Grazi Grazia (Grazia Magazine)

Member Name: Essexgirl2006

Product:	Grazia Magazine
Date:	10/01/08 (1142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good articles, good to dip in and out of

Disadvantages: Lightweight in places, top end clothing doesn't match to end journalism

For the first time in ages I purchased Grazia magazine the other week. The magazine is published by EMAP plc with a cover price of £1.90. The first edition came out in 2005 and claims to be Britain's first weekly glossy, I understand that to mean a weekly version of Marie Claire, Glamour or Elle. It is more expensive than most other women's weekly magazines, but pro rata the aforementioned monthly glossies are cheaper than buying four editions of this. When I first bought the magazine a few years ago I was impressed with the good mix of designer and high street fashion, as well as 'quality' celebrity articles (as opposed to who as the 'worst cellulite in celebdom' type things) and news. I stopped reading it when it run several fad diets articles and the celebrity gossip became more of a regular feature.
The 17th December edition featured Cameron Diaz on the front cover and also promised information on Madonna's new diet and Katie Holmes' new haircut, as well as lots of fashion news.

The magazine has four main sections - News, Features, Fashion and Health and Beauty, as well as a few smaller sections. Inside the cover there is a page of contents; however this isn't actually that helpful as most pages are not actually numbered!
The first News article is entitled 'The Fashion Charts' and lists the top ten fashion items we all must own. I was quite impressed that most of these items were available on the high street, mixed with some more expensive brands (but not the silly priced top end designer labels), generally all styles were very wearable and were not too 'out there' or only suited for a size 6. Also in this section is the Madonna article about her porridge diet and how it has made her look younger, I'm not big on fad diets so didn't read this piece. Then there are the '10 Hot Stories' which shows us a few nice pictures of a Chanel party. Others 'news' included Cameron Diaz's alleged 'love triangle' and the fact that we should all be dressing like Minnie Mouse (I didn't make that up, I swear!). Apart from this and a small article on pink sari clad vigilantes in India the news section offered nothing new, that wouldn't have been covered in the general press anyway - Amy Winehouse, the Spice Girls etc. It also said we should be wearing leopard print accessories s which I found a bit odd - even my mother has succumbed to animal print clothes and accessories and for such a fashion conscious magazine it seemed a bit strange to be advocating a trend that their target audience has been wearing for six months already.

Not all articles are light-weight or celeb-infused however. There is a more detailed 3-page article about a woman who lost her sister to domestic violence; and an interview with Beth Holloway, whose daughter died on a school trip and ultimately found comfort in the arms of John Ramsey, the father of murdered child beauty queen JonBenet. I found this a very worthwhile article, which managed to avoid sensationalising the situation. There is also an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow in the magazine, even though it is only short, I am surprised it didn't get a front cover mention instead of Cameron Diaz, whose associated story was little more than speculation, especially when you consider that she rarely gives interviews these days. There is also a regular column from Samantha Warwick, a widow, of how her life has been turned upside down after the death of her husband.

There is also Grazia 'opinion' in each section where Fiona McIntosh (whoever she may be) gives us her viewpoint on Cerys Matthews career post 'I'm A Celebrity...' Also Laura Craik gives us some fashion opinion by telling guys what clothes to buy the fashion conscious girlfriend for Christmas. I'm not sure how many guys would actually read it and I suspect most women would prefer to choose for themselves. Paul Flynn also tells us why we should be watching Gavin and Stacey on BBC3 (It's quite good apparently).
The Fashion section offers up the Best Dressed starts of 2007 - Sienna Miller, in case you are interested, tops the poll. With a couple of notable exceptions the Top Ten contains an above average quota of very skinny ladies. We also have 'A Little Black Dress Masterclass' from Kylie. Well, not her personally, just an excuse to fill the page with photos of her - you are always going to have some lovely black dresses if you have Dolce & Gabbana on your speed dial. The main fashion photo shoot is more reminiscent of the Vogue and Marie Claire type magazine and generally features top end designer labels and shoes. I can't say there was a single item that I would be interested in, even if I had the budget. The styles were rather unflattering even on the model. Following on from this was a small high street section where Karl Lagerfield (Chanel's designer) picks his top ten high street Little Black Dresses for us. The cynic in me thinks this selection was actually made by the Grazia Fashion Team and he just agreed to put his name to it. I don't imagine he has a great deal of time to scour the typical British High Street. That said there were some nice, wearable dresses there, most under £100. Strangely the High Street section also features a £519 Emporio Armani skirt and a £890 handbag that is apparently a must have. I think I've seen a photo of my mum with a similar bag taken in 1957. We then meet three glam ladies (two of which I had never heard of) who tell us what they will wear over the Party Season.

The Health & Beauty Section is smaller then the others and analyses Katie Holmes' hair and why we should all be wearing white make up when we go out. Apparently it makes your skin look younger and more radiant, they don't seem to mention the fact that everyone would probably laugh at you though. There are also features on perfumes and exercise.
In the rest of the magazine you will find a few recipes: this week canapés. Bizarrely it is suggested that you buy the key ingredients ready made. Why not go the whole hog and buy the canapés ready made? You can get some nice ones in M & S. There is also a film review and a comparison of the celeb exercise DVDs that flood the shops this time of year.

The magazine has approx 47 pages of adverts between its 146 pages. All are full page ads, mainly promoting perfume, skin care, cosmetics and fashion brands (both High Street and designer).
The magazine has a fairly large fashion section, and I would have preferred to see less fashion in the News sections and more news. The features and interviews such as with Gwyneth Paltrow and Beth Holloway are both interesting and original. I would like to have seen more of these than a Best Dressed List which, to me, is just padding and lazy journalism whilst they all get ready for their Christmas party (I may be too cynical for my own good). There is a tendency to sensationalise headlines: 'Cameron's shock love triangle' is basically made up of quotes from an anonymous friend following alleged phone chats and a chance meeting with Cameron Diaz and her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake (who already has another girlfriend hence the 'love triangle' business). There is nothing shocking about it at all and it is pure speculation. This is the sort of stuff you can find in any celebrity magazine and tabloid newspaper and is one of the facts that I have felt I need to mark the magazine down. As a 'glossy' it is supposedly aimed at the top end of the weekly magazine market but seems to want recycle gossip. At the same time it focuses more on designer clothing rather than High Street making the fashion sections more elitist than the other weekly magazines. I am starting to wonder if it is trying to be all things to all people and that just won't work. If I buy Elle I expect quality writing and fashion (usually still with a mix of high street and designer). If I buy Heat or similar, I expect celeb gossip and high street fashion. I'm not sure which market Grazia is trying to target.

I will probably buy the magazine again, but I will be sure to have a proper flick through it first - for me the real gems in the magazine: the original features that set them apart from others - are not mentioned on the cover and are lost inside pages of little black dresses and shiny designer shoes. I would recoemmend people thinking of reading the magazine to do this, to make sure they buy an issue that appeals to them the most. At least if I save the £1.90 a week I can afford that Gucci skirt in about 16 years...

Summary: A fashion led magazine