Table of contents for April 19, 2023 in Stylist

For the past three months, I’ve not managed to leave Stylist HQ with my trouser buttons done up (which is not as dodgy as it sounds). I’ve started my office days with the best of intentions in my favourite not-working-from-home uniform (black roll-neck, wide-leg tailored trousers, loafers) and bounced into London with the energy of a five-year-old in a toy shop. But by 3pm I’m as curled up as a pretzel, trousers undone and with a stomach so swollen I look like I’ve eaten a balloon. One particular Tuesday I found editor Alix in the kitchen in a similar state. “I’m in agony,” she confessed. “I can barely stand up.” We compared notes and spent our entire commute home speculating wildly as to what was causing our office bloat (discovering…

A ONE-DAY DIARY FROM FLAT WHITE TO LIGHTS OUT Meg, 26, is a life drawing model who poses nude at art classes in London and beyond. She lives in Harringay with her partner I’m awake most mornings by 9am. I’ll shower, then make breakfast – usually a fried egg sandwich. My modelling work is typically in the evenings, so I’ll take the morning slow, replying to emails and organising tickets for the classes I put on myself. In the afternoon, I’ll practise poses – sometimes I search for ideas online, other times I’ll just look in the mirror to test out how a pose looks and how long I can hold it for. The best ones are interesting to draw from lots of different angles. I started life modelling…

stylist advertorial Want to make more conscious fashion choices? Then look no further than jewellery brand Pandora… With so many of us taking a more mindful approach when it comes to fashion, it’s always good news to hear that another big brand is taking steps to make its business more sustainable. “We’ve been on an incredible journey over the last several years at Pandora to be a positive force for change,” says Marissa Saretsky, VP of sustainability at Pandora. “We’ve set a number of ambitious sustainability goals and are working hard towards becoming a low-carbon business, driving circularity in everything we do, and authentically embodying what it means to be an inclusive, diverse and fair organisation.” With a plan to halve CO2 emissions across the business by 2030, and steadily…

beauty Resurrected and pumped up by a collective sense of disillusionment, the box bob is your new superpower. We sent two of the Stylist team to hairdresser George Northwood to embrace their inner rebel words: cassie steerPHOTOGRAPHY: LAURENT DARMON There are haircuts, and then there are haircuts that exhort hardened hitmen to dance the twist in their socks (aka John Travolta in Pulp Fiction). Few chops have invoked such attitude or moral outrage as the bob. According to @thehairhistorian Rachael Gibson, when bobs first permeated the mainstream in the 1920s, fathers sued hairdressers, men divorced their wives and women were sacked from their jobs. And, as Uma Thurman proved, cinema wouldn’t be the same without its bob-haired protagonists (see also Natalie Portman in Léon and Faye Dunaway in Bonnie And…

stylist advertorial Take the chance to reset and join us as we head outdoors for three 22km charity hikes this summer. Book your place to enjoy a day of movement, community and fresh air, and leave feeling fulfilled and refreshed. Achieve a new goalConnect with like-minded womenFocus and reset Surrey Hills: 2O MayEpping Forest: 1O JuneWest Highland Way: 17 June£36 entry (includes 10% donation to care international) Book now at stylist.co.uk/trek…

stylist network If pay negotiations have hit a brick wall, there are other benefits you can negotiate. From time off to walk your dog to a four-day working week, career experts explain how to get the next best thing out of your job Words: Holly Bullock Are you hankering for more holiday (who isn’t?) or the chance to work abroad? Is your current schedule not meshing with the demands of childcare or looking after a pet? UK wage growth has slowed, meaning fewer pay rises, but money isn’t the only thing you can negotiate. Here’s how to get more time, support and fulfilment out of your job until pay talks are back on the table. Find flexibility that suits Got a midday gym class you’d like to attend or want…

The titles worthy of a place on your bedside table rosewater by liv little Rosewater, the debut novel from gal-dem founder Liv Little, is a story built on chemistry. That spark of realism and rapport between characters that makes them feel three-dimensional, as if you’re standing right next to them in the cramped south London bar where they’re flirting over watered-down rum and Cokes. Protagonist Elsie is a vividly drawn 28-year-old, torn between what she expected her life to look like at this age and the tangled mess it’s become. At heart, she’s a poet, finding refuge in her pen and journal, but she’s adrift after being evicted from her flat and forced to pour all her time into a minimum-wage job at a local gay bar and move in with…

The meaning of life in 23 probing questions What will the comedian and actor make of our existential questions? Being an adult is… Wonderful and relentless. What are you worried about currently? What am I going to feed my kids for dinner?! If someone could reveal your future, would you want to know what would happen to you? Absolutely not. Staying in the wonder of what’s going to happen is the challenge and joy of being present. When do you feel most alive? When I’m dancing to K-pop with my two daughters. We’re currently very into Blackpink and Taeyang. How do you sleep? On my back with a soft T-shirt over my eyes. It’s very comforting, kind of like a stuffed animal, and I like how it’s not tight around…

fashion From Chloé to Gucci, slick tailoring dominated the s/s 2023 catwalks – and now it’s infiltrated every part of our wardrobe. Stylist shows why the suit is the savviest solution for feeling pulled together whatever the occasion fashion: lucy rebershopping: polly knightphotography: Victoria Adamson night out Pick luxe fabrics, rich colours and modern skirt suits for parties, as modelled by Stylist’s junior commercial writer Shadé Owomoyela. Statement earrings are the only jewellery you need with this bold sequin suit, the ultimate in modern partywear. Jacket, £169, trousers, £129, Whistles (whistles.com) Jacket, £89.99, trousers, £55.99, Mango (mango.com) Jacket, £790, trousers, £450, Bella Freud (bellafreud.com) Jacket, £419, shorts, £219, Sandro (uk.sandro-paris.com) Jacket, £545, skirt, £255, Ganni (ganni.com) Jacket, £298, skirt, £188, Rails (uk.rails.com) Jacket, £505, trousers, £320, Filippa K (filippa-k.com) Jacket,…

stylist advertorial This spring, we’re talking MAMMA MIA! and the return of our favourite low-key wardrobe staple – the humble dungaree It’s official. Musicals have become cool. Yes friends, musicals are having a moment both in the West End and in the fashion world, and we’re 100% here for it. From the glittering showgirl costumes of the 40s to pieces that became modern sartorial icons, the West End (and its fabulous fanbase) is a huge source of style inspo. And this spring it’s the beloved smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! that’s serving up some serious looks for the season ahead – think crochet dresses, espadrille sandals and, yes, the dungaree. As worn by lead character and supermum Donna (currently played by Mazz Murray), a pair of dungarees are a great…

beauty Forget florals, we’re gluttons for gourmand candles. Here are the crème de la crème to whet your olfactory appetite photography: David Marquezwords: Cassie Steer Carrière Frères Yuzu A mandarin/lime mash-up, yuzu is the energising citrus that will brighten any room (£50, selfridges.com). Urban Apothecary Lemon Curd Inspired by British pantry ingredients, this zesty, playful scent is pure positivity (£30, urbanapothecarylondon.com). Tom Ford Private Blend Bitter Peach Peach, but make it fashion: souped-up sweetness with a hint of piquant (£98, tomford.co.uk). Diptyque Coriander It may be the Marmite of the herb world but we declare this bright, aromatic candle a kitchen crowd-pleaser (£56, diptyqueparis.com). Malin+Goetz Tomato This fresh, herby fragrance conjures up a perfectly ripe tomato on a sunny window ledge (£50, malinandgoetz.co.uk). Perfumer H Salt If only all seasonings…

melanie lynskey With roles in cult hit Yellowjackets and TV show of the year The Last Of Us, actor Melanie Lynskey is finally getting her flowers after 30 years in the industry words: helen bownassphotography: Art Streiber “I hate small talk.” In those four simple words Melanie Lynskey has reflecteda conversation frequently heard in  the Stylist office and shown me – not that she needs to prove anything – why she’s a force to be reckoned with. “Oversharing is my favourite,” she adds. Indeed, within 15 minutes of our interview, we’ve covered: female rage, the difficulty with finding a great therapist and sexual desire; it’s a wrench having to say goodbye when my time with her is up. The New Zealand actor – she still has the accent – made…

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shopping If you’re on the hunt for quality accessories, the high street is where you need to be.Stylist has scoured the shops for the best classic pieces that will last fashion: polly knightphotography: dennis pedersen Bag, £159, Arket (arket.com) Sunglasses, £57.41, Le Specs (lespecs.com) Shoes, £119, Massimo Dutti (massimodutti.com) Bag, £199, Whistles (whistles.com) Trainers, £120, Vagabond Shoemakers (vagabond.com) Bag, £98, Reiss (reiss.com) Shoes, £30, Next (next.co.uk) Bag, £189, LK Bennett (lkbennett.com) Belt, £24.90, Uniqlo (uniqlo.com) Bag, £75, Charles & Keith (charleskeith.co.uk) Shoes, £55, Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com) Bag, £119, AllSaints (allsaints.com) Shoes, £89, Hush (hush-uk.com) Sunglasses, £115, Cos x Linda Farrow (cos.com) Boots, £170, Boden (boden.co.uk) £89, John Lewis (johnlewis.com) Shoes, £139, Arket (arket.com) Bag, £29.99, Mango (mango.com) Sandals, £250, Me+Em (meandem.com)…

stylist advertorial Make sore feet a thing of the past with this stylish new shoe collection… The transition from winter boots to shoes and (dare we say it) sandals is always one to be celebrated in the sartorial calendar. Why? Because this new season switch-up heralds the arrival of warmer weather, social plans governed by longer, lighter days and the chance to spruce up your existing wardrobe. But, if there’s one thing that we’ve learned when it comes to investing in a new pair of shoes, it’s that comfort takes precedence. Gone are the days of painfully squeezing our delicate little tootsies into a pair of badly made kitten heels for the sake of Instagram. Instead, in 2023, it’s all about choosing styles that look good without ever having to…

seeking safety This is all Amma*, a 29-year-old from Malawi, had when she claimed asylum in 2021. Two years on, she’s still waiting to find out her fate. With a Home Office backlog keeping thousands in limbo and fresh threats of deportation hanging over their heads, Meena Alexander seeks the real stories behind the headlines photography: nato welton Amma isn’t her real name, but everything else she tells me over the phone from the cramped Birmingham hotel room she shares with her son is painfully real. A story of violence, abandonment and the painstaking process to prove she’s worthy of protection, punctuated by tears and extended silences as she struggles to gather her words. A story she tells with fear in her voice that at any moment, her right to…

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for more recipes head to stylist.co.uk/food We are never not seeking out another new take on pasta to try at home. This month’s recipe comes from Lara Lee’s brilliant new cookbook A Splash Of Soy, which is all about delicious, no-fuss Asian home cooking – think lemongrass pork burgers dripping in sriracha and gooey tamarind caramel brownies. Lee’s spin on pasta takes inspiration from Korea, incorporating kimchi and gochujang for a sweet, spicy, salty, umami mash-up that comes together in just 15 minutes. Her top tip? Buy the best kimchi you can afford: the sour funk is crucial to this dish’s flavour. And add this one to your weeknight repertoire of unexpected hits. preparation time 5 minutes cooking time 10 minutes ingredients (serves 2) 200g dried linguine or spaghetti120g kimchi,…