What is cool?


Although Grazia is my fave, fave, fave magazine there is another mag that has the power to make me leap out of bed Christmas Day-style and forgo my sacred Sunday lie-in. Observer Woman is a monthly supplement that comes with The Observer and, oh my God, it’s so me I can’t stand it. This month’s issue is called The Cool Issue and is just full of stuff I love. Page 4 mentions the 3-city Nokia Skate Almighty event from July 11th – rollerskating, cool bands and high fashion (Preen have designed some skates – rad!), could life get any better? Page 7 showcases a punktastic Filippa K frock from Urban Outfitters that vexatiously, isn’t yet on the UO site yet – tsk. Page 8 has an interview with Barbara Hulanicki – still being cool at the age of 71, ‘When I was 14 I used to wear twinsets the wrong way round, with the buttons at the back,’ while the regular What I Know About Men section is written by Judy Blume – swoon! Their Top 50 ‘who’s cool now‘ feature flags up the likes of Alexa Chung, Miranda July, Facehunter, Matt Irwin, Nicola Formichetti, Noel Clarke (Kidulthood, Adulthood) and Lou Doillon/Charlotte Gainsbourg as this summer’s names-to-know. Page 22 has a big article on Katie Grand*. Annoying as she is, I am quite fascinated by this plain Jane, so I’m saving this bit for my bedtime reading. Finally, page 34 brings us an interview with my current fashion heroine (and the best thing on telly) Mary Portas, ‘People might think I am mutton. They might! And sometimes I have to think before I go to the school: Take the shoes off, Mary. There’s a place. Context. You know, you turn up and think: Oops. No. This is not good.’

There are no main fashion shoots in OW so more pages for features which is fine by me as generally I don’t love the fashion in supplements. However, if you need a fix of shopping candy there are loads of product pages featuring bags, shoes, make-up and homesy bits at the back. What I really like about Observer Woman is its irreverant tone. It knows high fashion in the same way as Grazia (and has a lot of Grazia contributors) but talks about it in an almost Smash Hits kind of not-too-serious way. Deputy editor Polly Vernon is one of its key writers and she is tres sharp and witty. OK, enough gushing. Now I’ve calmed down I will sit quietly and read it properly. PS, no, I don’t work for them. (Wish I did though.)

*Apologies for the teeny picture, it’s all I could find…