan is about 98 per cent Muslim) and
bright traditional dress twirl to the sound of
a keyboard’s synth. I’m of the two-drinks-
before-I’ll-think-about-dancing persuasion,
but I’m yanked from my seat by a group
of smiling men who gesticulate that I join
them. It’s mortifying, and it’s recorded on
VHS (there’s not a smartphone in sight). It’s
here that Hikmat, like an angel backlit by
the late-afternoon sun, stands opposite and
just mouths ‘copy me’.
The next day we wake early so we can
watch a game of buzkashi, a proto-polo
that’s part of the R E L A X ON …
fabric of Central
Asia. Translated
from Persian (Tajiki ‘ We searched CHILOÉ ISLAND
is a Persian dialect)
as ‘goat grabbing’, for a PICNIC CHILE’S SECOND-LARGEST ISLAND,
Chiloé, is the stuff of folklore, thrashed on
a buz (goat car-
cass) is dropped SPOT, passing one side by the Pacific and smothered in
ancient forest.
pink-bloomed
Collages: Gus & Stella. Photographs: Anna Huix, Alamy, Rex Features, Getty Images, 4 Corners

at one end of the in summer. Now, Set at the tip of Patagonia, it can be wet,
field and the rid- in May, there’s still and temperatures are cool – but don’t let that
ers race to get it.
The atmosphere is
PISTACHIO trees’ snow on the ground
– thank goodness
put you off: this place is about culture, nature
and chilling – and the slick, eco-sensitive
electric and, as the for Dilovar, our Tierra Chiloé Hotel & Spa embraces all
only women here, cosy homestay for three. Built to reflect the island’s famous stilt
we’re ushered to the best seats: a picnic the night (around £15pp, full board). houses (palafitos), it’s all natural woods
table and bench hoisted on to a truck. Tajikistan is a frustrating combination of and soft contours. Wrapped in glass, it’s
Close of play is marked by a heavy mist, so out-of-this-world beauty and a severe lack filled with light: wall-size windows in each
we wander back through the crowd. Hik- of infrastructure – and we loved it. There are of the 24 rooms showcase scenes of bold
mat reasserts himself as my holiday crush, ethereal moments that will glow in my mem- skies and fishing boats. Local cured meats
dramatically pulling me out of the way of a ory forever: the glass of Russian wine drunk appear on the market-produce menu, but
spooked horse. What a day. on a quiet roadside; the smell of spring the most memorable dish is the curanto – a
Our last stop before heading back to onion at a bazaar; and the joyful street cauldron of shellfish, meat and potatoes,
Dushanbe is Iskanderkul Lake, an expanse party in the middle of nowhere, where we slow-cooked in the ground.
of glacial-blue water, luminous in the alpine were so warmly, genuinely welcomed and The hotel organises daily activities.
landscape. It’s on the way to Sarytag, a I danced in the late-afternoon sun. Explore the archipelago the island is part of
pretty village in a basin below the Fann Kalpak Travel (kalpak-travel.com) offers on Tierra’s wooden boat, trek through a
Mountains, and it’s refreshing how little trips to Tajikistan from £1,390pp for eight forest, or snap a selfie at the Soul Pier, an
development there is around the lake’s days (excluding flights), which include installation-turned-Instagram hit.
shores – President Emomali Rahmon’s guide, driver and full-board accommoda- Tierra Chiloé Hotel & Spa, Chile
dacha (country house) is only one of a tion. Homestays can be booked through (tierrahotels.com). Two-night stays start
handful of homes taking advantage of Kalpak Travel. Turkish Airlines (turkish at £1,072pp, all-inclusive. LATAM (latam.
the views. Everywhere you look there’s a airlines.com) has return flights from London com) has return flights from London
hiking trail, and you can go wild camping Heathrow to Dushanbe from around £488. Heathrow from around £900.

ELLE
271 MAR
GO ON SAFARI IN…

MALAWI
FRIENDLY AND POLITICALLY STABLE,
Malawi is gearing up to be a wildlife
wonder. Just south of the country’s giant
lake, which swallows about a third of
Malawian territory, Liwonde National Park
is going for ‘Big Five’ status with a little help
from Leonardo DiCaprio, whose charity is
part-funding the introduction of lions from
South Africa. But even without big cats,
this crowd-free park is a pleasure. Most
activities focus on the lively Shire River,
where the secluded Mvuu Lodge peeks
through mopane forest and date palms.
A quick drive from the lodge, you’ll find
eight thatched and wooden-floored tents.
Teak blanket trunks and wicker seating set
the safari tone – although the rustic-chic
bathrooms have hot water on demand.
In scorching weather (it can reach 35°C
in November; May to August is cooler),
shower outdoors alongside squirrels and
hornbills. Learn about medicinal plants on
dawn walks, and head out on a sunset cruise
to see elephants frolic in water. Meals are
communal, and downtime is spent reading
LOG OFF IN…
in a treetop, or watching fearless antelope
from the plunge pool.
Mvuu Lodge, Liwonde National Park, PAPUA NEW
Malawi (cawsmw.com). Tents from £280 a
night, full board. Kenya Airways (kenya-
GUINEA
airways.com) has return flights from London FEW PLACES REMAIN UNCHARTED,
Heathrow to Lilongwe from around £540, but in Papua New Guinea, you can still
then charter transfers arranged by the lodge. go completely off-grid. Civilisation has
arrived in the form of Rondon Ridge, a
cloud-kissing lodge (Mick Jagger has
stayed) above the Wahgi Valley, with
uninterrupted, 180-degree views of snow-
tipped mountains. Book a mezzanine suite
with huge windows for watching amber
dawns and pink dusks. At this altitude, more
than 2,000m above sea level, the weather
is spring-like, and this cool, humid climate
means more wildlife, including flightless
cassowaries and dancing bowerbirds. A
tangled rainforest rises behind the lodge,
and it’s the perfect place to spot birds of
paradise. Miss out and you can still see their
plumes in the headdresses of painted Huli
men, who strut their stuff in dance demos.
Reef & Rainforest (reefandrainforest.co.uk)
offers the 14-day tailor-made Papua New
Guinea In Style And Comfort Tour from
£6,425pp, including a stay at Rondon
Ridge. All meals, transfers and flights from
London Heathrow are included.
 4.
1. Ski poles and skis, both price on application, TOMMY HILFIGER X ROSSIGNOL. 2. Leather
and plastic ski helmet, £770, FENDI at NET-A-PORTER. 3. DR. PAWPAW TINTED ULTIMATE RED
BALM, £6.95. 4. TOM FORD FACE PROTECT SPF50, £58. 5. Cotton, nylon and shearling puffer
jacket, £780, MOOSE KNUCKLES CANADA. 6. CHANEL Le Crème Main, £45. 7. Acetate 3.
sunglasses, £185, CARRERA at MYTHERESA.COM. 8. MALIN + GOETZ Advanced Renewel Cream,
£110. 9. Acetate ski goggles, £140, OAKLEY. 10. Polycarbonate suitcase, £275, and stickers,
£30 each, all AWAYTRAVEL.COM. 11. Polyester boots, £450, MOON BOOT & MONCLER

5.
1.
5. 6.

2.
1.

7.

Collage by

GUS 8.
& STELLA

9.

11.

10.
Styled by
Photographs: Graham Walser at Hearst Studios

HARRIET
STEWART
SUITCASE :

SNOW BUSINESS
I N S E A RC H O F T H E WHITE STUFF? L AY E RS , TOAS T Y BOOTS A N D
U LT R A - H Y D R ATI N G S K I N C A RE W I L L S E E YOU T H ROU G H

ELLE
273 MAR
 I
I L I

FISS, AUSTRIA
ST ANTON, AUSTRIA

, ,
Sleek modernity meets
Hands down the hippest
chocolate-box charm at
place to stay in St Anton,
the family run, 136-room,
the ski-in ski-out Mooser
five-star Schlosshotel.
Hotel sits right on the Do the female staff wear
Dominating the ski slopes
mountainside, just traditional Tyrolean
at the village of Fiss,
moments away from the bodices straight out of
with infinity pool). The it’s just an hour from
heart of the town. It’s an Ellen von Unwerth
17 rooms have heated Innsbruck airport, so
also next to Mooserwirt, shoot? Jawohl. Would
balconies, dramatic totally weekend-able.
one of Europe’s best muscular Klaus mind
views of the Alps, A private lift pops
après-ski bars. Putting turning up the temperature
eco-friendly Stone Pine you straight from its own
a contemporary spin on your waterbed in the
Climate Boxes (natural kit-hire shop on to the
on the typical rustic relax zone? Hundert
humidifiers and ionisers), piste, but the spa is so
ski-lodge look, the Prozent. Are boys and
and free (yes, really) vast and irresistible you’ll
traditional chalet-style girls all naked in the
mini bars. And for any be sneaking off early
wooden interiors are steam room? Natürlich.
post-piste hunger, the from skiing to indulge.
spiced up with vibrant, But it’s all as wholesome
modern furniture and scenic Ooben im Mooser
as the 10 types of muesli
a stylish spa (complete serves up gourmet treats,
at the breakfast buffet.
including alpine beef
Tom Horan
tartare with poached egg Schlosshotel Fiss Laurschweg
and venison with parsnips (schlosshotel-fiss.com, +43 5476
and glazed chestnuts. 6397), 28 Fiss, Austria. Doubles
Raja B-Sheikh from around £399, full board.
Mooser Hotel (mooserhotel.at, Easyjet (easyjet.com) has return
+43 5446 2644), Unterer flights from London Luton and
Mooserweg 2, 6580, St. Anton Gatwick to Innsbruck from Collage: Gus + Stella. Additional images: 4Corners
am Arlberg, Austria. Doubles around £52. Transfer by road to
from £246, B&B. British Airways Schlosshotel takes 50 minutes.
(ba.com) has return flights from
London Heathrow and Gatwick
from £80.

ELLE
274 MAR
 MOISTURE -RICH PLUMPING BIO-CELLULOSE LIP MASK

customer transaction. Free gift not available with digital, bumper, export or complimentary editions. Subscriptions may not include promotional items packaged with the magazine
Terms and conditions: redeemable on full-price products only (excludes outlet/sale/discounted products and kits). Code cannot be combined with any other offers. One use per
AND DE-PUFFING BIO-CELLULOSE EYE MASKS

Perfect for some serious plumping action, without Brighten and de-puff the skin around the eyes – you’re
a needle or stinging gloss in sight – simply apply going to look suspiciously well rested. Leave the mask
mask to lips for 15 minutes for a hydrated pout. on for 20 to 30 minutes and you’re good to go.

SOPHIE BERESINER, ELLE BEAUTY DIRECTOR

PLUS: EXCLUSIVE 15% RODIAL DISCOUNT

AT ELLEUK.COM/RODIALMAR18
DRIVE:

DRIVE WEST from

Reykjavík to the
remote and coastal
RIDE:
Hotel Budir, taking in
Thingvellir National
Park and part of
the famous Golden YOU NEED a
Circle, a 237km powerful, all-wheel-
sweep through central drive car on these
Iceland. From Budir, roads, and the Edge
head back to Gullfoss, Vignale, Ford’s
one of Iceland’s high-end SUV, has the
most spectacular horsepower, plus a
waterfalls, and on to massive boot for all
the surreal Hotel Ion your gear – you can
in Nesjavellir, built on even fold down the
stilts in an otherworldly seats to create your
landscape, before own camper van.
heading back to the The noise-cancelling
capital, Reykjavík. technology means
you’ll enjoy the
Icelandic stillness.

STAY:

ICELAND HOTEL ION,

ROAD SEE:
Nesjavellir
(ioniceland.is).
Futuristic hotel in

TRIP
breathtaking setting
with exquisite food.
STOP AT the Doubles from
geothermal valley £316. Hotel Budir,

Words: Susan Ward Davies. Photographs: Kevin Bell, Getty, Stocksy

of Haukadalur to Snaefellsbaer
AS EPIC DRIVES GO, see the famous geysir (hotelbudir.is). Remote
THIS IS IT. GET READY Strokkur spurting hotel in lava fields on
steaming water into a wild beach with
TO TAKE IN LAVA the air, or hike part of views of glaciers and
FIELDS, GEYSERS AND the Sólheimajökull volcanoes. Doubles
VOLCANOES glacier (as seen in from £193. Icelandair
The Secret Life of Hotel Reykjavík
Walter Mitty). And Marina, Reykjavík
in Thingvellir, drive (iceland airhotels.
over fissures in the com). Contemporary
earth caused by the waterside hotel.
shifting of the Eurasian Doubles from £185.
and North American
tectonic plates,
which meet here.

ELLE
276 MAR
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

BIJOUX EDIT

NAOMI WALSKY
Easy Elegance. Naomi Walsky’s luxury jewellery
and womens prêt-à-porter collections are designed
and produced by hand in the French region of
Switzerland along Lake Geneva. Italian silver, semi-
precious stones and stunning Austrian and Venetian
crystals come together creating modern, yet
timeless jewels that transition gracefully from day to
evening wear. These collections, the first of their kind
available to the public, feature limited quantities
with scheduled release dates and pre-order options.
Browse the e-boutique at www.naomiwalsky.com

OggDESIGN
JEWELLERY
Gemologist and jewellery designer,
Béatrice Oggier founded the jewellery
brand OggDESIGN by drawing
from her passion for gemstones.
The Bella ring from the Bloom Collection
is a timeless yet unique design with its fine
curved lines. Crafted in Barcelona from
18k yellow gold plated silver and set with
an oval cut natural sapphire, you can gift a
fine touch of spring colour all year round.
www.oggdesignjewelry.com
IG: @oggdesign
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

BIJOUX EDIT

BLANCO BAY
Customised Arabic Name Necklace
Blanco Bay specialises in beautiful and
contemporary personalised jewellery
influenced by the Arabian Culture.
Get your name translated and made into
a stunning Arabic name necklace.
Enjoy 15% off using code ELLE15
Visit www.blancobay.com and follow
@blancobay (IG)

DISCUS EARRINGS
Minimal silver jewellery with freshwater
rice pearls.
With focus in minimal luxury through
craftsmanship, DE-CO jewellery
innovates its form, creating bold
jewellery that inspires to be clean
and has geometric structures.
They capture elegance and a
sense of sophistication.
Each piece is handcrafted and finished
by the maker herself, and each piece
can be worn for any occasion.
www.de-codesignstudio.com
Instagram – @de.cojewellery
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

BIJOUX EDIT

MOTHER DAUGHTER LOVE

Petite Jae is a young Dutch brand who focuses on the bond
between mother and child. These mother and daughter bangles
have a beautiful French inscription which symbolises the love
between a mother and her child. It’s the perfect birth or baby
shower gift. For the ones you love most!
www.petitejae.com
[email protected]
Instagram: petite_jae

CAMILLE CARNEVALE
Camille Carnevale is a fine jewellery designer, based in
Hawaii. Her work has been internationally recognised and
worn by celebrities like Alicia Keys and Rachael Ray.

BRIGITTE ADOLPH Her exclusive pieces are available by appointment only.

Camille is also a business consultant for jewellery designers
18ct yellow gold jewellery set “Miss Medea”with champagne and artists, building brands online.
diamonds. The fine filigree and uncompromisingly feminine aura
of Brigitte’s design jewellery looks like finely woven lace – an Find her services, and request one-of-a-kind jewellery
illusion that dissolves to the touch, revealing the true nature of on her website: camillecarnevale.com and on
her precious pieces in gold and silver. Instagram: @camillecarnevale

Discover the collection on brigitte-adolph.de Photo by Brit Gill

 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

LATEST FASHION
TRENDS

ENNEMENOUNO
Unique. Unconventional. Ultra creative.
Italian label ENNEMENOUNO evokes
luxury and sartorial workmanship.
A minimalist sense of style juxtaposes
traditional Mediterranean textiles with
cutting edge technical fabrics for a
tech-meets-couture mood.
Structured and bold silhouettes,
embellished with captivating
embroidered designs and striking prints,
enhance the brand’s signature style
which celebrates innovative aesthetics
with a passion for detail.
www.ennemenouno.com
[email protected]

CHARLOTTE
LONDON
Charlotte London is a UK brand
specialising in women’s jackets
for modern, international and
professional women. Charlotte’s
jackets bring a bit of fun, beauty
and glamour into everyday life.
By combining light tweeds with
contemporary styling, Charlotte
London jackets have a classic
feel with a fresh twist. They truly
are every London girls must-
have piece.
Featured style: Biker Box in
Navy + Silver.
Find her at
www.charlottelondon.com
or on Instagram at:
charlottelondon_
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

LATEST FASHION
TRENDS

SOPHIE ANTONIA SCOTT

ADIBA SAS (Sophie Antonia Scott) is a new womenswear brand
Founder and Designer Sylvana Sidra presents, ADIBA, made from luxuriously soft velvet. Established in 2016,
an exclusive line that embodies an artful balance of the brand mainly consists of flares and co-ords. The very
sophistication, simplicity and functionality. affordable garments are designed and manufactured in East
Each piece is passionately orchestrated together to London, in a range of different sizes and lengths, making sure
celebrate a woman’s astounding beauty. to accommodate for everyone. The relaxed and fun designs
are made to be versatile – from evenings out to day festivals.
Visit www.adibadesigns.com and follow Bespoke pieces available on request.
@adibadesigns (IG)
Please visit www.sophieantoniascott.com
Photo credit: Luigi Costa
or email [email protected]
Model: Ashlyn StClaire
Instagram: @sophieantoniascott
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

LATEST FASHION
TRENDS

INSITUCITY
A new London based studio focused
on architecture and design where
we take great pride in the process of
scarves creation. We continuously
research to understand the most
innovative printing techniques, finest
silks types and best handmade
finishes. The entire production
process is meticulously orchestrated
to achieve the highest standards.
10% discount using code ELLE-0318.
insitucity.com
Instagram @insitucity

TERRY DE HAVILLAND
Terry de Havilland is one of UK’s most iconic
footwear brands. block heels, stacked platforms,
stilettos, wedges, and sneakers in metallic
leathers and stunning prints. An A-list favourite
since the 70’s. Rock and roll inspired.
www.terrydehavilland.com
Get 10% off your first order by using online
code ELLE10TDH
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

LATEST FASHION
TRENDS

KANTALA
Look effortlessly chic carrying Kantala’s fashion accessories.
These PETA Approved Vegan accessories are a fusion of CATHERINE ROBINSON
Sri Lanka’s 300 year old indigenous craft of weaving and
Catherine Robinson designs beautiful luxurious womenswear
sustainable materials coupled with colourful and functional
that ranges from wraps to ponchos. They are elegant, soft
designs made for modern living.
and feminine. She is particularly known for her quality and
Each Kantala accessory exudes empowerment, personal customer service, adding speciality to your shopping
sophistication and charm that reflect the personality of the experience, which is the secret behind a Catherine Robinson
contemporary woman. box of cashmere.
Visit www.kantalabrands.com or follow us catherinerobinsoncashmere.com
@kantalabrands on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Instagram: @catherinerobinsoncashmere.com
 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

LOOK GOOD
FEEL GREAT
ANDRELLE’S NATURAL
SKIN CARE
Andrelle’s Natural Skin
Care provides major
#SkinGoals.
ELIZABETH Our mission is to deliver
MOTT healthy, clear skin with
minimal yet nourishing
Elizabeth Mott’s Thank ingredients.
Me Later Face Primer “Minimum Ingredients.
locks in your makeup for a Maximum Results”.
flawless canvas that lasts Looking for simplicity in
all day! Our unique silky your regimen that gives
formula glides over the healthy, glowing skin?
skin to help minimise the You’ve found it with
appearance of pores and Andrelle’s.
fine lines, while mattifying
Discover all the luxury natural products at
to prevent shine.
www.andrelles.com or IG @andrellesnaturalskincare.
Available at Discount code for 15% off is ELLEUK, valid until
www.elizabethmott.com June 1, 2018.

DISCOVER BEAUTIFUL SKIN HANALEI

WITH REGENTIV (Retinol) TM
Hanalei’s best-selling
Minimise lines powder cleanser meets
and wrinkles, charcoal for a beautifully
crepey eyes and balanced complexion.
neck, sun and skin Charcoal removes impurities
damage with The and excess oil, while gently
Specialist Serum’s exfoliating and cleansing
advanced retinol, skin. Perfect for travel, this
vitamin E and unique powder cleanser
aloe vera. Look transforms into foam with
younger longer just a splash of water.
with the anti- Available at
ageing serum www.hanaleicompany.com
professionals are
raving about.
From £29.95 with FREE UK p&p. To receive exclusive
10% reader discount, apply code ELLE3 at checkout.
www.regentiv.co.uk or Tel: 01923 212555 for advice or
to order. See website for full range and special offers.
 ELLE BEAUTY

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CALL THE ELLE TEAM ON 020 3728 6260
 ELLE FASHION

Develop your personal style

IRUPD[LPXPFRQ¿GHQFH
www.helenreynoldsstyle.com

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CALL THE ELLE TEAM ON 020 3728 6260
 ELLE FASHION

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CALL THE ELLE TEAM ON 020 3728 6260
 ELLE GIFTS

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CALL THE ELLE TEAM ON 020 3728 6260
 SANDER LAK , CREA TIVE DIRECTOR OF SIES MARJAN,
ON WHA T CREATES A HOME
Photographs: courtesy of Sander Lak

ELLE
289 MAR