Table of contents for Issue 605 in Grazia

November starts with so many good intentions, like you’ll no longer be one of those last-minute Christmas shoppers and you’ll have got all your purchases before the month’s out. And then December arrives and you’ve not even bought a card – panic! Fear not, Grazia has done the hard work for you. In our ultimate gift guide on page 81 (cliché alert!), you’ll find something for everyone. It’ll even leave you time for some guilt-free shopping for yourself. Find inspiration on how to unleash your inner party style rebel (page 22) or – if you have any money left – we bring you the high-street big hitters (page 49). In other news, as America celebrated Thanksgiving last week, its residents were still reeling from the shock presidential election result. On…

Photos: Getty Images, Goff Photos, Xposure Photos, Fame Flynet, Splash News “AFTER TRYING TO BREAK IT TO ALEX GENTLY, ALEXA ENDED UP IGNORING HIS MESSAGES” THEY WERE ONE OF THE A-LIST’S most lust-worthy couples – and were even rumoured to be getting engaged – but Grazia can exclusively reveal that Alexa Chung and Alexander Skarsgård have split. According to one insider, ‘The writing has been on the wall for a while, and in the end Alexa pulled the plug. Their schedules meant that they weren’t seeing each other for weeks at a time, and that meant they ended up drifting apart.’ Apparently the couple, who started dating in 2015, had been ‘on numerous breaks’ before finally agreeing to go their separate ways. In September, Alexa, 33, told friends at New…

Photos: Trunk Archive, Rex Features, Alamy The John Lewis ad’s out, it’s cold AF, I haven’t heard Fairytale Of New York yet, but it’s only a matter of time… it’s basically Christmas, innit. This means it’s also party season, which in turn means we need to iron out a few points on 2016 festive party etiquette, because if we don’t, one of you might commit some gross social infraction against me. Ready? K: Point of festive party etiquette 1: don’t text-invite someone (me, perhaps) to a do in the most gushing, fond and insistent of terms (‘Darling, please please PLEASE tell me you’ll be free on the 12th? Having a Thing and it literally will be utter rubbish without you!’), only to go silent, ghost on that person (me again,…

OUR PANEL GEMMA HAYWARD Grazia’s senior fashion editor has more than a decade’s worth of celebrity styling and fashion editorials under her belt. No A-list look will get past this eye for detail. CHARLIE GOWANS-EGLINTON Grazia’s fashion news and features editor has an eye for the eclectic and a pathological fear of men in flip-flops. @charliegowans KARLIE KLOSS GEMMA SAYS: You’re looking quite fantastically futuristic in this one-sleeved-halfmini-half-maxidress, but – whoa there, Karlie – you’ve got on enough accessories without socks. CHARLIE SAYS: From supermodel to superhero in Versace’s spliced-and-caped take on red carpet-wear. What’s that? Little Timmy’s fallen down the well? SuperKarlie to the rescue! YOU SAY : Karlie’s abstract frock and severe hair are a harsh combo, but she still looks fierce. @JOSEBAGIO GIGI HADID…

Photos: Dave Benett, Getty Images THE A-LIST FLOCKES TO SUPPORT ANDY MURRAY TOP OF THE CLASS WHAT Lacoste Lounge at the ATP W orld Tour Finals WHERE O 2 Arena, London WHO Jude Law, Lily Cole, Sir Ian McKellen, Dizzee Rascal He’s already won Wimbledon and t aken home the Olympic Gold medal (twice). So it was perhaps no surprise that Andy Murray drew a serious A-l ist crowd as he attempted to be crow ned year-end world number one for t he first time. Jude Law and Douglas Booth cheered for the Brit as he took on – and beat – Novak Djokovic. Photos: Getty Images THE A-LIST PAINTED LONDON TOWN RED DECK THE HALLS! WHAT Claridge’s Christmas tree and festive art installation unveiling WHERE Claridge’s WHO Laura Bailey,…

Photos: Jason Lloyd-Evans, Marco Vittur. Aveda: .aveda.co.uk. Bumble and bumble: bumbleandbumble.co.uk. ghd: ghdhair.com. Percy & Reed: percyandreed.com Where we spotted it Behind the scenes at Victoria Beckham, where Guido Palau created a parade of minimal but polished ponies. Why we loved it With all the ease and swish of our prep-school pony, but a thoroughly grown-up finish, what’s not to love? Ways to work it ‘We wanted something totally minimal and modern,’ mused Guido backstage. In other words, don’t overthink it. Glide the styler over hair from root to tip to smooth and straighten, sweep back, spray and go.…

Still lifes: Marco Vittur ‘I wash my face every night with African black soap [try Aköma Skincare African Black Soap (1), £3.97], but in the morning just a splash of water will do.’ ‘I discovered Avène Skin Recovery Cream (2 & 11), £16.50, on a shoot and it’s now a staple in my beauty bag.’ ‘I use Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream (3), £70, then follow with Cetaphil Moisturising Cream, £9.99. I like to layer my products.’ ‘When I break out, I use tea tree oil [try The Body Shop’s (7), £8] and Glamglow’s Supermud (4), £39.’ ‘I love Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation (10), £29.50. I don’t put any make-up on my white skin – it doesn’t look good.’ ‘My new fave perfume is J’adore by Dior (6), from £49.50. I…

FISHCAKES WITH HERB SAUCE AND MINT FRIED POTATOES I love to eat fishcakes for dinner, and the next day on rye bread with pickle. Serves 4 Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes For the fishcakes: 600g pollack fillet 2 spring onions 3 eggs, lightly beaten 100ml single cream Juice and grated zest from 1 whole unwaxed lemon 2 tbsp finely chopped dill 5 tbsp plain flour Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 30g butter 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil For the mint fried potatoes: 800g small potatoes 8 mint sprigs 50g butter For the herb sauce: 200ml Greek yogurt (10% fat) 2 tbsp capers 4 tbsp chopped dill 4 tbsp chopped parsley 1 For the mint fried potatoes, rinse the potatoes and boil in a saucepan…

Photos: Rex Features All is not quite as it seems in Rillington Place, the wartime London address of Reg and Ethel Christie. All is not quite as it seems in their childless marriage, either. Reg is Tim Roth, wearing a distracting bald pate and the crinkled nose of dissatisfaction. Ethel is the utterly amazing Samantha Morton, channelling a new furrow somewhere between a Victoria Wood character and a women’s shelter tenant. When Reg turns up with a necklace during an afternoon stroll in the park, he insists his wife ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ where it came from, though as he begins digging body-sized plots in the garden and spending most of his sleeping hours missing from the marital bed, Ethel’s suspicion rises. The plot, pace and performance of Rillington Place…

WHO LIVES HERE? Silvia Nardi, an architect turned jazz café owner. WHERE IS IT? In Turin. After five years of living in London, Silvia returned to her her Italian hometown where she fell in love with what was a 75m2 office space in an art nouveau building. Along with other architects, she remodelled it, turning one large space into an open-plan kitchen and dining area plus two smaller rooms and a bathroom. ‘The only thing I kept was the main, load-bearing wall,’ says Silvia. 1. MAKE A MEZZANINE Overlooking the large open-plan space is a mezzanine level that Silvia’s architects created by inserting a platform into the central load-bearing wall. It’s a smart idea – the rectangular shape makes for an all-in-one floor and balustrade for a streamlined feel, and…

LETTER OF THE WEEK UNITED WE STAND The article about post-Brexit racism (28 November) made me upset for the three women who were abused and a bit fearful for the future as a British-born Asian living in London. What was really unsettling was that other people did not speak up when abuse was going on. So far, I had read stories where people usually rallied around the person being racially attacked. As was mentioned during this eye-opening, powerful feature, we need to report any racism that occurs. We must keep fighting back while staying united so people don’t feel isolated or live in fear. I used to think our country was rather accepting of multiple faiths, cultures and backgrounds. I just hope this notion remains solid and social integration continues.…

1. NEW BRAND ALERT Bag, £265, Little Lifner (net-a-porter.com). Stockholm-based brand Little Liffner’s clean-cut designs are the perfect Scandi-chic alternative to a classic clutch for evening. 2. PRETTY TOUGH Top, £510, trousers, £1,220, shoes, £345, all Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini (philosophyofficial.com). Yes to super-sheer lace and yes to high-shine vinyl. This unexpected pairing adds a soft edge to trousers that could otherwise veer into dominatrix territory. 3. THE LBD UPDATE Dress, £440, By Malene Birger, exclusively at Selfridges (selfridges.com). Nothing screams party quite like a sequinned f rock. Wear yours with towering heels and a red lippy. 4. ANIMAL ATTRACTION Jumper, £29.99, Bershka (bershka.c om). Our go-to animal print gets a new- season update with bold sporty stripes. 5. HOT FROM THE HIGH STREET Boots, £119, Mango (mango.com). Wear these…

MOSCOT’S ZULU FRAMES Navigators: the new aviators (I have these, they are trop cool). LARA STONE’S COLLAB WITH FRAME DENIM Working title: ‘if you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much’. SHARALALA’S EXCELLENT MATCH TIP EARRINGS Available from bouf.com and its Piccadilly Circus station pop-up shop. HOODIE STIGMA Vetements has ensured that hoodies are quite posh/very fashion. COLD EXTREMITIES, WITH SWEATY ARMPITS Winter’s fiercest irony. THE CLASSIC WHITE SHIRT You’ll want something lurex and possibly pussy-bow for the forseeable, you will.…

Photos: Marco Vittur 1. OBJ ET D’ART Whip out t he Giorgio Armani Run way Palett e, £89, and witness the cries of envy that ensue. Taking cues fro m the catwalk, expect silk and ve lvet-like textu res in a shee r powder an d of-the-m oment shadows in smoky, la vender and champagne sha des. selfridges.com 2. PEEL POWER Looking for a hand cream that’s a b it more, er top banana tha n your normal one? Try To ny Moly Magic Food B anana Hand Milk, £9.50. K eeping wintry hands at bay while supplying s ome banana-split munch ing nostalgia, it’s the cut est addition to our handb ags for quite some time. selfridges.com 3. PINA PARTY Marrying our obsession with pineapples and our love for…

IF WE TOLD YOU that the latest treatment to have A-listers and beauty editors spinning involved pricking your skin with hundreds of tiny needles, we’d forgive you for thinking we’d perhaps lost it. But bear with us because although it may sound like the stuff of horror movies, micro-needling (to give it its proper name) is currently top of every skin buff’s treatment wish list. And though it’s not new, micro-needling has earned its recent place in the spotlight thanks to its popularity with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim K, who love it for its low-pain/good-results ratio. Whereas previously it’s only really been offered professionally, now a new roster of affordable at-home devices delivers a substantial improvement to the quality, texture and radiance of your skin with minimal…

PAST LIVES The Back In Time For… strand of ‘what was life like back then?’ sagas has mostly concerned itself with the superficials of lifestyle issues. Not so much in Back In Time For Brixton, when an actual social issue – that of immigrant families in postwar Britain – is excavated with some detailed factwork from social historian and occasional Grazia scribe Emma Dabiri. Useful, informative and worthwhile. Mondays, 9pm, BBC Two TEEN INSIGHT Another for the crossover box between riveting and educational is Kids On The Edge: Troubled Girls, a tender and alarming look at the issue of self-harm, one that never quite gets the TV attention it ought to. The two teenage case studies will have most viewers weeping with empathy, recognition or a shattering combination of the…

1. NEW IN SAILOR MOON Anime superstar, drafted in by the Japanese government to encourage young people to get STI screened. ‘If you don’t get tested, I will punish you!’ is her catchphrase. So. Yes. Good. 2. NEW IN EMMA STONE AND RYAN GOSLING Who last week released City Of Stars from the soundtrack for 2017’s La La Land; a musical we’ve already seen and are utterly obsessed by. The romance of it! 3. UP ALICIA KEYS ON X FACTOR Where she showcased her whole no-make-u p vibe to rather powerful effect; got us, y’know, Thinking About Stuff (probably a good thing). 4. NEW IN @TOPHER BROPHY Instagram phenomenon and pro-hipster who twins with his dog in all pictures. Has a touch of the Scott Disicks about him, no? 5.…

AH, CHRISTMAS PARTY SEASON. That magical time of year when garish dad-knits and flashing earrings become commonplace, and even confirmed minimalists suddenly find themselves going shopping for ‘a bit of sparkle’ and returning home packing more bling than Shirley Bassey’s jewellery box. And while there’s nothing wrong with going full-Shirley for your office Christmas do, well, it’s not everyone’s bag, is it? If you spend your life in navy knits and white trainers, the idea of being trussed up like a turkey in body-con might make you want to rebel – which is where the latest partywear trend comes in. Cue the party renegades, tearing up the dress code in five stylish acts of rebellion. Wish you could just wear jeans? Make like Tiffany Hsu (right) and layer them under…

IN THE SAME YEAR that Jenna Coleman auditioned for drama school, she landed her first TV role. In the decade since, her ascent has been no less remarkable: winning critical acclaim alongside Matt Smith in Doctor Who , 13 award nominations and a reputation as one of the most exciting talents in British TV. That was before she played Queen Victoria in ITV’s high-profile Sunday evening period drama Victoria . Yet she remains modest about her rapid rise to household-name status. ‘It’s going well,’ she says, with typical understatement. ‘There have been a lot of “pinch me” moments where you realise you’re actually doing what you wanted to do your whole life.’ Then, she bursts into laughter mid-sentence. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she says. ‘I’ve just realised I’m doing the very…

THAT THE 2016 US presidential election was the bloodiest and most bruising in history is not in any doubt. But with the surprise victor confirmed (albeit amid clamour for a recount), we can all start to deal with what democracy dealt us for the next four years… can’t we? In actual fact, no; many Americans are finding that since 8 November, passions are running even higher than during the campaign, causing violent rifts between families, friends and couples who voted on opposing sides. Instead of the dust settling, the Divided States of America, as some are now calling it, is in the grip of vicious and vitriolic mud-slinging. Thousands of women have been posting on social media of their sadness at having to sever ties with long-held friends whose strident…

COULD WINNIE HARLOW be Beyoncé’s biggest fan? It’s 9.30am and Lemonade is playing in the background for the second time today as she makes breakfast. ‘This is my favourite bit!’ Winnie squeals to her assistant as she throws her hands up and sings along, word-perfect. It’s a surreal scene, given that the 22-year-old was personally chosen by Beyoncé to star in the film for her explosive visual album, released amid much fanfare earlier this year. After she initially declined the invitation (the project was so shrouded in secrecy she had no idea Beyoncé was behind it), the singer’s assistant eventually got in touch to inform her Queen Bey had personally summoned her. She duly flew to New Orleans where she found herself on set with Serena Williams, Zendaya and Beyoncé’s…

ZOE CRONIN Grazia’s deputy chief sub editor ★★★★✩ When Charles Wang’s American dream – a make-up empire built on an ingredient derived from urine – goes down the, er, toilet, his family hits the road in search of opportunity. As they are flung face-first into life without luxury, the snappy, funny, streetwise Wangs unexpectedly learn more about themselves – and I was with them every step of the way. LAUREN DUDLEY Grazia’s picture intern ★★★✩✩ Although it was a unique storyline focused around the financial crisis in 2008, this read was slightly hit and miss for me. It’s about a family losing everything they have, yet for such a tragic storyline, I sadly didn’t feel emotionally invested in the outcome. Despite lovely touches of humour throughout, the subject wasn’t quite…

Photo: Anna Huix “IT OCCURRED TO ME HE’D PROBABLY BE A TERRIBLE KISSER. A WET CABBAGE KISSER. I WAS WRONG” HE’D PICKED A CORNER TABLE with a little booth so we had to sit side-by-side, and occasionally we’d knock knees – which I was not averse to. I watched him go up to the bar, mentally adding up what our mutual friend had texted about him against what I’d learned so far. I’d never been set up this way before – without an app, just a mate in common – and, two hours in, was quite convinced by its old-school brilliance. A string bean of a six-foot-something with trousers that sat as if to frame his pert bum, his company was easy. Chatty, straightforward, funny. I tried to remember what…

Photo: Thiemo Sander SAGITTARIUS 23 Nov – 21 Dec Having dreamed and schemed about the way in which developments in your home or family should occur, you might be disappointed to find that things turn out differently. Don’t lose heart. A Sun-Neptune clash helps explain why so much of what you have been planning is proving to be unworkable. Stay flexible as other ideas spring to mind. And abandon anything that’s merely a pipe dream. CAPRICORN 22 Dec – 20 Jan Without realising it, you’ve shied away from an arena in which you could have gained a lot of fans and followers. When it becomes obvious that people are happy for you to step into the spotlight over the next few days, you should do as they suggest. You’ve more…

Photos: Don Features CLARE BALDING, 45 We ask the presenter to take an exclusive selfie – and reveal all Who is your best friend? My partner Alice Arnold [above]. She’s about the only person I can spend 24 hours a day with, day after day, without them annoying me. I trust her judgement and she makes me laugh. What’s your biggest regret? A few years ago, I was asked to go and work abroad in America, but said no because of what I might miss back here. I should have done it. What’s your biggest extravagance? Briefcase bags, watches and ankle boots – but I always love a bargain. What is your type? People who are energetic, loyal and cuddly. Intelligent, widely read, interesting and generous. I really don’t like…