(Maarten Van Der Horst jacket, Vanessa Bruno top, Zara trousers, Dolce & Gabbana shoes)

When we shoot clothes and accessories in the magazine I approve the edit. My brief to the fashion team is: ‘Find me something that an ELLE reader can wear her way, not something every other fashion glossy will shoot.’ This means many pieces are rejected before they even make it onto the pages of ELLE.

I have a team of stylists who all have very particular personal preferences about what works and what doesn’t – it’s my job to edit their individual choices to ensure you’ll like them as a reader.

ELLE should appeal across the board to women with varying styles. My team’s overriding mantra is: ‘Will an ELLE girl buy it?’ We try to ensure our price points range from high street to designer, but I hate to separate the two. We all have different amounts to spend at different times in our life and everyone has different priorities, so I hope we cover every need and want for those who love fashion in ELLE.

This week we are planning our August issue which features the new-season collections. We’ve been working out how to reflect what we saw on the catwalk in the pages of ELLE. Who are the photographers? Who are the models? Who are the new and established designers we want to include? At the same time, I am editing and reading features and fashion for our July issue, the pages of which are being designed now.

An unusually tidy editor’s desk. This is a proof of the June cover star interview. At least four people read a proof before our sub-editors send it to the printer.

A print out of our biannual trends presentation, where the fashion team tell us what we will all be wearing next season. I keep a paper copy to refer to every time I start planning an issue.

This lilac Maarten van der Horst jacket is a recent find. I love the nylon ruffle around the outside. His collection for Fashion East is uplifting and fun – he cites Kid Creole as one of his references and, as you know, I am a big KC fan!