Grazia

welcome to the issue

THE TEAM AND I have just come to the end of a marathon of fashion shows: four cities and 80-plus catwalk shows that will shape what we’ll all wear next spring. On page 22, our fashion director Kenya Hunt breaks down the key learnings from Paris. Sneak preview: there was a return to flared trousers, what we’re calling a ‘leg of mutton’ sleeve and – reassuringly – a sense of continuation that means your wardrobe won’t need a total overhaul. But if you’re looking for an update now, given it’s suddenly chilly, we’ve got that covered too, with the team tracking down the best winter boots. There are 85 pairs to choose from, so your perfect pair’s in there. @hattie_brett / feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk…

over to you...

TOP MARKLES Thanks for Daniellé Dash’s ‘Why it matters that Meghan calls women like me “sister”’ (7 Oct). Black people experience discrimination every day. While society purports to be open and egalitarian, or ‘equal opportunity’, every day outcomes leave black people deeply doubtful. Moreover, black people are generally convinced that they must work twice as hard to get half as far in life. It shouldn’t be like this, for goodness sake. Meghan’s speech will definitely go down in history. I applaud her. Sali Thomas A PITT OF LUST Chart of lust Brad Pitt special (30 Sep) – absolute fucking genius. More like this please!!! Way to cheer us up after a shocking week at Westminster. Anna RAISING AWARENESS At 33, I was diagnosed with PCOS in May, and I am still struggling every day with…

no more shame

‘We need to end the stigma around mental health’ (7 Oct) was all-important. Mental illness affects everything, from your thoughts to your behaviour to your relationships. It saps your energy, mood and sleep. It distorts your beliefs about yourself and sinks your self-esteem. Days are filled with obstacles. I’ve been there. Only after seeing a psychoanalyst did I feel ready to carry on with my life. It all seemed so pointless before. I don’t talk to friends about it– they might not understand. I admire Scarlett for what she is trying to achieve.…

grazia uk

EDITOR HATTIE BRETT PA/Editorial assistant MELISSA HENRY Acting PA/Editorial assistant ISABELLA D’EMILIO 020 3879 2294 Deputy editor ROSAMUND DEAN Assistant editor CHARLOTTE WILLIAMSON Acting assistant editor EMMA ROWLEY Production director LISA HOWARD Features director EMILY PHILLIPS Celebrity director GUY PEWSEY Creative director CAROLYN ROBERTS Fashion director KENYA HUNT Picture director NATHAN HIGHAM-GRADY Beauty & health director JOELY WALKER Managing editor DANIELLE O’CONNELL Acting managing editor SOPHIE PRICE Copy Production editor JENNY CROALL Chief sub editor MARIA O’CONNOR Features Commissioning and special projects editor RHIANNON EVANS Deputy features editor ANNA SILVERMAN News & Entertainment Junior news editor HARRIET KEAN EDITOR-AT-LARGE POLLY VERNON EDITOR-AT-LARGE (CELEBRITY) EMILY MADDICK CONTRIBUTING EDITOR (INVESTIGATIONS) STACEY DOOLEY Lifestyle Lifestyle editor RACHEL LOOS Website Digital director REBECCA HOLMAN Acting digital director LYNN ENRIGHT Digital editor REBECCA REID Fashion and beauty editor HANNAH BANKS-WALKER Social media editor PHOEBE PARKE Digital writer GEORGIA ASPINALL Digital showbusiness and culture writer BONNIE McLAREN Commercial content editor ARIANNA CHATZIDAKIS Contributors Contributing editors JESSICA BARRETT, FIONA COWOOD, HATTIE CRISELL, POLLY DUNBAR,…

grazia view

Forget your hang-ups – and get back in bed! “According to a recent survey of women over 25 – many of whom are in relationships – one in four is now celibate. We get it. You’re tired. It’s easy to crash in front of Netflix then drag yourself to bed without so much as a hand-squeeze. But nearly a third of those surveyed admitted they didn’t feel in the mood because of negative body image. Believe us: whatever body-confidence hang-up you have is almost certainly not a turn-off for your partner. When your sex life is suffering, it’s time to stop judging yourself. Finishing Succession , however... now there’s a reasonable excuse not to have sex.”…

intimidating? moi? oh – maybe just a little…

MY FRIENDJ is fuming. She just had her annual work appraisal, and: ‘Apparently, I’m “assertive, to the point of aggressive”,’ she rages, ‘and: get this! Not in a good way!’ Her eyes are the colour of angry skies, her nostrils flare like fury, she’s doing inverted comma fingers; I have never loved her more. ‘There are “reports” of “colleagues” being “too scared” to speak in my “presence”. You wanna speak? SPEAK! I’m not stopping ya!’ How fundamentally terrifying J is is one of my favourite things about her. All my closest friends walk on the scary side of the street. It’s a prerequisite, really, because, by all accounts: so do I. People started telling me I was intimidating when I was 11. I think I get it from my dad; there’s a haughtiness…