Grazia

FOR A FEW years now, fashion has been in a minimalist mood. So, when we saw a tinsel skirt sashay down the runway at 16Arlington's London Fashion Week show earlier this year, there was a frisson of excitement. Had fashion found its sense of fun again? The rest of the autumn/winter '24 season seemed to confirm that, yes, there's been a vibe shift: it's time to get (over)dressed. This Big Fashion Issue celebrates the joy that fashion can bring. We've all felt our optimism surge when we dare to wear an OTT accessory with pride; the excitement when you find the perfect pair of boots. I hope you'll find all that and more in this special issue. Happy new season! @hattie_brett / feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk…

Have your say… Email us at feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk ■ Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GraziaUK FEATURED LETTER An age-old problem Thanks for making Philippine LeRoy-Beaulieu, aka Sylvie Grateau, your cover star. How refreshing in a society with negative perceptions of ageing to read such positivity. I've recently experienced age discrimination at work. A year younger than the divine Kylie Minogue, I had not considered myself old, but what begins as office banter becomes insidious when you're passed over for career progression. The Government's plans to up the state pension age means perceptions must change – and it starts with us. Alison The featured letter wins a year's membership to Grazia Beauty Club, worth over £200. See page 193 for details.…

As Kamala Harris and Donald Trump went head to head in their first televised presidential debate, Trump repeated some of the baseless claims he's made about abortion. ‘[Democrats] have abortion in the ninth month,’ he falsely stated, adding, ‘in other words, we'll execute the baby.’ This was quickly debunked by both Harris and moderator Linsey Davis. Trump has a long record of making bizarre and untrue comments about abortion. Some of his lies would almost be laughable if he weren't in with a chance of winning the US election. But with his second presidency a very real possibility, these comments are terrifying and must be called out at every opportunity.…

EARLIER THIS MONTH, the Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei was murdered by a man reported to be her ex-partner. This man allegedly doused her in petrol in her home and set her alight; Cheptegei died in hospital a week later of multiple organ failure. Sorry. Hardcore. Probably should have started with a trigger warning, eh? It's just that I hear this and find myself in the exact same place I was last May, when I saw videos of Sean Combs (who denies wrongdoing) apparently battering then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel corridor. That place is: feeling guilty. Appalled, dismayed… But also, definitely, guilty. Why? Because I know domestic violence happens. I know it happens all the time. I know that between 80 to 100 women are killed by a partner…

1. Up BRAD PITT In a lemon yellow co-ord with contrast piping, with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon in New York. Literally nothing wrong with this concept. 2. New in @GRANDADSINGS_ TIKTOK Our favourite thing on social media. Him singing August – and Jack Antonoff (who co-wrote the song with Taylor Swift) – expressing his esteem in the comments is wondrous. 3. Up ASHLEY & GORDON Aka Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall in Colin From Accounts – everything we never knew we wanted from a romcom; season two is more proof. 4. Up MICHELLE DE SWARTE We're late to the Spent party, finally got there while waiting for new Colin From Accounts, and this woman is a beautiful comic genius. We should have said it earlier. 5. New in MAYA…

THE JOY OF DRESSING UP Thankfully, the chilling global news cycle hasn't dampened fashion's spirits. Instead, designers attempted to bolster the mood with help from exploding fringes, bunches of tinsel, supersized studs and sequins on steroids. In short: clothes that make you smile. Forget the minimalist, clean-girl aesthetic you've honed over the last few years; the best way to beat the blues is to shake it off – ideally in retina-scorching garbs. Finally, we are in the mood for fashion for fashion's sake – bye, bye, beige. UH OH, THE AWKWARD SKIRT LENGTH IS BACK Do you remember your English teacher's bookish skirt? The one that awkwardly cut across her shins? Well, she's officially en vogue as many a brand – Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, to name…