Table of contents for Issue 838 in Grazia

From her Love of a perfect navy knit to her miniskirts and boots combo, Alexa Chung has long been the person whose style we've coveted. This is the woman who, back in 2010, sparked such a surge for a Mulberry bag that the heritage brand created a new design and named it after her – with ‘the Alexa’ promptly running up a waiting list of thousands. So it came as a surprise when Alexa announced earlier this year that she was closing her namesake label. On page 38, she reveals what happened and where she's heading next – as well as her style strategy. And, no, you won't see her embracing a tracksuit any time soon……

It was my birthday, and… Oh, please! Don't worry! No reason why you should have known. I don't make A Thing about birthdays. I like 'em like I like my extra marital affairs: low-key and discreet (joke. I'm not married). I did spend my therapy years wondering if this was a product of core self-loathing, if my never asking people to make a fuss of me is because, deep down, I'm what's known as a Reverse L'Oréal (I don't think I'm worth it)… But these days, I'm torn between thinking the opposite is true (I'm so self-worthy, I feel no need to cajole people into telling me how happy they are I exist once a year), and thinking It Ain't That Deep (™the young people). Either way, I'd rather be…

Are you ready to hibernate/cocoon yourself in cashmere? Us too. It's officially time to un-vacuum-pack those woollies and embrace something a little more comforting. Think supersized knits with sleeves that stretch well past the fingertips, prim and proper (but absolutely not boring) ladylike cardigans or make like Katie Holmes, who knows good knitwear, and take the twinset one step further with an additional layer. Yes, that's right, the triple set is now A Thing. Meanwhile, on the runway we were treated to a smorgasbord of knitted delights, from midiskirts paired with matching scarves and sweaters at Chloé, to Gucci's pointelle tracksuit worn with a coordinating bonnet. Knitting needles at the ready, it's time to get twee. THE SUPERSIZED Your favourite chunky knit has multiplied this season – and it's so…

10 HOT STORIES That the supermodel best known for her legendary partying (at the launch for her other new sideline, as creative director of Diet Coke, she knowingly winked that ‘I've always loved Coke’) has launched a wellness brand might have initially raised a few arched eyebrows. But wellness culture is the fruit of modern aspiration, and Kate has always had her finger on the Zeitgeist pulse. So this month sees her launch Cosmoss: a wellness range starting with six products and majoring in CBD. So will she entice a new customer who doesn't necessarily subscribe to pious wellness as a way of life? Cosmoss's initial offer features two teas, for morning and evening (‘It wakes you up, alkalining your system,’ says the 47-year old of her Dawn cuppa), alongside…

It was the viral interview that seemed to sum up a dark moment. ‘Just before the summer holidays, when the cost of living crisis really started kicking off, I noticed I was spending as much time taking food away from children as I do serving it,’ were the words of one dinner lady – who tearfully admitted she is now regularly forced to refuse children food because they don't have enough money for school meals. ‘It's getting to the point where I don't think I can be doing this job any more,’ she told social media news channel PoliticsJOE. ‘I didn't take the job on to starve children.’ And she is not alone. As food and energy prices rise well beyond many people's means, school staff tell Grazia that they…

INTERVIEW GRAZIA Alexa Chung is in uncharted territory. For the first time in a long time she's – in her own words – unemployed. After shuttering her eponymous fashion brand back in March, the sometime model, sometime presenter and full-time style icon is tired. ‘I have been a workaholic my entire life, but the end of my business was really taxing. In terms of the literal energy I had to expend just to get it done, it took a lot – emotionally, physically,’ she recalls over lunch. ‘It got to the point where if a friend started to tell me what felt like could be a bad story, I became anxious. I was like, I can't handle this right now, it's too triggering!’ Despite a five-year run of positive press,…

Want to feel inadequate about your life goals and achievements? Spend some time with Rochelle Humes. A true multipotentialite, she presents both BBC One's music quiz The Hit List and ITV's game show Ninja Warrior – as well as being a regular guest host on This Morning. She's written a cookbook and two children's books, with a third due out in October, and this summer turned her hand to interiors with the TV series Rochelle Humes: Interior Designer In The Making. In May, she graced the Cannes red carpet in her capacity as L'Oreal Paris UK ambassador, and her activism includes highlighting the work of FiveXMore, a campaign to improve maternal mortality rates and healthcare outcomes for Black women. That's without even mentioning what is arguably her day job: running…

FASHION FEATURE GRAZIA GRAZIA INTERVIEW I had not expected to arrive at Simone Rocha's studio soaked to the bone. But a sudden downpour, so badly timed it was almost comic, saw to it that I did. Still, there are worse places to take cover than the designer's HQ in north London, where I am welcomed by women in airy cotton dresses, promptly offered tea and a change of clothes. So it is that I am sitting opposite Rocha, hair dripping, wearing either a short dress or long shirt (depending on your height and perspective) in white cotton with poet's sleeves. It should all be very awkward, but Rocha, in person and via her clothes, has a natural instinct for making women feel at ease. Personally and creatively, she is generous…

The acne savvy retinol CeraVe's Resurfacing Retinol Serum, £14, has been made with post-acne marks and hyperpigmentation in mind. It stimulates collagen production and boosts cell turnover to improve the healing rate of your skin. The fridge-worthy find Eye masks can benefit from being kept in the fridge. 111Skin's Sub Zero De-Puffing Eye Mask, £13, is an A-list favourite and even more effective when kept cool. The retinol alternative Bakuchiol is a good alternative to retinol. The natural plant-based alternative is a powerful antioxidant that increases cell turnover, making it a hero smoother and brightener. Boots Ingredients Bakuchiol Serum, £7, is a great budget-friendly find. The first layer Layering your skincare in order of product thickness, apply watery formulas like Tatcha's The Essence, £95, first. It's made with a trio…

PRESCRIPTION Do I drink enough water? THE PROBLEM Thanks to climate change, our upper lip has been consistently damp for months. With this extreme heat and excess sweating, how much water are we meant to be drinking and how do we know if we're getting enough? WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY ‘The importance of hydration goes much further than many of us think,’ says registered nutritionist and author of The Science Of Nutrition, Rhiannon Lambert. ‘Water enables the circulatory system to carry essential oxygen and nutrients to cells. Our kidneys need water to filter waste and it aids digestion.’ Dehydration can also impact your emotions – ‘75% of brain mass is water,’ explains Lambert. ‘Hydration also plays a crucial role in regulating mood, productivity, and concentration.’ THE ONE TO INVEST IN…

ON THE SHELF Display shelves or picture ledges painted the same colour as the wall behind them is a fast and easy way to create a striking look. ‘They offer flexibility and space to display not just artworks but other slim ornaments and objects, as well as items such as eye-catching book jackets, magazine covers and record sleeves,’ says Joanna Thornhill, stylist and author of The New Mindful Home (Orion). ‘And once they're fitted in place, you can easily reconfigure your displays at whim without needing to make more holes in your wall.’ AFFORDABLE ART Hannah Atkins (@house_with_hannah) framed a tea towel from favourite design brand Amuse La Bouche and hung it in her kitchen. ‘I had a custom frame made online,’ she says. ‘We always get comments on the…

OUR PICK OF THE LATEST PAGETURNERS Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success by Miki Berenyi In this intelligent and searingly candid memoir, the former lead singer of '90s altrock band Lush reveals the toll of chasing chart success, relives the devastating suicide of drummer Chris Acland, names names when it comes to the music industry's misogyny, and argues Britpop was damaging for women. Girl Friends by Holly Bourne Fern and Jessica were best friends, always there for each other, until a falling out in their early twenties. Ten years on, mental health columnist Fern is freaked out when Jessica unexpectedly pops up in her life again. A forensic look at how the patriarchy impacts our self-image and even our friendships. THE LITERARY THRILLER Shrines Of Gaiety by Kate…

Have your say… Email us at feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk ■ Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GraziaUK NO ANGEL He's back – and that's brilliant news! I'm referring to Robbie Williams, and can I just say how much I enjoyed your interview with him (Robbie's back – and he's got no regrets; 5 Sept). Often celebrities are so media-savvy and PR controlled that they say virtually nothing (of interest, anyway) in interviews. So it's hugely refreshing that Robbie remains as unfiltered and good fun as ever. Well, you can take the boy out of Stoke… He's definitely the sort of bloke you'd want to go on a night out with. Robbie, if you're reading, get in touch! Natalie Star letter GIVE MEN A BREAK I was prompted to write by Polly…

1. Up SERENA WILLIAMS Playing the US Open in literally diamond-encrusted shoes, while her daughter looked on, in a matching outfit. 2. New in ALL THE PEACHES FROM A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN The joyous Prime Video series adaptation of that film Madonna was in. Special lustful mention to Chanté Adams' Maxine. 3. Up RYAN REYNOLDS AND ROB McELHENNEY Welcome To Wrexham (Disney +) details their buying of a failing football club. It's like Ted Lasso meets Jeremy Clarkson's The Farm, and it's gorgeous. 4. Non-mover LIL NAS X AT THE VMAS A dancer from the Copacabana, only in the Upside Down, with added abdominals. Exceptional work (even for him) 5. New in AITCH THE RAPPER Harrison James Armstrong, Manchester rapper of extraordinary promise, approved by Stormzy. Watch him fly.…

Gloria Steinem A frequent guest, the doyenne of US feminism is apparently a riot. During lockdown, when she found out she shared a zip code with the duchess, she looked up Meghan and arranged a playdate and it all blossomed from there. Victoria Jackson Another close pal, Jackson is a former make-up artist and entrepreneur who made her fortune selling her ‘no make-up make-up’ on QVC in the '80s. She has now become a close friend and ‘safe harbour’, Meghan told The Cut. Oprah Winfrey The zip code's OG attraction, Oprah made Montecito her HQ in 2001 when she bought a 70-acre estate known as ‘The Promised Land’. In 2015 she snapped up a neighbouring 23-acre ranch, then splashed a cool $6.85m on Jeff Bridges' four-acre Spanish-revival complex opposite in…

Sacred Mist, £120 Designed to boost your mood and calm your mind in a matter of spritzes. A perfume-meets-pillow-spray. Face Cleanser, £52 Containing an extract complex of three Icelandic plants that claim to be able to rejuvenate the skin by 20 years in four weeks, this CBD-laced formula cleanses without stripping skin while also working to regulate sebum production. Golden Nectar CBD & Pro-Collagen Oil, £105 Made with calming cannabidiol – a non-psychoactive chemical derived from the cannabis plant – and a powerhouse of brightening antioxidants, is this the secret to Kate's glow? Face Cream, £95 Cannabidiol works alongside bakuchiol (a natural alternative to retinol) avocado oil and niacinamide (an effective anti-inflammatory) to firm and smooth skin without irritation. Dawn Tea, £20 for 20 bags Made with nettle leaf, herb…

FEATURE GRAZIA For a while, I worried that it was just me. That I was the only one feeling my stomach knot each morning when my alarm went off at 7am and the newsreader began listing the things that had become more expensive overnight: gas, childcare, wheat, borrowing money. I worried that I was the only one feeling a little listless, a little adrift. Then I spent a summer holiday with old friends, connecting with people I hadn't seen since the first lockdown, and I realised they felt that way, too. I tested the water with colleagues: ‘Is anyone feeling a little, uh, depressed right now?’ I asked tentatively. Turns out it wasn't just me… It's impossible to get hard data about what is just a feeling but, anecdotally at…

FASHION GRAZIA Model Bejal at Premier Hair Chris Sweeney Make-up Celia Evans Bookings director Christie Phedon Photographer's assistants Arthur Comely, Kairo Urovi Fashion assistants Bo Dube, Udita Choudhary…

GRAZIA FASHION FEATURE MY name is Jane and I have a serious suit habit. To be frank, around 30 trouser suits and counting. Marie Konwho? Broad-shouldered, double-breasted, slouchy and straight-legged – you name it, I have at least one iteration of said trouser suit in my repertoire. It began in 2014: after a fruitless search for a dress for a friend's wedding, I bought a trouser suit from Hobbs on a whim. It was leopard print. It was wild. Forget the ill-fitting, static-y polyester two-piece I had previously worn to job interviews; this was a Look. Ludicrously comfortable yet extremely fun, I confidently bounced around all day with a feeling I'd now identify as Big Suit Energy. In short, I was hooked. Fast forward eight years and my personal style…

L-R: Palm tree candlestick holder, £165, Les Ottomans at matchesfashion.com; asymmetric vase, £225, Completedworks; glass vase, £24.99, H&M Home; bowl with stand, £145, Bettina Ceramica; espresso cups, £120 for two, Olivia Cognet at matchesfashion.com; serving dish, £98, KC Hossack Pottery; lamp with shade, £200, Pooky…

SUGAR CRUSH Move over millennial pink – now it's all about #Barbiecore pink, a shade so electric, it positively glows. The blockbuster movie, starring Margo Robbie as the living doll (along with Ryan Gosling as Ken), may not be out until next year, but our obsession has already begun with the catwalks awash with candycoloured fashion and homeware that's hot, hot, hot pink! GREEN ROOM It began with houseplants and now the colour green is the mood-lifting way to bring a sense of nature into the home. The shade's soothing tones, from fresh grass green to dark forest floor, are also the perfect antidote to the times we live in. SHIFTING SANDS This season's neutral is inspired by the colours of the desert – sandy shades that create a real…

The first iteration of American Gigolo – the 1980 film – elevated its star, Richard Gere, into the most desirable man in the world. Sporting a white Giorgio Armani shirt and aviator sunglasses, he defined a corner of universal sex appeal so overwhelmingly '80s that Tom Cruise and George Michael fashioned their look entirely from its impact. Gere's louche sex worker, with his diffident, irresistible charms, became a cultural archetype that still resonates today. When it was mooted that American Gigolo was coming back as a TV series, some brows were furrowed. What did this story have to tell us about life in 2022? Hasn't Emma Thompson's surprisingly touching Good Luck To You, Leo Grande covered off pretty much everything we need explored about straight male sex work on screen…

6 SEPTEMBER 2022 Are you ready for the challenge, Prime Minister?It's the start of a new term – and not just for school kids. Those first-day nerves will also be felt by our new PM (announced just after Grazia went to press). Running the country is no small feat, not least in the grip of a cost of living crisis that's set to push millions into poverty, and is already triggering ‘unprecedented’ numbers of women to report domestic abuse. The new PM must take urgent action, focused on the most vulnerable. Often, in grave times, ‘Womens issues’ are pushed to the back of the queue – but affordable childcare and a plan to tackle male violence are long overdue. We need a leader of action. So good luck PM –…

GRAZIA'S FASHION NEWS EDITOR NATALIE HAMMOND ON THE THINGS TOPPING HER SEPTEMBER WISH LIST NEW SEASON SCENT Grazia's debut fragrance has top notes of peach and peony, base notes of sandalwood, white musk and cedar. Late summer in a bottle? Yes please!Grazia parfum, £48, graziaparfum.com EFFORTLESS DRESSING I'm a winter girl at heart, so can't wait to wear long sleeves and boots. Bring on a cold snap.Dress, £39.50, boots, £110, and bag, £29.50, all M&S SHORT STORY I don't really wear miniskirts, but am seriously tempted by this strawberry bon-bon style.£59, Arket ALTERATION STATION As it's Second-Hand September, I want to get some of my grandmother's clothes altered via The Seam, a service connecting you with those offering local alterations.*Prices from £3, The Seam FINISHING TOUCH Jade is a favourite…

10 HOT STORIES The internet has been abuzz with gossip about Don't Worry Darling, the upcoming Olivia Wilde-directed film starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. Accusations and rumours are flying about the film's sex scenes, Oliva and Harry's relationship, and suggestions of a rift between leading lady and director. So what's going on? And why should all female directors be worried? You may know Olivia as an actor, from House and The OC and films such as Tron: Legacy. She broke into directing with 2019's excellent teen comedy Booksmart and was (rightly) identified as a real talent. It led to a heated studio bidding war for the right to make Don't Worry Darling, her stylish new feminist thriller, about an apparently happy '60s housewife who begins to question her perfect…

10 HOT STORIES Most of us own a pair of ‘control’ pants. You know, the kind worn by Bridget Jones. Supportive but not ‘sexy’, they used to be something that would smooth and shape in secret. They weren't, in other words, something to flaunt. Until now. These days, shapewear has gone from hush-hush to hot property. John Lewis has just released its 2022 shopping stats, which is as good a litmus test as any for what's happening in the average person's wardrobe, and report that sales of shapewear have tripled; the most popular brands among shoppers being John Lewis's own label, Anyday (don't miss the full shaping knickers, £18, or the Tessa thighslimmer shorts, £22) and Spanx. But while Spanx remains a household name, with even J-Lo spotted wearing a…

10 HOT STORIES Well, it's certainly been a Hot Girl Summer for me. But not in a footloose, sexy sort of way – rather, this particular girl has been too hot for sleeves, underwired bras, activities of any kind, and sitting outside at the pub without sprouting a sweat 'tache. I miss all of the above – OK, maybe not underwires, but certainly sleeves, and the 99% of my wardrobe that has them. I am ready to embrace my inner basic, to buy a new pencil case, crunch through the fallen leaves in clompy loafers, and lean heavily into Twee Girl Autumn. In the words of Seinfeld's George Costanza, ‘I gotta focus. I'm shifting into soup mode.’ Here are the things to get excited about now… YOUR SOFA SOUNDTRACK Are…

Ugly coping is still coping. If you have to find time for yourself to go and have a good cry, that's OK. That's a normal reaction to the abnormal situation we are in. If you feel yourself worrying about an imagined future, stop and remind yourself that you're telling a scary story. Bring yourself back to the present by taking note of your surroundings and practising simple meditation techniques. When your family or friends share their joyous news, regardless of how large or small, put effort into celebrating them enthusiastically. Spend extra time asking them details about their news and the positive impact it will have on life. Practise optimism when you get bad news. Instead of blaming yourself, consider how your circumstances affected your results, remind yourself that bad…

FEATURE GRAZIA In 2017, following three years of trying to conceive a second baby, my husband and I embarked on our first round of IVF. When the first cycle resulted in pregnancy, I was elated to be able to share this news and announced it with a picture of my bump on Instagram. But, five months into my pregnancy, my waters broke in the middle of the night. I delivered my baby in my bathroom and, while I held his hands and told him I loved him, I watched him slowly stop breathing. Paramedics took me to hospital, where I spent the morning holding my son and trying to get through not only the next hour, but the next minute of this new, unwelcome reality. Kind messages enquiring about my…

GRUNGE REMIX There's something quite punk about a multi-print clash – take note from Versace and Molly Goddard, whose A/W '22 collections embraced an anti-establishment vibe, mixing texture, prints and knits. The corset is this season's breakout trend – layer over stripes, checks and swirls for an anything goes approach. As for the rules? There are no rules. THE BRIGHT BOOT Stomp your way into September with eyewatering neons and paint-box bright boots. MEGA MONOCHROME It's time to channel your inner Olsen twin – think muted tones, a heavy dose of black and a smattering of white shirts, tanks and tees (see Max Mara's subdued yet sartorial monochromatic looks). This is all about ankle-grazing long lengths, with as much drape as you can get away with. Jewellery is sculptural yet…

GRAZIA HEALTH + BEAUTY DR DAVID JACK Cosmetic doctor and founder of Dr David Jack London skincare YOU ASKED: What skincare ingredients should I avoid if pregnant or breastfeeding? DR JACK: ‘The consensus is that anything related to retinol – including tretinoin, retinyl palmitate and tazarotene – should be avoided as they can affect cell division. Hydroquinone, an ingredient used to treat hyperpigmentation, is also considered unsafe during pregnancy. Then there are acne treatment ingredients, such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, which should be avoided, too.’ YOU ASKED: How can I fade pigmentation and dark spots? DR JACK: ‘Most pigmentation treatments are based on blocking the final step in melanin production, which depends on an enzyme called tyrosinase. Ingredients that can do this are called “tyrosinase inhibitors”. Vitamin C,…

ELLE FANNING HAS good intuition. ‘There's something about this room,’ she says, casting her eyes around the plush apartment in Paris's Le Meurice Hotel. Salvador Dalí stayed there every year for a month in his heyday. ‘I knew it!’ Elle beams. But we're here to talk scent – in June she was announced as the face of Paco Rabanne's new fragrance, Fame. ‘I'm wearing it today,’ she says, ‘there's a sweetness to it, it's the notes of mango and jasmine that I really gravitate towards.’ Elle has long been fascinated with fragrance. ‘My grandmother used to have this vanity full of perfume bottles. I'd go in as a child and spray them on, mix them all up. I probably smelled crazy, but it felt like a very sophisticated, mature thing…

WHEN MATILDA GOAD can't sleep, she lies in bed and mentally rearranges the furniture in her home. ‘It sounds so sad!’ she laughs. ‘But it's a puzzle: finding that perfect solution that uses a space to the maximum.’ This particular puzzle is one Goad – a self-confessed born homemaker – has always enjoyed tussling with. One of her formative childhood memories is getting her bed stuck on Christmas Day, more interested in rejigging her bedroom furniture than playing with her presents. She was eight. The intervening years have only heightened Goad's interest in transforming houses into homes. Now 33, the designer and creative consultant has channelled that passion into a thriving interiors business: Matilda Goad & Co, which turned five this year and just appointed its first chief operating officer.…