5 MICRONS

I moved to New York to pursue journalism when I was 24 and that felt life-shaping. Not just the job itself, which was intense and fast-paced, long hours and an entirely different way to show up in your career, but the act itself of leaving my relatively comfortable London life for some bigger, bolder and unknown. Every time I doubt myself now, I have to look back at the choices I’ve made and remind myself how instrumental I have been in my own journey.

It has changed so much over the years and even more recently. Creating and editing an editorial product that engages and inspires readers is still the core of what I do with my amazing team, but this is now across a variety of platforms. I’m now also just as focused on commercial opportunities for Red and forging brand partnerships that feel really aligned. But as well as editing 150 print pages a month, I also create weekly ecomms galleries online, write for our newsletter and appear in styling videos for our social channels.

So many different things! Everything from Glamour in the UK, which I worked at many years ago, and had such a friendly, warm, witty tone, to Cheryl Strayed who writes with such emotion and eloquence but in a deeply engaging, honest way, to Goop and Gwyneth Paltrow who have shifted the collective cultural mindset by giving a platform to many progressive ideas and ways of thinking.

Storytelling has to remain at the heart of everything. You need people to connect with what you’re saying to care about it. That said, I believe we are all seeking different things on different platforms. In print, Red has the space to tell stories and share unexpected ideas, online it needs to be a resource you can trust for instant information. But it can do both with integrity.

Like Red’s readers, I have reached a point in my life and my wardrobe where I want fewer things, but I want them to be better. I’m more focused on quality, cut and longevity. A beautiful wool piece in a timeless shape will last decades and as an antidote to fast fashion, customers are happily investing in slow, sustainable, natural fabrics instead.

What are you currently reading ? The Bee Sting is the top of my pile. I know it’s supposed to be amazing, but need a holiday so I can sink my teeth into it.

What are you binging on TV? Severance is next on my list (I haven’t seen either season yet) and White Lotus 3.

What Podcasts are in your ears? Betwixt the Sheets – the history of sex, scandal and society – it’s fascinating!

Favourite flowers? Peonies, I carried them at my wedding over a decade ago and my husband has bought them for me every year since.

Favourite scent? Neroli Oranger by Matiere Premiere – every time I wear it someone comments on it and it smells like summer.

Best piece of advice you’ve received? Be your own best friend. That sounds a bit cliché but so many of my friends view themselves so harshly and I don’t think that serves you in the long run. I try not to hate anything about myself and to let go of past shame. It’s a work in progress.

If you could interview anyone, past or present, who would it be and why? Possibly Coco Chanel, along with an inimitable sense of style she had a steeliness and a fighting spirit I find fascinating.

Your first fashion moment? You probably don’t mean this, but when I was six, my auntie made me a white ra-ra skirt which I wore with a marl grey t-shirt that had my name, in hologram bubble writing, emblazoned on the front (it was the 80s). I felt amazing in that outfit and it was the first time I acknowledged the transformative power of clothes.

Fave piece from our collection? The merino wool roll neck for its elegance and simplicity.

Favourite Fashion Brands? Too many! Max Mara, Chloe, Zimmermann, Ulla Johnson, Miu Miu, Wiggy Kit, Anna Mason…

Dream Purchase? A Chanel Bag, or preferably a holiday home on the beach in Italy.

Drink of Choice? Water, Earl Grey, Champagne.

Do you have a superpower? My daughter recently told me I radiate sunshine, which is possibly the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I hope I bring light and warmth to the people around me.