BEHIND THE ISSUE

1) Sure, she’s smizing in this pic and is pretty much the nicest human we know, but writer

WING SZE TANG was all business when penning her piece about taking the road less travelled at work for our ELLE Guide: How to Build Your Most Successful Career (p. 70).

2) We spy RITA REMARK, global lead educator for Essie, and GRACE LEE, lead makeup artist for Maybelline New York. When these mega-talented artists weren’t bringing our floral-focused beauty looks to life in “Flower Shop” (p. 96), they had a blooming good time (yes, we went there) on-set test driving the floral creations by Jaime McCuaig of Gunnar Floral Design.

3) We were pleasantly surprised when our roaming beauty editor VICTORIA DIPLACIDO actually came back to work after visiting Miserden, a gorgeous wisteriacovered estate in the Cotswolds, England, with Jo Malone London (p. 68). But it may not be for long. “I’m already plotting my return and hoping to run into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle next time,” she says.

4) Model NOVA got back to nature in a big way during our “Into the Wild” photo shoot (p. 102) at Fronterra Farm in Prince Edward County, Ont. In addition to making standing in a marsh look high-fashion, she dangled from a tree and held her own against the snakes and dragonflies in the swamp. Hero.

5) Standing ovation to associate art director ELENA VILTOVSKAIA’s generous husband, Jason, who lent us his Oscar Schmidt electric guitar for our shoe-shopping shoot (p. 42).

6) Writer JULIA SEIDL, who loves all things shiny (check out her bracelet game, above) ponders why she’s reluctant to get behind the brooch trend in “Pin-terest” (p. 48). So what accessory is she loving right now? “I’m obsessing over these XL door-knocker earrings that once belonged to my mom,” she says. “They remind me of early-’90s Versace—even though they’re probably from Eaton’s.”