When I was young and said that I really wanted to become a journalist, I didn’t picture myself working in war zones. My idea of journalism involved writing a couple of paragraphs a day and selecting some cool photos for the next issue.  The –imaginary – job description featured blow dry-perfect hair, high heels from dawn to late at night sans pain, lots of new bags on tap, kindness of international fashion houses and a fresh bunch of flowers delivered to my desk on a daily basis, courtesy of unlimited number of fans. Then life happens. My job is slightly different, I can cope with high heels only for a handful of hours, and I buy ONE designer’s bag once a year (top), and paying for it.

I received flowers in the office three times in the last four years.

photo credit- The Style PA via photopin cc

The opportunity to visit the office of Stylist Magazine come along, and I couldn’t resist it. The free press magazine – very PR driven, but better than Grazia, in my opinion – launched a detailed, and to be honest quite long – questionnaire online few weeks ago. The readers who didn’t give up and completed it, despite the intimate tone of few questions, were given the opportunity to take a photo shoot in the Stylist’s professional booth, and then get featured on the magazine, probably in a picture the of 1×1 centimetres.  Results and pictures will be published on the 5^th of December issue.

Housed in a former warehouse, the Stylist Magazine’s office appears like the perfect place to get brainwaves. It looks like several advertising agencies I work closely to. The shoot happens on Sunday. I arrive at 11 and two young ladies, who work for the magazine, greet me. The look exactly as you would expect them to look like: over priced jeans, a simple and sleek top, probably from Zara or H&M to balance, high and chunky heels, and engagement rings that resemble those that Richard Burton bought for Liz Taylor many years ago and got auctioned last year. They are friendly, easy to speak to, not intimidating at all. They even eat those croissants that are on offer !

I ask them many questions about the magazine, their role and the legacy of the survey we filled few weeks ago. They are very well prepared and they tell me a lot of things around the interesting trends that emerged, such as the desire to become a mother against not being quite there with their careers, the importance of a relationship, sex, psychotherapy…in a nutshell, the usual chick dilemmas…

I sharp my ears and listen to the stories of the other girls in line, ready to get photographed. One is looking for a job opportunity – ideally at Stylist – another one wants to be come a fashion designer, two friends cannot believe their luck and keep on producing excited wow!

Everyone looks perfectly nice, well groomed, with a natural and personalised style.

In less than ten minutes I am done. I have four pretty good pictures of my face, in a frame that resembles the Stylist’s front cover. I am pleased with the result.

photo credit- The Style PA via photopin cc

I had a very good time.

Well done Stylist Magazine, for engaging your core audience in a very personal way, and at the same time offering to your advertisers a very detailed insight on their readership, on a silver plate. And thanks for giving me a great reason to get up early on a sunny Sunday morning, cycle to a part of town that I do not visit very often, and reward myself with a lovely breakfast, courtesy of Bea of Bloomsbury. If you are after personalised – or simply delicious – cakes, this is your place.

/www.beasofbloomsbury.com/