Table of contents for Issue 669 in Grazia

HERE’S TO BOLDLY BRILLIANT WOMEN This week marks International Women’s Day, celebrating the progress that women have made – as well as throwing light on areas where change is needed. While some might argue that every day should be women’s day (it should), it’s inspiring that revolution and unity are thick in the air. Here at Grazia , we celebrate women’s stories week after week, but this issue is particularly jam-packed. From Susan Sarandon on why women are taking over, to Home Secretary Amber Rudd exclusively revealing new plans to tackle domestic abuse, we also talk to Grazia editors around the world, and honour the refreshingly complicated women who dominated last weekend’s Oscars. So whatever you do this week, celebrate the women in your life – flaws and all. After…

PHOTOS: ED MILES, GETTY honestly? It comes from a place of boredom. It concerns the phrase ‘Am I allowed to say this any more?’ which is being bandied about an insane amount by everyone I know, with little thought to whether it’s annoying the bejeesus out of me (which it is). I hear it applied to everything from whether it’s racist to invoke stereotypes re the sexism of Australian men, through, ‘Am I allowed to say I think Aziz Ansari is really funny any more?’, to any non-solemn usage of ‘#MeToo’. (In illustration of the latter point, I present me, in conversation with a mate, this weekend. My mate: I love your new Reeboks! Me: #MeToo! Mate: Uh… are you allowed to say that, Polly?) I hear it said earnestly.…

I’M SORRY, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s gone to ground since ‘practically moving in’ with her British actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn, 27. That’s according to the singer’s friends, who claim they’ve barely heard from her in recent months. Last week, it was reported that Taylor’s relationship of over a year with Joe has gone from strength to strength, and she spends so much time at his Crouch End house, they’re ‘practically living together’. And it’s said to have made Taylor, 28, neglectful of her famous squad. Speaking last week on condition of anonymity, one high-profile former member of her clique exclusively told Grazia , ‘Celebrity friendships are weird. You don’t see each other for forever, and you accept that – but Taylor’s…

WHEN & OTHER STORIES opened its first store on London’s Regent Street five years ago this month, it wasn’t long before people were declaring devotee status. Bored of bland, tired of tatty, and done with diluted versions of catwalk trends, the woman who wanted something a bit different that she could put her own spin on had finally found her place. She could be 16 or 60, in it for the nail varnish or a full party look, it didn’t matter: & Other Stories was a high-street game-changer. Since then, Stories, as its fans know it, has gone stratospheric. Today, it has 60 stores worldwide (10 in the UK) and the 61st will open in Kuwait this spring. The irony is that what’s propelled this global success is that it…

SHOPPING: FENELLA WEBB. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES REMEMBER WHEN leopard print was considered scary, lairy or just outright trashy? Us neither. Thanks to its ubiquity, the once ferocious pattern has been well and truly tamed. So where do you go if you’re in search of a fierce fashion fix? Enter the new king of the (fashion) jungle: the snake. This spring, snakeskin prints have slithered back into our wardrobes, seen on the catwalk adding sass to otherwise classic pieces. It got the cool-girl seal of approval too, courtesy of Chloé, where Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s debut collection was stuffed with python prints – her ethereal bohemians have bite. You have been warned. So how do you wear it? Well, in much the same way as leopard, aka on everything. Accessories are an easy…

OVER DINNER RECENTLY, a conversation started about Frida Kahlo (I’m going somewhere with this, and it’s not into art history). We started discussing Frida’s life, her work, her health – to which my best mate, looking at me sceptically, asked, ‘How is it that you know so much about Ms Kahlo?’ I admitted that I had been spending a lot of time with Frida, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie and some of the most amazing women in history, thanks to the children’s book series Little People, Big Dreams. The collection has been such a success, it’s spawned many a copycat (great women of space, science, sport, history), designed to inspire young women to aim for the stars. I’d bought Little People… for my son, Fin. ‘Started him early I see!’ said…

1 // Suqqu Nude Wear Liquid Foundation, £65. This lightweight formula hides blemishes and evens out skin tone. 2 // Decorte Dip In Glow, £32. Cheek highlighters like this one will give you a glow without pushing around your base make-up. 3 // Fairydrops Mascara, £18.50. This mascara is king when it comes to gripping, curling and setting lashes. Think doll-like flutter, with boss-like impact. 4 // RMK Lip Jelly Gloss, £18.50. A moisturising gel that packs serious plumping power, this is your answer to fuller, healthier-looking lips.…

‘How do I deal with jealousy and the feeling of being “less than” – particularly fuelled by social media? It seems that everyone has a better-looking boyfriend, a thigh-gap, more money and a book deal. Rationally, I know that’s not true, but I can’t help feeling this way.’ ELEANOR SAYS: Ah yes, the old Everyone Else’s Life is More Exciting, Beautiful And Worthwhile Than Mine chestnut. I wonder what kind of language you use when talking to yourself about all the gorgeous, successful people in your social media feeds. A lot of shoulds, I bet. ‘I should be earning more money at this point in my life.’ ‘My arse wobbles, I should be leaner.’ There is a phrase often used in psychology for this kind of thinking : ‘The tyranny…

EVEN BY HER own fiercely passionate standards, Susan Sarandon is fired up. The actor and activist has spent decades fighting for female empowerment, and the progress in the wake of the #MeToo movement delights her. ‘I’m very optimistic,’ she says, her words crackling with purpose. ‘We’re at a point where we’re listening to women’s stories. Often they’ve been told before, but nobody was listening then. That’s a big step forward.’ Now 71, Susan has long been as famous for her campaigning on issues including the environment, civil rights and social justice as for her film career – which is no small feat considering her role in Thelma & Louise elevated her to feminist icon status, and the 1996 drama Dead Man Walking won her an Oscar. She’s never been one…

PHOTO: GIANANDREA TRAINA Many make-up artists will tell you that achieving the ultimate flawless finish is down to the tools – and now you can arm yourself with the perfect kit thanks to cruelty-free and vegan brand Spectrum Collection. Using the highest quality synthetic hair, this 12-piece Marbleous set has a luxe feel that will not only change your make-up game, but also look chic on any dressing table. There are nine brushes for the face to create that faultless glow, and then three brushes for finer eye and lip details. SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND RECEIVE: Spectrum brush collection as your welcome gift Free delivery to your door or instant download to your device every week Savings against the shop prices @ greatmagazines.co.uk/grazia  or Call 01858 438884 & quote CEAA…

HARISSA Our current passion for bold flavours has seen harissa become a favourite spice of chefs everywhere. A staple in North African cuisine, harissa is a fragrant, sweet and spicy paste that’s made with chilli, coriander, cumin, garlic, lemon and oil and is often combined with rose petals for a unique flavour that adds a satisfying depth of flavour to the heat of the chilli. Harissa can be home-made – in North Africa, the recipe varies from region to region – but is easily found in supermarkets. It is a brilliant addition to stews, soups, marinades, sauces and salads. HARISSA, ROSEMARY AND GRUYÈRE POTATO GRATIN Feeds: 4-6 Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 35-45 minutes INGREDIENTS 1kg potatoes, skin left on and finely sliced into rounds Knob of butter 2-3 glugs of…

Self Service with Jerico Mandybur If you’re a fan of horoscopes, meditating and #selfcaresundays, chances are you’re going to love the latest podcast from Girlboss Radio, which takes listeners on a physical and spiritual journey so they can shut out the world and tune into themselves. Consider it your new cosmic comfort zone. Invisibilia Fusing storytelling with scientific research, each season of this cult series is guaranteed to make you seriously think outside the box. This month, hosts Hanna Rosin and Alix Spiegel launch their fourth season, with the topic of moral ambiguity. Expect a thought-provoking mix of stories. PHOTOS: REX 2 Dope Queens What started as a casual Brooklyn-based series with stand-up comedians Phoebe and Jessica riffing about their lives and musing their way through the cultural zeitgeist with…

IT’S FASHION FABULOUS! Wow! Your big fashion issue (26 Feb) was so inspiring. How diverse in colour and size. Having had a baby, I’ve been conscious to lose weight and get back to my ‘old’ self… But you know what? I’m enjoying this new body – and as long as I’m healthy, who cares? Your models look wonderful… as do I with my baby weight. How refreshing. Thank you. Hava Thank you for that amazing fashion issue featuring those fantastic women. More of the same, please. Janet OVEREXPOSED While I understand the point made by Charli Howard in ‘Children need to see more naked bodies’ (26 Feb), I don’t think seeing more naked women is the answer. Women and girls have enough to deal with, being bombarded with nudity in…

STANDING TOGETHER I cried all the way through Womb With A View (5 Mar). As someone who battled for years with endometriosis, my only option was a total hysterectomy at the age of 31. I was not fortunate enough to have children and did not have the option to keep my ovaries. Helen’s story made me feel like someone my own age actually understands. As a menopausal woman in her thirties, it can be tough and friends don’t always get it as they aren’t at the same stage as you. This has resulted in me losing ‘friends’ since my op. Reading Helen’s story made me cry with relief that I’m not alone. Charlene…

1 THE KNIT TO KNOW elevate your spring basics in an instant with this cool crochet knit. It works well with denim or a white trouser. £375, Sea NY (net-a-porter.com) 2 GOLDEN LOBES the go-with-anything earrings. Like works of art, you’ll find a freshwater pearl nestled inside the curve of each one. £210, Cornelia Webb (net-a-porter.com) 3 THE ONE  season after season, Self-Portrait creates an It dress – we’re predicting this chiffon maxidress will be a sell-out. £420, Self-Portrait (net-a-porter.com) 4 WOVEN WONDER  there’s always room for another black bag in your wardrobe. This woven one is super-chic. £110, & Other Stories (stories.com) 5 AU NATUREL  look like you’re wearing no make-up at all, thanks to Giorgio Armani Face Fabric, £35. It seamlessly perfects your natural skin. 6 BUTTON IT…

BURBERRY GIVENCHY WELL, THERE’S a move nobody saw coming. Following months of speculation, Burberry has appointed a successor to outgoing chief creative officer Christopher Bailey. Not the widely considered front runners Phoebe Philo or Kim Jones, but Riccardo Tisci, 43, the designer best known for his 12-year tenure at Givenchy, from where he departed last year. An Italian, no less, at this most British of British brands. It’s a bold move, not least because Tisci’s aesthetic – urban, gothic, super-charged sex with a sprinkling of Catholic guilt – is so at odds with Burberry’s rainy-day trenches and reassuringly iconic check. He’s the man who gave Audrey Hepburn’s favourite house snarling Rottweiler motifs and septum rings. If Bailey’s Burberry has Kate Middleton, Tisci has Kim Kardashian, whose wedding dress he designed.…

AMBER RUDD is laughing. Which is a surprise, as it’s in response to how she reacted when she first heard Jacob Rees-Mogg’s views on abortion. ‘Listen, he does represent a certain view of some men and women,’ she says. ‘It’s just not my view or the view held by most people at the top, I don’t believe.’ For the uninitiated, Rees-Mogg, bookies’ favourite to be the next Conservative Prime Minister, said he thought it was ‘wrong’ for women to terminate a pregnancy, even after rape. Isn’t Amber worried Rees-Mogg’s hardline views will be detrimental to a party trying to look progressive? ‘The party is made up of people with different views,’ she replies. ‘He’s a voice people do sometimes listen to, but he is nevertheless a backbench MP. No, it…

PHOTOS: GETTY, SHUTTERSTOCK NAOMI CAMPBELL KEEPS them in her handbag. Victoria Beckham lines her catwalk with them and Adele claims losing hers led to a ‘disastrous’ Grammys performance. Crystals, once the preserve of New Age types, are now officially hip. If you’re not sewing them into your clothes (see model Munroe Bergdorf ) or having crystal light bed beauty treatments (à la Zoë Kravitz), you’ve definitely seen people getting their rocks off on Instagram – there are now seven million #crystals posts. The 40% upswing in Google searches for ‘crystal healing’ has also seen a slew of crystal-imbued self-help books tapping into their energy. The Crystal Compass by Aisha Amarfio (19 April, Orion) promises to help ‘identify the right crystals, at the right time’, and The Power Of Crystal Healing…

BROOCHES, FROM A SELECTION, LIBERTY (LIBERTYLONDON.COM). PETER PILOTTO X NEOUS, FROM £490, STYLEBOP.COM.PHOTOS: CATWALKING.COM, BACKGRID, CAPITAL PICTURES Bang a brooch on, well, everything. (Liberty has a fab selection.) Say ‘I do’ to the high street. ‘Emrata’ just tied the knot in a Zara suit. Master the art of the architectural heel: Stylebop’s new Peter Pilotto x Neous collab is a great place to start. Rewatch Clueless – and take notes. Cher Horowitz is, like, totally , having a moment. Nail Calvin Klein vibes and try out next season’s balaclava trend now. Hello again, winter.…

CHAIRS FROM FOREST LONDON (FORESTLONDON.COM). ALL OTHER PROPS BY O’DELL’S STUDIOS; @ODELLSSTUDIOS FOR THE FRESHEST take on your new-season essentials, there’s one name that’s become a byword for relaxed fashion – hush. And the spring ’18 collection is online NOW! Think ultra-versatile chinos and jeans and super-soft, perfect-fit tees that’ll take you from work to weekend with ease. Easy-to-wear, flattering and with that signature hush laid-back cool, these key pieces are the ultimate wardrobe pillars. And alongside these no-brainers, you’ll find accessories to suit every mood, as well as a fantastic range of footwear – including a collection of uber-cool trainers – all with that effortless hush twist. Spring style? It’s sorted. Dive into spring at hush-uk.com GRAZIA STYLING EVENT On Tuesday 20 March, head to The Edition Hotel in…

IN THE LOFT conversion where Rosa Sommer Martin lives, there are three small boxes: one full of clothes and shoes, one full of books and toiletries, and the third storing her sentimental items. Packed inside are all her possessions in the world, and they would fit neatly into one large suitcase. Her lack of belongings is intentional – part of a decision to live more sustainably and ‘spring clean’ her life. She’s part of a growing number of Millennials jettisoning surplus ‘stuff ’ to make their transient lifestyles less encumbered. ‘It’s amazing just how much junk we accumulate, so I decided I would only keep what was completely necessary,’ says Rosa, 26, a sustainability and leadership consultant in Sussex. ‘I gave away a car-load of clothes, tat and ornaments that…

PHOTO: @MATHEUSBRIBEIRO Cenote Ik Kil,Yucatan, Mexico Once you’ve spent a hot and dusty day at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, stop here. Just three kilometres away, this pool of water is considered one of the most beautiful cenotes – naturally formed pools caused by limestone walls collapsing into the region’s underground river system – in the Yucatan. Take the circular staircase down 26 metres to the water. Once there, jump or dive in from the limestone platforms or simply float on your back and take in the view of blue sky surrounded by cascading vines. Gorgeous. WORDS: RACHEL LOOS.…

GARDEN OF LIGHT London, Belfast, Glasgow and Caernarfon are lighting up for a good cause, with illuminated daffodil installations. As part of Marie Curie’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal, the handcrafted daffodils represent all the people with terminal illness who will be supported by the charity this month. 1-11 Mar; mariecurie.org.uk/gardenoflight TOMB RAIDER: ESCAPE Channel your inner Lara Croft with this adrenaline-pumping escape-room experience. Spanning three floors over 1,500 sq ft, expect ancient puzzles, immersive theatre, cutting-edge effects and an explosive finale. Opens 9 Mar for a limited time, London. See facebook.com/TombRaiderMovieUK X X BEER Cheers to Bristol brewery Wiper And True, who’ve launched a beer for International Women’s Day. Named XX after the female chromosomes and made entirely by women, a slice of profits goes to Bristol Women’s Voice. Across…

I HAVE A straight male friend who refuses to use Tinder because, as he puts it, ‘everything that’s useful about me doesn’t quite work in two dimensions’. I always think of that line when watching Paul Rust’s amazing performance as Gus in the fabulously browbeaten hipster romcom Love (the story of Gus and Mickey, played by Gillian Jacobs). Rust’s Gus is the very definition of awks. He lives in an unimpressive apartment in a faceless LA neighbourhood. His career, as an aspiring writer, is unfulfilled at best. He makes work pay by tutoring a teen star – who walks all over him, as do most people – in film-lot caravans. He has the biology of someone we’ve been taught not to consider noteworthy, shoulders slightly too small, hair that waves…

PHOTO: CAMERA PRESS/BRYAN ADAMS LOOK, WE KNOW banging on about ‘the good old days’ risks coming off a bit UKIP, but seriously: the modern A-list need to up their game. While today’s stars are busy advertising detox tea and pretending to write their own tweets, Barbra Streisand is giving interviews where she nonchalantly mentions that she had her dead dog Samantha cloned. Twice. Speaking to Variety last week, she detailed how she harvested cells from her pet’s stomach and mouth after Samantha passed away in 2017. Describing the resulting pups – who are named Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett because she’s Barbra Streisand and she’ll do what the hell she wants – Babs said, ‘I’m waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her brown…

1 NON-MOVER MICHAEL B JORDAN Aka Michael ‘Bae’ Jordan, for obvious reasons* (*his face. And body). About to star in the HBO adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, which is good news, for obvious reasons* (*his face. And body). 2. NEW IN KJ HARPER FROM SEVEN SECONDS (NETFLIX) Rogue alcoholic prosecutor of ineffable hotness. We could write paeans to her divine dynamic with detective Joe ‘Fish’ Rinaldi. Also? She’s played by a Brit, Clare-Hope Ashitey. 3 NEW IN MARY BERRY FT NIKLAS EKSTEDT The Swedish chef cameo’d on MB’s BBC One show, and it got a leetle flirty. Body parts were whipped with birch twigs during a jaunt into a forest, is all we’ll say. 4. NON-MOVER CHRIS PRATT Who Jennifer Lawrence denied having an affair with, when the two…

MILAN FASHION WEEK opened with a jolt. We were inside an operating theatre with antiseptic green walls and piercing surgery lights positioned over hospital beds. Out came the ‘transhumans’, a sombre procession of mutants with eyes on the back of their hands, two carried replicas of their own heads, another cradled a baby dragon… Operation Cyborg will probably go down in fashion history as one of the weirdest and boldest shows ever to have hit a Milan catwalk. ‘We are the Dr Frankenstein of our lives,’ said surgeon-in-chief, creative director Alessandro Michele, aka the Gucci brand’s defibrillator. Michele had buried his own head in feminist philosopher Donna Haraway’s 1984 A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology And Socialist-Feminism In The Late Twentieth Century. He has always played with fashion genetics – masculine-feminine,…

PHOTOS: GETTY STEVE BANNON, Sean Spicer, Reince Preibus, Dina Powell, Michael Flynn and Rob Porter. It is a dizzying list of White House departures: from maverick ideologues to establishment operators. Now Hope Hicks, the 29-year-old White House communications director, has added her name to the roll call of people unable to spend another month in Trump’s White House. But Hopey or Hopester, as the President called her, is different – she understood him better than anyone. Indeed, it is said he regards her as a surrogate daughter. As a correspondent, I found Hope to be the stable constant. At rallies, press conferences and White House meetings, she was never far away. All our requests went through her and she was a sounding board, a facilitator, a defender who wanted to…

PHOTOS: GETTY, COLEMAN-RAYNER THE INVITES HAVE been sent, the Spice Girls are primed to perform, and Princess Beatrice has an outlandish fascinator on order (presumably). It can only mean one thing: the #Megha royal wedding is almost upon us. Now Meghan Markle’s friend, Canadian photographer George Pimentel, has revealed to Grazia how the preparations are going. ‘I hear she’s getting on great with the wedding planning – she’s been really involved with every aspect and wants to ensure every detail is perfect,’ he told us last week. ‘After 12 years in Toronto, she’s practically a Canadian now, and I know she’s promised all her old friends from here that they’ll have a part in the big day. I’m told she’s picked the flower girl – a daughter of a Toronto…

HERE’S A STATISTIC that tells you a lot about Hollywood: over the last 20 years, twice as many films starring a Best Actor nominee have bagged a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars as films with a Best Actress hopeful. In other words, films centred on a great male role are far more likely to be nominated for Best Picture than films about women. This year, however, the picture looked very different. Four out of the five films with nominees for Best Actress were also nominated for Best Picture, exactly the same ratio as for the men. And the roles those women play are spiky, difficult and unconventional, giving us hope that women are finally being allowed to play a full range of fascinating, flawed and human roles. Think…

 ACNE matchesfashion.com BURBERRY burberry.com CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC calvinklein.co.uk CÉLINE 020 7491 8200 CHANEL chanel.com DIOR dior.com ELIZABETH AND JAMES net-a-porter.com FENDI fendi.com GOOD AMERICAN goodamerican.com ISABEL MARANT isabelmarant.com JACQUEMUS jacquemus.com JOSEPH joseph-fashion.com LOEWE loewe.com MANSUR GAVRIEL net-a-porter.com; mansurgavriel.com MULBERRY mulberry.com PROENZA SCHOULER proenzaschouler.com/fr VICTORIA BECKHAM victoriabeckham.com FASHION ASSISTANT Charly Suggett HAIR Jamie McCormick using Hair by Sam McKnight MAKE-UP Jose Bass using Nars MANICURIST Liga Tukame using E.Mi CASTING AND BOOKINGS ASSISTANT Chloé Medley MODELS Shena Moulton and Noah at Storm Models…

SINCE BB CREAMS became our make-up bag stalwart, the beauty world has been in a K-hole. Korean beauty practices inspired cushion compacts, snail gel, glass skin, lip kits, sheet masks and the 11-step skincare routine. But while the cutesy kitsch vibe of K-Beauty has taken over our Instagram feeds, it’s the Japanese beauty mantra of science combined with nature that’s now dominating our bathrooms. ‘K-Beauty’s popularity definitely opened the door to the Asian beauty market, but we’re now seeing so many more Japanese ingredients, products and practices being picked up by Western beauty brands,’ says Alisa Kerr of the Japanese blog Tokyo Beauty Book. ‘Epidermal growth factors, collagen, arbutin, silk amino acids, seaweed, camellia oil and even gold are just some of the ingredients traditionally used in Japanese skincare that…

Grazia Korea’s So-Young Park Voices from the #MeToo movement are impacting and changing Korea. Recently, there was huge controversy around a popular virtuoso of the theatrical world [Lee Youn-taek – the former artistic director of the National Theatre of Korea – was forced to apologise after multiple allegations against him emerged, in a case very similar to Harvey Weinstein’s]. People are also joining the #WithYou campaign – which supports the victims of sexual assault – all over our social networks. Sexual violence cannot be justified any more, and the voices of #MeToo will be never be stopped in Korea. Grazia India’s Mehernaaz Dhondy Gender equality in India is complicated. On one hand, we are an intensely patriarchal society where women often have to fight to express themselves. On the other,…

What Fresh Hell Lucy Vine (£8.99, ORION) Last summer, Lucy’s debut novel Hot Mess was a bestselling breath of fresh air that smashed single women stereotypes and spoke to Millennials everywhere. This month, she’s back with another heroine we can relate to: Lilah Fox, whose life has been overtaken by hen parties and weddings. Just as she returns from the hen do from hell, her best mate gets engaged and, as maid of honour, Lilah is about to endure new levels of agony. Perfect for anyone who’s been subjected to military-style wedding planning or a weekend of enforced bank-breaking ‘fun’. OTHER BOOKS ABOUT FEMALE FRIENDSHIP Marlena Julie Buntin (£14.99, PIC ADOR) A haunting thriller that shifts between past and present, it starts with 15-year-old Cat who can’t stand the remote…

ANOTHER SPIN on the Perry-go-round OUR FAVOURITE on/off (on/off/on/off/on/off ) couple, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are… On! For now, at least. They were pictured together in Prague last week, so we probably have at least 48 hours before their next split. NOW THIS IS worth the Waight THE WESTERN BOOTS, the lace dresses, the new GV3 bag (basically, everything we want to wear right now) – Clare Waight Keller’s debut Givenchy collection is exclusively at Harrods until 15 March. Race you there. harrods.com WHAT A Treemendous idea! SHOWING OFF its green credentials, Pinko has joined forces with Treedom, a community which allows people and companies to plant trees and watch them grow online. They’ve pledged to plant 10,000 trees in Kenya, benefitting the environment and local people. Help support…