Table of contents for Issue 903 in Grazia

Email us at feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GraziaUK I WAS INTERESTED to read Is this the end of the Pill? (3 March). I was prescribed the Pill to help with depression and did feel much better with no side effects. However, I had a heart attack in my mid-thirties due to a blood clot, which the doctors were 99% sure was caused by the Pill as there were no other factors. I had to stop taking it suddenly and my body reacted in various different ways. Since then I use other forms of contraception and am on medication specifically for depression. Even when the Pill is prescribed there are risks and so it should only really be used for its intended purpose of contraception. Anne…

ACCORDING TO NEW research, men are more romantic than women. The study – led by Iris V Wahring of the Humboldt University of Berlin – found men tend to fall in love faster, say ‘I love you’ more quickly, instigate fewer break-ups and suffer more profoundly when broken up with. This tallies with an idea I heard years ago, which claims women grieve for relationships while they’re still in them and can feel them disintegrating beneath them, while men are stunned when a relationship ends, when ultimatums are seen through, so: hurled into a pit of regret after the fact. I’ve seen this play out in real life. Women trembling on the brink of splitting from someone, scared and confused, until they finally make that decision, then: fly! The men…

1. TO THE MANOR BORN The Great British desire to escape the bustle of city life was inspiration for Burberry’s Daniel Lee, who cited the pull of ‘long rainy walks in the great outdoors’ as context for his quilted skirt suits, jodhpur-style leggings, wader-length boots and thistle brooches. Kent & Curwen’s trench will almost have you watching the back catalogue of Countryfile (almost). 2. COLOUR ME HAPPY Violet and chocolate, powder pink and dove grey: these were just two examples of how just-so-wrong-it’s-right colour combinations should wing their way into your wardrobe. 3. EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ACCESSORIES Slow and steady won the race at Simone Rocha, where turtle clutches could be clasped to one’s chest (the designer was inspired by The Tortoise And The Hare). 4. THE NEW WAY WITH KNITS The humble…

WHEN JANE FONDA took to the stage to accept her Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG Awards, she used the opportunity to make a political statement. ‘Have you ever watched a documentary on one of the great social movements?’ she asked the audience of her celebrity peers. ‘Ask yourself, would you have been brave enough to walk the bridge, take the hoses and the batons and the dogs? We don’t have to wonder any more because we are in our documentary moment; this is it and it’s not a rehearsal.’ She’s not the only A-lister to speak out about attacks on vulnerable communities following Trump’s re-election. Trans actor and Euphoria star Hunter Schafer went viral for sharing that her gender on her newly issued passport had been changed to male,…

When Alex Bovaird, The White Lotus’s costume designer, was sourcing clothes for the Thailandset season three, she left no stone unturned. ‘There are pieces from charity shops, flea markets, designer showrooms, Thai designers and even stuff from the bazaar in Bangkok. There are probably things that range from $2 to £20,000.’ The designer pieces – Valentino, Chanel, Cartier – are mostly seen on our toxic trio, Jaclyn, Laurie and Kate, who Bovaird says are the epitome of ‘loud luxury’, and among her favourite characters to dress this season. ‘The ladies are fun because they’re very Sex And The City – never enough shoes, never enough bags. It’s probably even a bit unrealistic for their holiday – they had Mary Poppins bags that just went on and on!’ ‘The White Lotus…

COW-PRINT TRAINERS might be trending – Adidas’s sold out in seven minutes after hitting ASOS – but when it comes to the animal kingdom, the street style set is sticking to the OG: leopard spots. The trend started – or should that be restarted as, let’s be honest, it’s never really fallen out of favour – at Copenhagen Fashion Week, where one leopard coat in particular was so fabulous that it practically stopped traffic. Danish brand By Malene Birger made the lambskin coat in question, which has sold out in all but three sizes, gained a hundreds-strong waiting list and found a celebrity fan in Jennifer Lawrence. Such a statement piece of outerwear needs little back-up when it comes to the rest of your outfit; just ask the influencers. Darja…

"ROLES FOR OLDER WOMEN STICK OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL RARE HAYLEY ATWELL IS in her backstage quarters at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where she’s starring in Much Ado About Nothing with Tom Hiddleston. With a bed, mini-kitchen and anteroom, it feels more like a Claridge’s suite. It’s a world away from the ‘tiny cabin’ aboard a boat in the Arctic that she stayed in while filming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (out in May). ‘We filmed in Svalbard,’ she explains. ‘It looked like a massive industrial fishing boat.’ For her second outing as thief-turnedagent Grace in Tom Cruise’s blockbuster franchise, as well as training to spot frostbite, there was a constant security patrol against polar bears. ‘They’re the only species that will kill not just for food,…

MILLENNIAL women were raised to believe they could achieve anything. Born into a new liberal world shaped by the tireless efforts of second-wave feminists in the ’60s and ’70s, they were primed to become the generation that came careening through the glass ceiling. They entered the workforce willing to grind in exchange for financial security, material comfort and fulfilment. The reality, of course, isn’t that simple. The economic landscape women find themselves in now stands in stark contrast to 50 years ago. While Millennials are routinely accused of squandering their money on avocado toast and takeaway coffees, the real issue is that wage increases have not kept pace with soaring inflation. While between the ’60s and ’80s real wages grew year-on-year, this started to slow in the ’90s. In the…

1. THE BAGGY JEAN GOOD FOR PETITES Jessie Bush, creative Think short women can’t wear volume? Think again. At 5ft 3in and a baggy jeans fan, Jessie Bush is on first-name terms with her tailor. Luckily, she says, denim alterations are straightforward. ‘I always pay extra to have the original hem sewn back on so the jeans look identical to how you bought them,’ Bush advises, adding that her go-tos include, ‘Haikure – its baggy cuts always fit well. Agolde’s mid-rise, cropped styles are great. Studio Nicholson also does a cropped, extra baggy jean that feels cool.’ When it comes to styling, Bush doesn’t heed rules about balance. ‘I love an oversized silhouette. I’ll wear baggy jeans with a big knit and slouchy coat.’ She does, however, keep things streamlined…

Grey denim is becoming 2025’s most coveted wash and both grey and black are less ‘Canadian tuxedo’. I pair vintage faded jeans with a pristine dark denim shirt, or contrast raw indigo jeans with a pale blue chambray button-down. The key is contrast or harmony. When the washes are similar but not matching, it can feel unintentional. An intentional contrast or a unified wash is where the magic happens. Don’t forget accessories too; a structured denim bag in a contrasting wash or a studded belt to match your boots.…

LET’S TALK ABOUT Botox – everyone else is. In the office, on the tube, at dinner parties; most people I know are at least intrigued by it. I am a huge fan and have had Botox around six times now, heading for a top-up every four to six months. An entirely personal and often divisive choice, I love the results. My forehead lines soften, my frown is all-but erased, my skin is more reflective, my foundation even sits smoother. What I love most about the big B, though, is a unique brow-lift technique that makes me look more awake and generally frames my face in a flattering way. The Botox Brow Lift is a signature style of world-renowned aesthetic doctor (and the man I trust most with a needle) Dr…

STAR LIGHT Batch-made by a family-run workshop, hand-painted to order and with an elegant, tapered base topped by a chic shade moulded from paper pulp, an eco-friendly equivalent to ceramic or plaster, it’s no wonder Palefire Studio’s striking Parasol is in demand among the style set. BUTTER UP Whether it’s for your toast in the morning or to create a tablescape with wow factor, butter moulded into the shapes of shells, flowers, bows and even cherubs is the hot new way to create a moment of feasting joy. Big on social media, now all the smartest tables are getting crafty. And it’s so easy – simply spread softened butter into a mould and refrigerate to set. STRIPE SENSATION Forget checks, it’s all about stripes now, especially those from Colours of…

The current tactic of putting Hollywood heavyweights on the stage is helping revitalise London’s theatres -albeit making getting affordable tickets tricky at times. I booked to see Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston in Much Ado About Nothing months ago. The ’90s-style adaptation of the comedy – all pink confetti and pop music – is getting Shakespeare purists hilariously het up and rave reviews for Atwell. Rightly so. But watching her on stage, I realised that despite the fact she stars in two of Hollywood’s biggest franchises – Marvel and Mission Impossible – and has conquered the West End, I know little about her life. On page 38, she tells Victoria Moss why she’s determined to approach stardom on her own terms – and what it’s really like working with Tom…

1. Up DAISY MAY COOPER Am I Being Unreasonable? just should not work, it’s far too bonkers; the fact it really does is testimony to DMC’s particular, peculiar genius. 2. Up JEAN SMART In Hacks – one of our all-time favourite shows. We’re currently rewatching seasons one to three in advance of the fourth one landing. It is, if anything, more brilliant this time around. 3. Non-mover AIMEE LOU WOOD Apparently as capable of stealing our hearts in The White Lotus as she did in Sex Education. 100% national treasure in the making. 4. Non-mover LENNY KRAVITZ We met him recently. We actually did. He told us he loves Emily In Paris. Like we needed another reason to lust for him. 5. New in CONNIE BRITTON If you haven’t watched…

FACT: SOULMATES DO exist in the fashion world (aviator jackets and negligee dresses, trench coats and bootcut jeans, we rest our case). And this spring, a new couple is hard launching: knee-high boots and slip skirts. This pairing was first spotted at New York Fashion Week. Katie Holmes wore the combo not once but twice to attend the shows, styling it both times with a) a blazer and b) a fluid skirt. The boot in question was the cult style from Toteme, with the vital stats of a sharplypointed toe, a slouchy fit and a wedge-shaped kitten heel that have contributed to its almostsold-out status. If your size is currently out of stock, the high street has committed to a very similar silhouette, with exceptionally sleek takes at the likes…

SHE SPENT VALENTINE’S Day courtside, although not the kind of court we’re accustomed to seeing Rihanna in. No beer, no Jumbotron – but certainly some ecstatic cheering and ’fits that made the trial benches look like the FROW. Rihanna’s partner of six years, rapper A$AP Rocky, was on trial for just over two weeks for felony assault – accused of firing a gun at his former friend and member of hip-hop collective A$AP Mob. When he was found not guilty, he leapt from the defendant’s table into a screaming Rihanna’s arms, going on to celebrate with a champagne reception at members’ club Gravitas in Beverly Hills. With the threat of a 24-year jail term firmly in their rearview, Rihanna is now free to focus on her family’s fresh start -and…

IN A WAY, IT ALL feels strangely recent. And yet, recalling the pandemic also feels like talking about a different world. It was a different world when, five years ago, then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a nationwide lockdown on 23 March 2020 to curb the spread of Covid-19. We watched the news like appointment TV, then WhatsApp lit up with panicked conversations as we tried to make sense of it all. Suddenly, there was a lockdown lexicon to learn as it spawned a new vocabulary: furlough, social distancing, bubbles, homeschooling… none of us knew what to expect but we had no choice but to get onboard. We ransacked supermarket shelves, fought tooth and nail for delivery slots, clapped on our doorstep on Thursdays, took part in TikTok dance challenges,…

Finding the ‘perfect pair’ can be tricky when you don’t know where to start. Taking things offline and heading in-store should be your first port of call, trying on different shapes and washes to help figure out the fit and see the quality of the fabric. Selfridges has a whole section dedicated to denim with countless brands, from Frame to Paige. Or M&S’s jeans section has tons of choice so you can find the right length and fit. If you’re looking for off-duty style, try Free People’s relaxed horseshoe mid-rise (in 21 different washes!) or, for something a little smarter, dark indigo shades bring polish. Our top tip? A high-waist fit with added front pleats gives the illusion of a smart pair of tailored trousers, while maintaining comfort. ‘Women expect…

‘TWIGS, NICE TO MEET YOU,’ says the original supermodel with a firm handshake. The famous pixie cut has long given way to a blonde fringe, but her arresting blue eyes still give it away: it’s the Twiggy – ’60s icon and national treasure. There’s no exhibition about the ’60s, no coffee table book about the era, that doesn’t feature petite 16-year-old Twiggy, famous for her boyish haircut and big eyes. The London-born model – full name Dame Lesley Lawson – has become emblematic of the youthquake of that time. ‘That’s very flattering. If you talk about the ’60s, it’s The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and me. I’m in very good company,’ she says with a laugh. Her house – all Victorian drapery and no space age Perspex – is also…

GRAZIA INTERVIEW VICTORIA BECKHAM DIDN’T set out to be a skincare authority. After leaving school it was all about dance (she studied dance and modelling at Laine Theatre Arts College in Epsom), then in 1994 she answered a casting call advertised in The Stage and was plucked from hundreds to become a member of the Spice Girls. The rest, as they say, is history. Platinum albums and countless number ones followed, but save for fronting the odd limited-edition Impulse campaign, there wasn’t a beauty skew in sight. Cut to 2025 and to say that Beckham has transcended her extraordinary pop career is an understatement. Now the figurehead of her eponymous fashion and beauty lines, she receives regular standing ovations at fashion week and is considered a bona fide skincare and…

GLOW GAME Yepoda The Glow Hero, £25 An oil-meets-serum powered by retinol alternative bakuchiol. FIRM FOCUS TirTir Collagen Lifting Eye Cream, £22 Collagen and peptides are a tonic for tired undereyes. DOWN TO DETOX Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask, £21 A non-stripping clay mask made with lactic acid – expect gentle exfoliation. POTENT PUNCH Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner, £16 Fermented black rice extracts will restore, plump and illuminate. PEPTIDE POWER Glow Recipe Cloudberry Bright Moisture Cream, £35 Cosetting and calming, this velvety moisturiser also boosts radiance. SLEEP TREAT Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, £21 Grape, pomegranate, and raspberry hydrate as you slumber. PREMIUM PROTECTION Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics, £15.50 An SPF 50+ that softens skin – leaving zero white residue. CLEAN SLATE Erborian Centella…

THE MUST-READ Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Set between the US and Nigeria, four women reflect on their lives, losses and sacrifices: Chia on the men she’s loved, Zikora on becoming a single parent, Kadiatou on how far she’s come and how easily it can be taken away, and Omelogor on her ascent to success. Totally absorbing. Who Wants To Live Forever by Hanna Thomas Uose When a miracle drug launches to extend human life indefinitely, Yuki and Sam are on opposite sides of the moral divide. Yuki thinks it’s elitist and ethically murky, while musician Sam wants time to get his act together. But what happens when you age but the person you love doesn’t? Homeseeking by Karissa Chen Suchi and Haiwen are growing up together in 1940s…

The last book I read… Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney, about a woman who decides to leave her husband and kids one morning to live in a cottage in Wales. I love reading – I’ve got a podcast called Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club. The last song I listened to… Swalla by Jason Derulo, on my way to my gig. It helps put me in a less sleepy mindset. The last box set I binged… I love forensic dramas; I’ve got such a soft spot for Silent Witness. The last item I added to my wardrobe… A pair of floral trousers from a French label, Flolove Paris. The last beauty product I finished… Oskia’s rejuvenation serum. The last podcast I listened to… Red Handed by Suruthi-laya Bala and Hannah Maguire. It’s…

WOMEN WON'T HAVE MORE CHILDREN UNTIL THE SYSTEM WORKS South Korea’s birth rate has increased for the first time in nine years, offering some hope amid the country’s population crisis, after the state spent billions on financial incentives and expanded childcare assistance. In the UK, the birth rate is at an all-time low, with the average fertility rate 1.44 children per woman – raising alarms about our future economy. Financial incentives to have a baby could see us enter dystopian territory, but it’s clear parents are crying out for more support. New research from charity Pregnant Then Screwed found 74,000 women a year lose their job while pregnant or on maternity leave. We need better maternity pay, affordable childcare and an end to maternal discrimination to bring about systemic change.…

THE TIG Launching in 2014, The Tig was named after Markle’s favourite red wine, Tignanello, and covered everything from travel and wellness to feminism. It shuttered in 2017, six months before her engagement to Prince Harry, reportedly to limit media scrutiny of the pair. SUSSEX ROYAL In 2020, two years after their wedding, the Sussexes launched their own website, Sussex Royal, to showcase their royal work and philanthropic endeavours. After the couple chose to step back as senior royals and lost the right to use ‘royal’ in their branding, trademarking applications for Sussex Royal were withdrawn. ARCHEWELL Following their Montecito move in 2020, the couple set about launching The Archewell Foundation, a non-profit focusing on philanthropy, while the media arm, Archewell Productions, offers TV and podcast products. Their subsequent $100…

THE MORNING I stopped wearing a headscarf I felt like Cinderella. As if by magic, I was suddenly beautiful – my dark curly hair falling over my shoulders, my elegant neck exposed, clothes clinging to my curves. I stepped out into the world. ‘Oi!’ shouted one of the first men I saw. ‘Come suck on this!’ He grabbed his crotch and thrust it towards me. It wasn’t quite the fairy tale I’d been expecting. I was 21 and I’d been wearing a headscarf since I was 11. Though I’d frequently been yelled at by people keen for me to assimilate into British society – ‘Take that towel off your head you fucking terrorist,’ they’d shout – I had never been cat-called. Now I’d lost my faith and was headscarf-free, I…

WHEN IS A FASHION brand not just a fashion brand? For Christian Dior, its multibillion-pound melting pot of access and power ensures that the mega-brand doesn’t merely sell luxury, but culture. Among the stadium-level spectacles and A-list front rows, the clothes are not always front and centre of the commentary. Straddling the worlds of design and showmanship is an interesting dichotomy for its creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who joined the house (founded in 1947) in 2016. The first female creative director in the brand’s 78-year history, the Italian designer, who cut her teeth at Fendi and Valentino, has led the charge of making female empowerment look good, transforming Dior from a bastion of old-school femininity into one of new-wave feminism. We meet in her library, bookshelves stacked with tomes…

1. ‘Unsure of your sizing in vintage? Put a buttoned up pair of jeans around your neck so the ends just touch: they should fit you perfectly. So, if shopping online you can measure your neck and ask the seller for the dimension straight across the jeans when laid flat. This is easier as when measuring where jeans sit on the body it’s more complicated.’ 2. Don’t just filter by women’s, some of my most flattering jeans are men’s. I like how they sit low at the waist so you can tuck a shirt loosely for a neat silhouette. 3. Look for orange tab ‘80s Levi’s, harder to find but they’re the best fit for a womanly shape. I’ve worn mine until they’re threadbare. 4. Once you have received your…

An instant glow ‘My Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer with TFC8 in Gold, £95, created in collaboration with Augustinus Bader.’ Sun protection ‘Benton Air Fit UV Defense Sun Cream, £17.43.’ To tackle dark circles ‘My Victoria Beckham Beauty Concealer Pen with TFC8 in LM1, £64.’ To combat dry lips ‘The Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Balm in Fleur, £30.’ Fuss-free make-up removal ‘Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O Micellar Water, £18.’ To calm irritated skin ‘Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream, £150.’ A moment of TLC ‘A facial and an LED mask.’ A handbag hand cream ‘The Victoria Beckham Beauty Hand Cream Collection, £137.’ A wellness moment ‘I don’t go anywhere without my crystals.’…