Claire wi th OllFrom Chris and the Year s & Year s’ y editor
ihave been hundreds of different Claires in my life. There was the Spice Girls superfan. Goth Claire (aged 14 to… well, still now, really). The wannabe fashionista I tried so hard to be (before I realised high-end fashion magazines were just not my natural home). I’ve been blonde, brunette and fuchsia pink. In the space of a single day I go from wearing the floaty dress that makes me feel confident for a meeting to the sweats and scrunchie that make me feel off-duty when I’m at home. But just between us? Sometimes I feel like a fake – somehow guilty for wanting to try new looks, new hobbies, new personalities. I worry I should have figured out which exact version of “me” I am by now, that I’m suffering some neverending identity crisis. I’m slowly realising this fear is total BS, though. Why shouldn’t you try new things, learn what you love (and hate) and get to know the many different parts of yourself? Reinvention is liberating. It propels you forward into new and uncharted territory. If life is one big dot-to-dot of moments, change is the constant thread that joins those dots.
You might notice the pages of this magazine have also had a bit of a refresh. We’re trying out a new look, and you know what? It feels good. I hope you love it as much as we do. And if you’re feeling like a bit of self-(re)discovery this autumn, we’ve got everything you need. Whether it’s considering therapy for the first time (p36), updating your wardrobe (p50; p62) or exploring somewhere new (p128), try things. Hold onto the good stuff and lose the rest.
Reinvention is something our cover star is an expert in. Refusing to be defined and willing to put two fingers up to anyone who tries to make her conform to their idea of what she should be, Héloïse Letissier (AKA Christine and the Queens) is the role model we all need right now (p74). “You deserve to be yourself,” says Chris. She’s right, of course. Because if you’re not meant to be yourself, whatever that looks like, who are you meant to be? You are weird and unique and a million things have made you the way you are. Embrace it.