My heart belongs to Marie Claire

One of my dreams came true the other day. I got to visit the office of one of my loves... no I’m not cheating on my boyfriend, it was the magazine Marie Claire’s office in London.




I went there as part of their Inspire and Mentor campaign, in which they are helping young women with their careers. In the past they have had authors tell wannabes how to get published and make- up artists how to get noticed, this one was all about how to get into magazines.


I have been reading Marie Claire since I was about 17/18, and it is one of the many reasons why I want to be a journalist. Not many magazines out there provide the same amount of provocative articles about everything from female stalkers to women’s rights in the Congo. To beautiful pages of fashion and beauty, with a mix of book reviews, and celeb interviews. It is the smart woman’s magazine and I love its diversity. So you can imagine my joy when I found out about the evening.


I was very nervous, it felt like a job interview but when I saw the huge Blue Fin Building I felt as if I had returned to the Mothership, this was somewhere I could see myself working. The reception was huge, with a desk to the side and looking up just loads of floors with walk-ways in between. It vaguely reminded me of the reception in The Devil Wears Prada, but more welcoming and friendly. I got my name signed off and just had to wait. There were quite a few girls there all dressed up, many with friends a couple with their mums.


When it was time, we went up to the tenth floor and across the bridge to a reception room, where champagne and nibbles were a-waiting. I didn’t drink much; champagne goes straight to my head and makes me flush pink, not the look I wanted to go for in front of the Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief.


We then all mingled, trying to suss each other out, I met some nice girls some of which I wish I had got their blog addresses.


Then the time came and we were called in to a swish conference room with red padded seats and sat in front of us press conference style was Editor in Chief Trish Halpin, Features Director Andrea Thompson, Fashion features Director Jess Wood, Beauty writer Cassie Steer and Digital and online Editor Helen Russell. It was like the Holy Grail of panels. I have followed Andrea’s career for years and followed Trish’s from In Style to Marie Claire, where I think she has re-vitalised the magazine and given it a new edge.


Each spoke about the industry, their particular area and how they got to where they are today. It was fascinating, I learnt that Trish started at a trade magazine, and then went to become a sub-editor at More! then deputy editor at a few other magazines. Andrea was the only under-cover reporter for the Daily Mail, Jess did the intense NCTJ course, Cassie had a geography degree and Helen started up her own website. These women got to where they are today through persistence and hard work. I loved every minute and hearing them talk about the magazine just cemented in my mind that this was the place I wanted to end up. Everything the magazine stands for I love and cannot think of any other magazine that could make me feel like that.


My heart belongs to Marie Claire.