Our Fashion Editor Shares Her Life In Fashion
With over 15 years in the fashion industry and women’s magazines, our Contributing Fashion & Lifestyle Editor, Astrid Carter, has carved out a life in style. Here, she discusses her career beginnings, the women she admires, and her love for vintage – as well as her style philosophy: never saving your most fabulous outfits for best.
I’m not sure I’ve always loved fashion as an industry per se, but I’ve always had a serious soul-connection with my own sense of style. Even at four years old, I was a defiant little thing who knew exactly what I wanted to wear. I was a total tomboy, but I was also obsessed with the tiny details – a cute button on a cardigan or a particular wash and fit of my jeans – details that probably still define my wardrobe today.
I’ve always had a serious soul-connection with my own sense of style
My earliest fashion memories come from my mum and grandmother. I used to pore over photos of my mum as a ‘60s teen with her iconic pageboy cut and Mary Quant-style minis. Then came her modelling days in the ‘70s: a dreamscape of hazy colour palettes and ethereal maxi dresses by Biba and Ossie Clark.
My grandmother, meanwhile, was the queen of making an effort. She’d be utterly horrified by today’s airport sweat-sets; she was of the generation that wouldn’t dream of boarding a plane without a matching bag and pristine shoes, hair perfectly coiffed. She lived for the little things – beautiful brooches and silk scarves – many of which I’m lucky enough to own now. If you ever see me looking wildly overdressed for an occasion, you can blame her.
I knew I wanted to work in fashion from an early age. When I was about eight, I decided I’d be a fashion designer, mostly because I didn’t realise other jobs existed in that world. Then I discovered magazines, and a whole new universe was cracked open. I became a religious devotee of Vogue, Elle, and The Face. I wasn’t just reading them, I was studying them cover to cover.
Growing up on the island of Jersey, the industry felt a million miles away. But I was determined. I pestered the local paper until they published my work and bagged a job as a runner for an ITV show filming on the island. It was low-grade work, but it was a golden ticket for my CV. I had my heart set on the London College of Fashion, and at 18, I left to study fashion journalism and broadcasting there.
While studying in London, I did plenty of work experience, from assisting designers at London Fashion Week to working on TV sets, music videos, and commercials – usually in the wardrobe department, but really anywhere I could get a foot in the door. I had started styling at university and really got the bug for it; as a result, journalism was put on the back burner for a while
Post-uni life was glamorous in theory, but dire in reality. The pay was non-existent, and I worked a string of soul-destroying temp jobs just to keep up with the rent. My big break came with an internship at Red Magazine. I quit a reception job I absolutely loathed, prayed my savings would last (back when work experience paid pretty much exclusively in “experience”), and luckily, they kept me.
I worked under the Fashion & Beauty Editor of Red Online until she approached me with a wild idea for a start-up for mums. We launched StyleNest as a two-woman band. I learned the gritty side of online publishing – SEO, affiliates, and how to actually monetise a dream.
This was still very much when print was king and online felt new and exciting, but also a bit like ‘what the hell are we doing?’ It was also just before the Instagram boom; had we launched a few years later, things would have been very different. Nevertheless, we won awards, grew a healthy readership, and eventually sold the business.
From there, I spent five years at SheerLuxe as Deputy and then Managing Editor, and was part of the brand’s foray into broadcasting, which took me back to my first jobs, and I loved it.
I learned the gritty side of online publishing – SEO, affiliates, and how to actually monetize a dream.
In 2019, I moved to The Handbook looking for a fresh challenge in food, drink, and travel. Then, COVID hit and had other ideas. With every restaurant and hotel in the country closed pretty much overnight, we had to pivot fast. I raided my fashion and beauty arsenal, and we transformed the brand’s content to offer a 360 lifestyle approach.
It worked, and now six years down the line, The Handbook still offers the best in food, drink and travel, but we also have a successful fashion and beauty arm to the business, and work with brilliant editors and creatives in those fields. That’s something I’m really proud of.
Somewhere in that madness, I also had a baby (who is now a very non-baby five-year-old) and navigated the terrifying, exciting jump to Editor of the business as a working mum in 2021.
Life looks a bit different now. In 2022, I did what many did post-pandemic, and traded the London hustle for the crisp air of Scotland. It’s my second home and a much slower pace – though I still miss the London buzz like nobody’s business – I will jump on a plane or a train at the drop of a hat now, just to sit on a sweaty Central Line for dinner and drinks in Soho trade-off.
But, I do love that I can be in the heart of Glasgow’s West End or on the shores of Loch Lomond in thirty minutes, and for that I am grateful. Job-wise, I’m now the Contributing Fashion & Lifestyle Editor for The Handbook on a freelance basis, which has worked really well whilst having a young child.
It’s a tough, gritty industry, but I still pinch myself when I think of the places I’ve travelled and the people I’ve met.
My advice for breaking into magazines? Get thick skin, a lot of tenacity, and say “yes” to everything. It’s a tough, gritty industry, but I still pinch myself when I think of the places I’ve travelled and the people I’ve met. It’s a different world now; you’re expected to be your own brand. While I’m not quite ready to become a TikTok sensation (I’m still in my fearful era regarding front-facing camera content), maybe 2026 is the year I finally put myself front and centre.
My style inspiration is a bit of a mixed bag: ‘70s rock frontmen – think leather, suede, a skinny scarf, and always a smoky eye – but equally, I can take notes from a beautiful palette of an interiors image or just a cool girl on the street.
Recently, my top follows have been Rabea Schif – I interviewed her for The Handbook, and I feel like her style and wardrobe really align with mine; she just has a lot more Gucci hanging in hers. One woman absolutely killing it right now in terms of fashion is Olivia Dean. She is such a joy to watch on stage, and I love how she and her stylist Simone Beyene have brought back wearing really beautiful clothes, a sense of dressing up and being polished, without it looking ‘costume’. Such a breath of fresh air.
I would describe my style as a bit retro and androgynous in the day – a pair of tailored trousers, an oversized knit and chunky loafers are my go-to uniform. I love menswear and tailoring and often shop in the men’s department. But I also live for the drama of dressing up. I’ve always believed it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed; clothes should be a spark for conversation. If they make you feel incredible, that energy is infectious. I’m a firm believer in the ‘wear the dress’ philosophy. What’s the point in saving something for best? You can turn any mundane moment into the moment just by wearing something fabulous.
If I were forced to wear one brand for the rest of my life, it would be Prada. Even though she has stepped down somewhat, Miuccia Prada could truly do no wrong in my eyes. She had an uncanny ability to create something entirely fresh every single season while maintaining that unmistakable, Prade DNA. If I had my way, just bury me in vintage Prada.
Some of the most treasured, ‘where-did-you-get-that’ pieces in my wardrobe have come from the most unlikely places.
Speaking of vintage, it’s a huge passion of mine. On any given day, I’m usually wearing at least one thing that was thrifted or bought pre-loved. There is nothing I love more than a good charity shop rummage; some of the most treasured, ‘where-did-you-get-that’ pieces in my wardrobe have come from the most unlikely places.
Follow Astrid on Instagram @astridcarter
