An Interview with Philippa Morgan, Shopping & Style Editor of Glamour.Com

An interview with Philippa Morgan, Shopping & Style Editor of GLAMOUR.COM.

What is your fashion background?
I was brought up in a house of swatches, sample garments and models reading me bedtime stories, so it was no surprise that I understood fabrics and ‘rag trade’ terms before I could read the time.

Ready for this? My late father was a fashion designer and agent, so was his father and his - it goes back generations. My mum is a very talented buyer. My maternal Grandma was the head tailor for Burberry and Monrospun.

What’s your favourite high street shop?
At the moment, Zara for of-the-moment jackets, COS for classic staples, Topshop for accessories and Reiss for boardroom pieces. If I didn’t have so much leg and hip, then I’d be all over American Apparel spandex.

If you could only make one purchase for your summer wardrobe what would it be?
I’d buy a knock-out full skirt that cuts a 50s-style silhouette, but with a so-2010 high hemline. If limited to only one purchase, then the item must be a new building block to your existing wardrobe and add a new dimension to old favourites.

You’re the Shopping and Style Editor at Glamour.com. What does a shopping editor do? What’s a typical day like for you?
A shopping editor is responsible for running the shopping and style channel - which includes editing and selecting products/fashion from the high street and designer collections, creating trend-themed features, industry networking, securing exclusive interviews, creative editorial planning and writing analytical results-based reports.
A typical day is extremely busy; in a whirlwind of coffee and look books, I’ll view hundreds and hundreds of products and hand-pick items for features, come up with creative ideas – my head is always cluttered with mental Post-Its! I also write the daily Dos & Don’ts commentaries, fashion articles and blogs – with Tweets here and there. It’s never quiet. Fashion shouldn’t be quiet.

You’re also the editor of Stylefinder.com. How do you chose what’s hot – editor’s pick?
I’m an instinct-based editor and feature pieces that POP! It’s hard to explain, but something either works, or it doesn’t - suffice to say that if it’s featured, then it’s fabulous! Throughout the selection process, I always think of my audience and what they would like to wear, what would excite them, what has to be in their wardrobes and if the price tag is reasonable.

It’s not always about chasing trends, some pieces of clothing fall into the ‘style’ category rather than ‘fashion’. With all of the above in mind, I look through new stock that’s landed in all major stores and select boutiques to find something special, the next best staple or the downright irresistible.

Did you intern or do work experience?
I interned at Harpers Bazaar, Cosmopolitan Bride, Glamour and Vogue.com, before I landed my job at Condé Nast Digital. It’s a tough industry to crack so you’ve got to bang on the door until someone answers, seamlessly fit in and simultaneously stand-out (that’s a head-scratcher right?!). After graduating, I had 7 months to get a job before I’d officially fall into the financial pits of doom, so I lived on tinned food and made every day of every internship count.

Favourite cocktail?
Cocktails don’t feel so decadent anymore, so I tend to order a voluptuous glass of Pinot Noir. Failing that, pass me a chilly Corona.