Just a few months ago HELLO! Magazine unveiled HELLO! Fashion Monthly (HFM), offering aspirational yet accessible fashion for today’s busy women. Delivering a monthly mix of high street and high-end content for fashion lovers, we couldn’t wait to catch up with HFM’s Editor and Deputy Editor to get the low-down on their new publication, ahead of their exclusive guest edit for BrandAlley.
Juliet Herd, HFM Editor is incredibly well-connected within the A-list celebrity world, having interviewed everyone from celebrities to Royals, and has co-ordinated deals with the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to name a few. Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe it! Deputy Editor, Jill Wanless, has experience both sides of the camera with not only extensive experience in fashion editorial but several stints presenting on TV and radio to boot.
In this exclusive interview we find out which celebrity they found a joy to work with, their most influential style icons and our must-have buy of SS15.
Tell us, for those who are new to HFM, a little more about what it is and why it was launched?
Juliet: HFM launched in September 2014 and is an inviting, inspirational, glamorous and accessible title for readers looking for something new, away from the overwhelming weight of a traditional fashion glossy magazine.
We spent a lot of time speaking with women about what they wanted from a magazine. They all said they wanted to be inspired by good-quality fashion and beauty edits, but are often too time poor to read through thick fashion bibles. We decided to a create a unique proposition that combines high-street and designer looks and offers practical advice, trend insights and beautiful fashion shoots to inspire all, no matter what the budget.
So what makes HFM different to other fashion publications?
Juliet: HFM offers a very different experience for its readers – it’s accessible, relevant and aspirational. For us, the content should be about quality over quantity. Small but essential details such as that we go to print 11 days prior to the on-sale date, unlike other monthly magazines, allows us to react to the latest fashion and celebrity news, as well as keeping all content fresh and relevant. We also decided to price HFM at just £1 making it affordable and accessible for all.
How would you describe HFM’s sense of style, and how does this reflect your own wardrobe?
Jill: HFM is all about accessible glamour. Our readers love the mix of high street and high end, finding those amazing pieces that you’ll love forever. I mix it up when it comes to my own wardrobe and I can honestly say that I like everything the stylists edit for the magazine, that’s our rule, if we wouldn’t wear it why would the readers.
What do you do to ensure the style and trends featured are fresh and relevant to your audience?
Juliet: We have a team of fashion and beauty editors who keep up-to-date with trends directly from the fashion shows at New York, London, Paris and Milan and from insider knowledge. Our Editor-at-Large is Hilary Alexander OBE who brings a wealth of knowledge to the team.
We also keep up-to-date with the latest bloggers and street style. We believe they are a key part of the fashion and beauty industry today and we work very closely with a number of influential bloggers, for example Alice Naylor-Leyland who has her own column in the magazine called ‘Alice’s Wonderland’.
It all sounds so glamorous – what would you say you love most about working in fashion?
Jill: I love that every season you can get excited about the fresh collections and trends. I never tire of looking at the catwalks and new retailer look books then coming up with ideas for the magazine of how we can inspire our readers.
What has been your favourite feature to work on so far, and why?
Juliet: I would have to say our cover interview and shoot with Olivia Palermo for our launch issue 00. It was great to have such a high-profile, inspirational and fashion-savvy celebrity like Olivia to launch our magazine and she was a joy to work with – such a professional and funny, too! The images we shot in New York were beautiful and the whole feature looked very cool and chic. There was such an air of excitement that surrounded that issue as it was our first one.
Speaking of inspirational and fashion-savvy celebs, who are your style icons?
Jill: Right now I love the off-beat style of Dree Hemmingway, Chiara Ferragni and, like Juliet, Olivia Palermo – but when it comes to a woman who has influenced a generation, I’d have to say Debbie Harry. I had the honour of styling her a couple of times and I can report, she’s every bit as cool in person.
Final question; it’s a toughie! If we could make just one fashion purchase for SS15, what should it be?
Jill: Just one? That’s hard! I’m going to have to say the Gucci chestnut saddle bag, I love the 70’s boho vibe and this bag is a classic I know I’d wear year in and out.
Make sure to check out their top picks and style on site today. Look out for their logo on each sale or take inspiration from their moodboards:
