Ed’s Letter

Once a week, on a Tuesday, I sit down with our marketing assistant Florence to take a deep-dive into our website’s stats. Stats are the brilliant – and slightly addictive – bites of information that, in our case, indicate which features are popular (or not). Although it doesn’t dictate our content, I thoroughly enjoy discovering what you like and dislike. So here goes: Dad trainers? You hate.  Jumpsuits? Love. Dresses? Can’t get enough of.  White boots? Not convinced. Last February’s Dressing Room Diaries, where Petro and I handpicked the high-street pieces we deemed of ICON status? You were passionate about (and to be honest, so were we!). So in this issue, we are bringing back this popular feature in our bi-annual Smart Price issue.

But what does ‘smart price’ really mean? We all have different budgets, and what may seem affordable to one is out of reach for another. So instead of having a price cap, we decided to look for a true quality-versus-price balance. From trainers to wardrobe transformers, we’ve selected the pieces we would buy ourselves, or recommend to a friend. We’ve also focused on the brands that consistently deliver quality at entry-level prices, from Joseph’s basics to Whistles’ prints – you’ll find them all in our ICONS Guide.

For this issue’s Beauty Focus, we’ve looked for a smart-price way to add a little oomph to your outfit, something the ICONS office unanimously agreed was a coat of red lipstick. Oh, and there’s a little update on that front; click on the main images in the feature to see Petro and I come to life and try our favourite lipsticks in an exciting new video. 

And because cost-per-wear is a super smart way of considering your next big purchase, in this issue’s Style Sheet we shine a light on an ICON holy grail: the Gianvito Rossi knee-high boot. At over £1,000 they’re certainly an investment, BUT when worn twice a week for the duration of autumn/winter (which I was shocked to find out is roughly 180 days) for five years, per wear they’d cost you less than your morning cappuccino. Do we deem that a smart buy? Absolutely… although sadly only a dream buy for me! 

I hope you enjoy the issue – you know where I’ll be in a week’s time to find out!

Love