Table of contents for Issue 920 in Grazia

Email us at feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk Find us on Facebook, TikTok, X and Instagram @GraziaUK THANK YOU FOR Ruchira Sharma’s recent interview with Malala Yousafzai, Malala: ‘I’m funnier than you think!’ (27 October). It was both incredibly interesting to hear more about Malala’s life and refreshing to see the real person behind the Nobel Prize-winning icon. These interviews bring people in the public eye to life and add so much colour to their stories. What an inspiration she is to girls and women of any age – and it’s great to know she has a wicked sense of humour, too. Briony…

THE ADF – THE Alliance Defending Freedom – is a US right wing Christian lobby group with a special interest in abolishing abortion rights. It is well-organised, influential and well-funded; its work is cited in 74 Supreme Court decisions. Lately, however, the ADF’s attentions have been gripped by international situations – and how best to manipulate them. Its MO: cosy up to a fringe, yet increasingly powerful, political party in another country, then leverage that relationship to meddle in the political trajectory of that country. Case in point: the UK, where the ADF is making its influence increasingly known, having given legal support to individuals prosecuted for busting buffer zones around abortion clinics (established in 2023 to protect women from harassment. The Trump administration, incidentally, considers them ‘an egregious violation…

WHEN MATTHIEU BLAZY, the new creative director at Chanel, issued his just-appointed ambassador Nicole Kidman with an oversized white dress shirt to wear to his debut show earlier this month, our eyes were out on stalks. Not only was this the boldest statement of intent – trading overt glamour for pure simplicity – it also echoed Coco Chanel’s habit of borrowing from the closets of the men in her life, while also messaging his deep respect for French heritage craftsmanship. The point is, this was not just a Chanel shirt, this was a Chanel x Charvet shirt. Charvet being the historic French shirtmaker that Coco Chanel used and Blazy enlisted to aid with the fabric and technique of his special shirt designs that appeared in his first show. His styling…

‘NO ONE CAN ever prepare you for what it’s going to be like,’ Kerry Katona, who joined Atomic Kitten with Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon when she was 18, tells Grazia. ‘I just wanted to be famous for making people happy. When you’re a teenager looking at pop stars in Smash Hits, you don’t see the intrusiveness or that side of fame.’ Girlbands Forever, Louis Theroux’s three-part BBC docuseries, airs on 1 November, hot on the heels of sister series Boybands Forever. It charts the rise, fall and turbulent middle act of the ’90s, noughties and early 2010s girlband era. From Eternal, All Saints and the Spice Girls to Atomic Kitten, Sugababes, Mis-Teeq and Little Mix, the documentary reveals the smorgasbord of maltreatment that young, female band members endured. The…

READY TO SHARPEN your elbows? Hot on the heels of viral collabs with Sienna Miller, Bella Freud and Olivia Von Halle’s cult pyjamas comes Marks & Spencer’s latest designer hook-up, just in time for party season. Drum roll, please, for 16Arlington, helmed by Marco Capaldo. One of fashion’s most charming characters, Capaldo has dressed everyone from Lady Gaga and Zendaya to Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez and Lily Allen in his slick modern partywear that manages to skirt (pun intended) a deft line between glamour and cool. And this is exactly what he’s bringing to the high street, too. In a north London studio Grazia got an early preview of this labour of love, which has taken a year to come to life. Capaldo is here shooting the campaign with model…

LAST YEAR, ONE of Japan’s biggest nappy manufacturers made an announcement: Oji Holdings said it was going to stop making nappies for babies and instead concentrate on nappies for the elderly, due to the country’s birth rate being at a record low. Quite something, no? But Japan isn’t the only nation having fewer babies. It’s the same in almost all developed countries, from Italy to America and the UK. Women in England and Wales had an average of 1.44 children in 2022/2023, the lowest figure since records began. Cue much media hand-wringing and radio discussions asking: why? If you’re a woman with perky ovaries (or of ‘child-bearing age’ as the professionals say), the declining birth rate may not surprise you. As a woman, I think it’s hard to separate the…

Model Bibi Hoard at The Squad Management Hair and make-up Sarah Whiteside at One Represents using Maria Nila Professional & Lisa Eldridge Casting Christie Phedon Manicurist Nikki Panic at One Represents Photographer’s assistant Giorgio Grisan Shoot producer Gabriela Velasco Fashion assistant Amber Backhouse…

A HEALTHY FLUSH ‘Use a single shade of red to fake a fresh face,’ says Aurelia Liansberg, the pro behind these looks. ‘Up your radiance with a liquid highlighter and blend a red lipstick shade across your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, your eyelids and lips – all with a very light touch.’ The look is ‘back from a brisk country walk’. HIGH - RISE BLUSH ‘I love how an impactful blush look like this immediately energises a face,’ says Liansberg. ‘It feels playful. I layer up red tones with clashing pinks and apply them in upward sweeps across cheeks and temples.’ POWDER PLAY ‘Modernise a stamped-on red lip by diffusing the edges very slightly,’ says Liansberg, ‘and tap on some high-pigment powder one shade lighter or darker than…

YEARS ON THE beauty circuit have taught me to take a holistic approach to locking down that elusive winter glow. Most people jump straight to self-tan and call it quits, but if you want to stand any chance of reproducing the healthsignalling radiance you had in summer, you must level up your skincare too. It’s usually now, when the mercury drops, that I switch up my moisturiser. I reach for thicker formulas with plenty of slip, such as Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic Magic Cream (Amal Clooney and Lily James are devotees). I set aside at least two minutes to apply it while I massage my face, neck and décolletage with movements that I copy from Grazia beauty panellist and facialist to the stars, Michaella Bolder’s face sculpting videos on Instagram (@michaellabolder).…

THIS TIME OF YEAR often conjures up visions of various (rather dodgy looking) Halloween paraphernalia. But in-between the glowing jack-o’-lanterns and plastic skulls there’s a chic sweet spot of beautiful homewares that will look just the ticket come 31 October and well beyond. Yes, this is gothic, but not as your know it. Instead of garish ghouls and witchy black cat motifs, choose sketchy monochrome patterned ceramics – note the latest Emma Bridgewater collection – and urn vases that give plenty of impact with or without blooms. Bella Freud’s recent collection with Marks and Spencer sees the designer’s iconic script emblazoned across black wicked candles, while Loewe’s latest Dendrochilum Magnum Orchid candle will be the moody finishing touch to your mantlepiece. So, time to get into the spooky spirit –…

IT’S COAT SEASON, aka the month where you pull your old coat out of the cupboard, pray the moths haven’t destroyed it and find whatever you left crumpled up in the pocket last year. Just me? Oh! I love the feeling of wrapping up again, but it’s true what they say: the coat is an outfit in itself. Which is why I often find myself itching for a new one. This year is no exception. I’ve started wearing baggy jeans, my trousers looser, so suddenly all my classic just-below-the-knee coats look a bit wrong and I find myself gravitating to something cropped. Luckily, the fashion team have tried on all the best coats out there this season and on page 70 present the seven styles worth investing in now. I’ve…

1. New in CELIA IMRIE’S FART Released extremely audibly on an episode of Celebrity Traitors. The word ‘iconic’ is thrown around so often, yet so rarely justified. Here? Beyond valid! 2. New in RADICAL MUNDANITY A new concept floated by scientists that suggests aliens – with tech only marginally better than ours – have got bored trying to contact us, so: have given up. 3. Up ZACK POLANSKI Whose September election to leader of the Green Party has seen a subsequent 80% rise in membership sign-ups. They’ve now got the Lib Dems and Tories beat – talk about a greenwash. 4. Non-mover JENNIFER ANISTON Recently revealed she considered herself such ‘hot sh*t’ in the pre-Friends 1990s, she turned down Saturday Night Live. ‘Adorably, that happened’, she said. 5. Up MIDLIFE…

ARE YOU, TOO, of the opinion that what we see on social media bears little resemblance to reality? You’re not alone. The feeds are flooded with filters and fabrication – people edited to within an inch of their pixels. Then along comes Julia Roberts, a rare reminder that some things are as good as they seem. In person, she’s every bit as incandescent as she is on screen – her megawatt smile lighting up a room with the wattage of a small power station. Back on the red-carpet circuit for her new film After The Hunt, her wardrobe, fine-tuned by long-time stylist Elizabeth Stewart, is a masterclass in timeless polish: sharp tailoring, elegant ease, a whisper of mischief. Roberts proves, at 58, that dressing like a true Hollywood star is…

IF YOU’D TOLD us the love story between an agnostic podcaster and a newly single rabbi would become the ultimate romcom watch of 2024, we might not have believed you. But when Nobody Wants This landed on Netflix last September, it answered all our prayers – a TV hit as funny as it is romantic and one that celebrates healthy, aspirational love in your late thirties. Inspired by writer and creator Erin Foster’s experience of meeting her husband Simon Tikhman – and with Adam Brody (Rabbi Noah) and Kristen Bell ( Joanne), at the helm – it became a critical and word-of-mouth success, amassing 1.7bn minutes watched in its first week. ‘I think having that level of connection to what you’re writing about and that amount of integrity in your…

1. THE ALL-TIME CLASSIC A black wool coat is timeless and appropriate for all occasions. The key is in the cut: opt for longline silhouettes with double breasted fastenings or a waist-cinching belt. For added effect, opt for a scarf detail. 2. THE ‘GROAT’ Behold the groat, or grey coat. This season’s standout staple comes in the form of ankle-grazing, heather grey cover-ups that are equal parts practical and chic. Note & Other Stories’ double-breasted wool version, which expertly nails the brief. 3. THE SHAGGY JACKET We’ve all been there – you’ve just nailed the perfect night out look only to spoil it with a very practical winter coat. Instead, consider a shaggy furry jacket your evening outerwear of choice, offering warmth and style. 4. THE MATRIX RELOADED Switch up…

GRAZIA INTERVIEW WITH EVERY SUPERMODEL comes a movie-worthy discovery story and Anok Yai is no exception. It happened in October 2017 when Yai was at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire studying biochemistry. ‘I’d discovered Grey’s Anatomy and I wanted to be just like Cristina Yang, that was my driving force at the time.’ Yai attended home-coming weekend at Howard University in Washington DC (a festival-style event built around an annual football game) where she was caught on camera by photographer Steven Hall. He shared the picture on his Instagram account @thesunk and, in doing so, changed the course of Yai’s life. The likes rained down, agencies made their moves and, before she knew it, she was signing on the dotted line with Next Models. Flash forward eight years and…

The last book I read… I have just written my autobiography, Driven, which is out this month, so I’ve been going through a phase of only reading autobiographies. I just finished Rise: My Story by skier Lindsey Vonn. The last song I listened to… Don’t Stop Believing by Journey. The last boxset I binged … F1: The Academy on Netflix. The last item I added to my wardrobe… was a bright, multicoloured Chanel bag. The last podcast I listened to… Bloomberg’s The Deal With Alex Rodriguez And Jason Kelly. The last meal I cooked… I’m a terrible cook. Pasta for my son, I can just about manage. The last app I downloaded… F1 TV, so I can follow all the races on the go. The last photo I took… was at the…

In a landmark change to the law, the family courts will no longer operate on the presumption that having contact with both parents is in the best interests of a child. Domestic abuse campaigners have called the move ‘groundbreaking’, saying it ‘will save so many children’s lives’. Grazia previously reported on the heartbreaking story of Claire Throssell, whose two sons were killed in a fire started deliberately by her abusive ex-husband after he was granted access to them. ‘It was presumption of contact at its worst. And an example of how children are put in danger every day by family courts,’ she told us. Now, after years of tireless campaigning, the safety of children has finally been put first.…

EARLIER THIS MONTH, speakers at the House of Lords called on the Government to regulate period products, with campaigners pushing for new legislation. Kathrin Schilling, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, presented her evidence. She’s lead author of a 2024 study that found 16 types of metals in tampons, including lead, cadmium and arsenic, which feature in the World Health Organization’s list of 10 chemicals of public health concern. This year, other research by the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) and Pesticide Action Network – both at the House of Lords – found pesticides in tampons at 40 times the safe limit for drinking water. Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle – Green Party peer who has long advocated for menstrual safety and called for period products to be…

AHH, KNIT SEASON. The annual pilgrimage back to the land of fluff, fuzz and – if you’re a contact lens wearer – mild ocular trauma. Lint-phobes, too, brace yourselves: winter means colourful fluff clinging to black coats with the determination of velcro on a toddler’s trainer. And the moth-afflicted? They’re already rehearsing brave faces for when they unzip the vacuum bags. But really, we jest. Knitwear season is, in truth, a kind of sartorial nirvana. There’s simply nothing better than wrapping oneself in this year’s plushest, softest, most decadently spun offerings – alpaca, cashmere, mohair, silk. The gang’s all here. And while timeless roll necks and cable knits will forever reign supreme, a new set of knitwear commandments has emerged for 2025. Read on……

WE’VE ALL SEEN them. Couples strolling down the street, totally loved up but worlds apart in style. One might be effortlessly chic, while the other looks… less so. Now, the internet has a name for it: enter the ‘swag gap’, a new term used to define couples with obvious style differences (as well as disparities in confidence or just all-round vibe). TikTok user @itsalmondmilkhunni, who was one of the first to post about the trend, said in a video, ‘Have me showing up somewhere in public… I have a cool outfit and then my partner just looks like an effing mess behind me,’ adding, ‘It’s not just clothes. It’s an aura and an energy.’ Another user simply writes, ‘Your last relationship didn’t work out because of the huge swag gap.’…

SUSIE LAU Style trailblazer One of the OG fashion bloggers and street-style stars, journalist Lau launched her Style Bubble blog in 2006 – long before influencers were a staple on the FROW. With it, she helped catalyse a revolution in how we produce and consume fashion content. ‘When I started, a few of us were self-publishing, we were a community of outliers,’ says Lau. ‘Now, everyone can be a voice. It’s opened up the space exponentially.’ A sought-after writer and commentator, Lau’s passion for British fashion is unwavering. ‘I was that person queuing up, hoping I’d get a standing ticket for Gareth Pugh at London Fashion Week. That was my gateway into fashion – it wasn’t looking at, like, Paris. We still have the best [fashion] schools, we still have…

IT WAS WITH increasing confusion, and then a deep, almost existential sort of weariness, that I watched the Victoria’s Secret show colonise my Instagram feed. You’ll know the drill by now: wings, confetti, pneumatic bodies and lots of skimpy, skimpy underwear. As I took it all in, a single word emerged from the depths of my brain, straining towards the surface, until it finally emerged, squinting into the sunlight and formed on my lips: why? Why are we still doing this? Now, obviously I know why Victoria’s Secret is doing this – this annual extravaganza of G-string clad ‘Angels’ is its biggest marketing moment of the year. No, this was more of a philosophical question – why are we still paying attention to this spectacle? Why does it even still…

AT OAK SPRING, a Virginia estate nestled between hedgerows and horizon, history doesn’t just sit still – it blossoms. Here, the American style icon Rachel Lambert ‘Bunny’ Mellon cultivated a life rooted in nature, elegance and enduring friendship. One of the most significant of those was her creative kinship with Jean Schlumberger, the visionary jewellery designer for Tiffany & Co, whose fantastical creations shaped 20th-century design and continue to do so today. This season, Tiffany & Co has reintroduced the iconic Bird on a Rock design. Originally created by Schlumberger in 1965, the whimsical idea of a bird perched on a gemstone has become one of Tiffany’s most emblematic motifs. But behind this design lies a story of friendship, gardens and shared inspiration that leads straight back to the leafy…

THERE WAS A time when only the most virtuous, health-conscious among us entertained the thought of supplements. And even then, odds are you’d pop a multivitamin and call it a day. But now? Bathroom shelves and bedside tables are lined with jars, pots and sachets containing all manner of pills, gummies and powders that we mix and match in a bid to improve everything from our skin to sleep, muscles, mood, hormones and gut health. Welcome to supplement stacking. ‘Supplement stacking involves combining different supplements in a purposeful way to meet your unique health and lifestyle needs,’ explains Sally Obermeder, co-founder of Swiish, an Australian wellness brand built on the concept. ‘Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, it’s about mixing and matching products to build a wellness wardrobe, a flexible collection…