Left: take party make-up
To the Max, on page 240.
Maybelline Colour Show
Kohl Eyeliner in Beauty
Blue, £3, and Total
Temptation Palette, £12.
Spinel and diamond
ring, price on request,
Tiffany. Below: Nights
in Shining Armour,
on page 202. Yellow-
sapphire, diamond
and pearl necklace,
Van Cleef & Arpels.
Diamond, yellow-beryl
and rock-crystal ring,
Boucheron. Both price
on request. Dress,
£1,805, David Koma55MERT ALAS & MARCUS PIGGOTT; MATT EASTON; DAVID FERRUA; ALASDAIR MCLELLAN; JASON LLOYD-EVANS; MITCHELL SAMSEDITOR’S LETTER
it’s said, is upon us. Whether on the
front row or on the front benches – or
simply leaning over our smartphones- we have more eyes on each other than
at any time in history. As is also often
said these days, it’s a lot.
Of course, in the fashion industry and
across social media, the concept of an
The age of
influence,
“influencer” has evolved in a few short
years into one that we all fully understand.
Many influencers are now stars in their
own right, while millions more around
the globe, armed with a new handbag
and a winning filter, continue to strive
for clicks and likes. It’s an important sea
change, but I do sometimes wonder how
many are doing anything truly useful
with this modern superpower.
Emma Watson is one woman getting
it right. Since she was cast as Hermione
Granger in the Harry Potter franchise 20
years ago (aged just nine), she has been
one of the most recognisable faces on the
planet. Famous in practically every corner
of the world, she accumulated influence
the old-fashioned way; coming of age in
the digital era means she now finds
herself with a cross-platform following
of 80 million engaged and devoted fans.
What Emma did next was nothing
short of extraordinary. Instead of
pursuing a traditional celebrity path- making back-to-back blockbusters
or launching a brand – the actor’s personal
sense of social justice drove her
to turn her platform into a place
where she could highlight the
issues that she – and, crucially,
the broad group of activists
she surrounds herself with- finds most pressing.
She has become a
genuine thought leader for
many young people today,
championing issues such as
sustainability in fashion,
reproductive rights and
intersectional feminism.
Memorably, Nobel Peace
Prize recipient Malala
Yousafzai once told
Emma that hearing her
speak at the UN in 2014 made
her finally feel comfortable
enough to self-identify as a
feminist. As writer and fellow
activist Paris Lees discovers on
page 172, Emma is devoted to
amplifying voices – and she is
refreshingly candid, reflecting > ALEXANDER M
CQUEENOSCAR DE LA RENTAEmma Watson,
this month’s cover
star, is interviewed
by Paris Lees on
page 172. Below
right: 10 ways to
up your after-dark
style (page 77)12-19-FOB-Eds-Letter.indd 55 16/10/2019 15:53