Mags: UK ELLE – highs and lows

Like any fashion magazine, UK ELLE's role is to edit down key seasonal trends for the reader, pointing out looks across the collections, ignoring the plain ridiculous and packaging everything up in a handy shopping-enabling section with 'real buys' complementing the designer garb. I think ELLE does an excellent and visually inspiring job of this, creating editorial equilibrium between catwalk images, concise but sophisticated copy and complementary high-street options shot in still-life format. Like 'Fashion For Dummies', without the patronising overtones, ELLE makes it clear and simple; there's no mistaking what is 'in', how to wear it (see '(How To Do) The New Key Pieces') and where to get it.

I imagine the UK ELLE reader is a committed shopper – she works and shops by day (lunchtime, online, anytime!) and drinks excessive amounts of Pimms by night (more on that later) – but while she might buy the Nina Ricci perfume advertised in its pages, treat herself to a special I-got-a-promotion Prada purse, splurge on a Clarins facial cream and list Peter Som and Phillip Lim amongst her favourite designers, fast, affordable fashion is her main game. Equipped with the education ELLE provides, she can confidently hit Topshop, Zara, M&S, Gap, French Connection, Jigsaw and Ted Baker with the knowledge of exactly which designers are being 'referenced' (euphemism for knocked off) and which pieces she 'must' buy (a YSL-style cuff, statement shoes, a retro clutch, a trouser suit, harem pants, plaid, something lace, PVC leggings, a blouse with ruffles, a Lanvin-style LBD) to look on-trend. And, of course, on-trend is what she wants to be. Even when the economy is close to recession...

Yes, the lone suggestion that ladies should tighten their purse strings comes via 'anonymous' columnist Mademoiselle (a.k.a. executive fashion editor Stacey Duguid) in her 'Confessions of an ELLE Girl' piece, where she puts a positive spin on the "credit crunch", which she reluctantly endures like a nasty champagne hangover (our Mademoiselle is all about designer labels and the cocktail life; the ultimate ELLE girl aspiration): "A/W 2008 has hit the shops already, so a wardrobe clear-out is on the cards... Oh, who am I kidding? I can't afford to replace all my clothes... I can live without Lanvin, I can do without Dolce, I'll be fine without Fendi... I am going to revisit, recycle and reuse – and I'm even going to do high street!", Duguid writes in her usual fashion-enthusiast-come-comedic tone. Though her style sensibility leans more towards bona fide Balenciaga, Mademoiselle is surprised by what she finds at Marcs & Spencer ("there are some great dresses and I plan to cake on the kohl and rock out in heels") and Topshop ("love the flippy skirts and baggy sweaters") and Ted Baker ("the mustard blouse with the pussy-bow ties was purrfect"). Her new appreciation for high-street fashion isn't the only thing she has in common with the ELLE reader: "I wanted an excuse to start drinking at lunchtime, so a 'pub walks' holiday was the perfect option. I discovered Cumbrian ale, then realised I'd been drinking a month's worth of calories in a day. And people say London is dangerous."

The magazine's 'serious' feature this month is 'Do you drink too much?'. To avoid alienating or passing judgment on young female readers who do drink too much (and, excuse the pun, pissing off advertisers), ELLE has chosen to cover the issue of Britain's binge drinking culture with a panel discussion consisting of seven women, including MP Jacqui Smith, nightclub owner Amy Sacco, recovering alcoholic/writer Alice King and party girl/actress Margo Stilley (a real-life Mademoiselle), which is accompanied by a fact box (75% of women aged 18-24 admit to binge drinking; the British are Europe's biggest binge drinkers; the number of women arrested for being drunk and disorderly has increased by more than 50% over the past five years).

As a teetotal, I find the whole issue of binge drinking a rather sad reflection on the state of society and particularly young women. Not only is it unhealthy, unattractive and a waste of money (which could be spent on shoes), it reeks of peer pressure, cultural subservience and a twisted feminist desire to keep up with the boys. We have the same problem here in Australia. It's practically a right of passage to write yourself off more than a few times in your youth but when the pattern continues into your 20s/30s, you've gotta ask if you have a problem. We all have our vices, for sure, and I suppose this one is at least social (as opposed to locking yourself away and chowing down a block of Cadbury's after a shitty day), but nothing good can come of excess consumption of alcohol (sex regret, injury, embarrassment, hangovers, depression, weight gain... ick).

That said, I am fully aware of the health benefits (physical and mental/emotional) of downing a glass of red wine at the end of the day and am not averse to a casual holiday tipple with cheese and crackers. Moderation in all things. Unfortunately, in ELLE world, champagne swilling and fashion parties are almost inextricable... like Kate Moss and cigarettes/champagne/crap men. There are a few fancy alcohol adverts this issue – for SABAI wine, Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin, Tanqueray Dry Gin and Corona Extra.

If you need further evidence of the destructive power of alcohol and drugs (and the wrong men), flip over to 'Fame, Drugs, Guns & Lost Love', in which Hunter S. Thompson's widow, Anita Thompson (buy her new book!), talks to editor-in-chief Lorraine Candy about life with the eccentric/alcoholic/drug addict/womaniser/gun collector/writer who's been iconised in the fashion of Ned Kelly/Andy Warhol. He was her mentor and a father figure and helped steer her into a state of drug dependence before he committed suicide aged 67. Why do smart women waste time with bad men?

Charlize Theron is a woman who won't take crap from any man ("my mother made me strong and wanted me to be invincible"), though the usually publicity-shy actress opens up about her soft side: "I am massively vulnerable, and for so long I just worked hard to cover that up. Stuart [Townsend] wasn't scared to confront that. He is the one man who never worries about kicking me up the backside." Sounds a little Taming of the Shrew to me, though I think this is a common desire of women in relationships today. We are strong/fierce/independent/capable but still want the men we're with to be, well, men. We've done a mighty fine job of emasculating many men with all our girl-power chanting and appreciation of and marketing to 'metrosexuals', and now we want them to feel empowered to stand up to us (in non-aggressive ways, of course)... and fix the car/washing machine and take out the garbage.

I can't imagine movie mogul Harvey Weinstein would have to take out the garbage, or that his new wife Georgia Chapman (of fashion label Marchesa, which has made quite a mark on the red carpet) would emasculate him, but I think there's something to be said of the complementary working dynamic between a successful businesswoman and successful studio executive. She has her thing going on; he has his (he's currently working on Nine, a film about a film-maker going through a mid-life crisis who's saved by the women in his life – the impressive cast includes Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard and Judie Dench!). No doubt Chapman will be hoping to dress them all for the various premieres. A former dyslexic, model and actress, her success with Marchesa, she says, are due to her attention to detail, a little control-freakiness and insomnia:

"I'm very particular when it comes to my dresses... I get distressed if things aren't perfect. When I was dressing Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba for an event, I hand-stitched every one of the feathers on the dresses myself. I reshaped Jessica's dress personally and didn't sleep all night, going to her place the next morning to make sure it was perfect... if people call being a perfectionist 'wound-up', then I am, that's fine. I employ 30 people who rely on me to do a good job."
I doubt Chapman has ever had to sneak an enormous shopping bag past her husband but, for the rest of us guilt-laden consumers, slipping a new lippie into our handbags is a much easier task. In times of economic downturn, it's often the beauty industry that benefits: the theory being that women downscale their purchases from expensive handbags, boots and jackets to less pricey, but equally as transforming, beauty products. If you can't afford Chanel pants, you can at least buy the nail polish or the perfume. This issue of ELLE is chock-full of beauty advertisers, including Rimmel, Lancome, Dior (perfume), L'Oreal, Sebastian, Davidoff, Wella, Pantene, Boots, Andrew Collinge, Herbal Essences, Sure deodorant, Toni & Guy, Palmer's, Dove, Listerine, Gillette and Maybelline. The beauty section itself covers golden makeup, 'The New Beauty Hot List' (your guide to what's in and what's not on the beauty front, I'm loving the mix of spills, catwalk pics, product and succinct copy), temporary boob enhancers (the boob jab, the salon treatment, the miracle gel – cheaper than an actual boob job), waterproof mascaras, chemical-free facials, blush and bronzer (tips from Charlotte Tilbury are a bonus), lunchtime buys and the regular 'HOTLIST' page on which beauty editor Victoria Riedl waxes poetic about oil-based cleansers, perfume and Daria Werbowy's collection for Lancome.

Escapism (without the airfare) comes via 'The A-List Isle' by Louise Candlish who has chosen Ile de Re, an island off the west coast of France, as the setting for her new novel, The Second Husband. Once a 'secret' holiday location for the likes of Carla Bruni, Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp and Princess Caroline of Monaco, it doesn't sound like a rough place to conduct one's research (alfresco dining, cycling on cobblestoned streets, eating oysters and crepes and shopping for gorgeous print sundresses – this novelist is no dummy). "I stayed at La Coursive guesthouse, in a vast converted hay loft which overlooks a magnificent garden. This was where my lovers would hide out from the world, I decided, though without the attentions of the glamorous Parisian proprietress who, since relocating to enjoy the civilised pace of life here, now spends mornings making pain au chocolat and confitures for her guests." Take me there now!
Girl-crush inspiration comes via profiles of Marc Jacobs artistic advisor Camille Miceli, 36, (gorgeous wardrobe/Parisian apartment/glamorous career working for Alaia and Louis Vuitton), Zooey Deschanel (who continues to be wide-eyed and adorable), GAP's VP of PR and columnist Chloe Sevigny ("I'm a competitive shopper – I hate it when others pull from my rail.")

While it often presents as a glorified shopping catalogue, UK ELLE continues to dazzle us with its simplistic but bold layouts, up-to-the-minute catwalk coverage, highly stylised beauty editorial, bitsy pop-cultural pages ('PREVIEW') and select mix of celebrity interview subjects. It's deeply superficial – preoccupied with getting your outward self looking 'just so' – choosing to scratch the surface of agenda issues, like binge drinking, rather than get too involved. Lorraine Candy is a big presence this issue, interviewing Georgina Chapman, as well as Anita Thompson, which could be a response to Vogue's Alexandra Shulman's own recent writing ventures. One recurring thought I had this issue is how the magazine manages the relationship between its high-end advertisers and its high-street philosophy... I suppose when you're pretty and popular you can get away with anything.

Overall excitement factor: 6/7
Feel-good factor: 5
Eye-candy rating: 5/6

The Stats
Issue: August 2008
Book size: 228 pages
Cover: Charlize wears Louis Vuitton
Inside front cover: also wears Louis Vuitton
Back cover: Calvin Klein Euphoria
FOB ads: Gucci, D&G, Chanel, Jitrois, Gianfranco Ferre, Just Cavalli, Chanel Fine Jewellery, YSL, Lancome, Paul & Joe...
Editor In Chief: Lorraine Candy
Website: www.elleuk.com

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel