Features: Fashion & Style
ASHLEY GRAHAM - SO HAPPY WITH WHO I AM
Fearless and frank, Ashley Graham is the plus-size model on a mission to reshape fashion. Christa D'Souza spends a day tailing a trailblazer.
VOGUE
JANUARY 2017
GIVE AND TAKE
Gigs in your living room, a Kazakh sleeping on your sofa, giving lifts to strangers… In the Sharing Economy, everything is communal. But how much connecting can we really take? An apprehensive Christa D’Souza joins the movement.
VOGUE
MARCH 2016
JESSICA STAM - THE RIGHT TRACK
From the family farm to the world of fashion, Canadian model JESSICA STAM has been on quite a journey. She talks to CHRISTA D’SOUZA about the reality of modeling life and what the future has in store
THE EDIT
APRIL 2014
HANDBAGS - TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
It evokes memories, elicits passion, inspires jealousy and can cost the same as a small fat. Lifelong devotee Christa D’Souza explores why we are still losing our hearts to the handbag.
VOGUE
MARCH 2013
"THINK DAVE GROHL MIXED WITH CARY GRANT"
Confused? You will be. We know what we want a woman to wear: short skirt, low-cut top, heels. But what do they — and don’t they — find sexy on us? We asked Christa D’Souza to find out.
ESQUIRE
SEPTEMBER 2012
STELLA MCCARTNEY
From sewing blankets on to her children's clothes when they're unwell, to fitting Lycra on the male Olympic athletes, Stella McCartney is quite the multi-taster. Here the publicity-shy designer lets Christa D'Souza inside her stylish world.
VOGUE
FEBRUARY 2012
TOM FORD - -FANTASTIC MR FORD
His womenswear sparked a fashion revolution; his scents are bestsellers. Now, his directorial debut is winning awards. Does Tom Ford have any weaknesses at all? Absolutely, he tells Christa D'Souza.
VOGUE
JANUARY 2010
BEDAZZLED - HIGH JEWELLERY
Never mind global recession. The diamond business is booming, and the bigger the rock, the better. Christa D'Souza enters the surreal, secretive and staggeringly expensive world of high jewellery.
VOGUE
JANUARY 2009
TAMARA MELLON - STILETTO QUEEN
What does it take to build a shoe empire, be a mother and survive a controversial divorce, all in high heels? Tamara Mellon has done it all, and now she’s set her sights on relaunching legendary label Halston.
VOGUE
JULY 2007
MILLION DOLLAR BABY - THE COUTURE SHOWS IN PARIS
Drama, desire and dresses worth millions ... The couture shows in Paris are certainly a spectacle to behold - but it's one thing to watch them, another to take part. Christa D' Souza joined top model Elise Crombez.
VOGUE
APRIL 2005
THE BAFTAS 2004 - IT'S SHOWTIME
The Baftas have come a long way since being moved to their pre-Oscar slot. Now, when Hollywood invades London for the awards, the city rises to the challenge. Christa D'Souza took in the scene, stars, style and shenanigans.
VOGUE
MAY 2004
STYLE SWAP - 1999. WHAT WAS I LIKE?
Would you wear another woman's clothes for a week? I did in 1999.
VOGUE
FEBRUARY 1999
HOW TO WEAR KNEE HIGH BOOTS
Our writer tries to find a way past the clichés
THE SUNDAY TIMES
15 SEPTEMBER
CAMILLA LOWTHER - FASHION'S FIRST LADY
She’s one of fashion’s most influential women, yet you may never have heard of her.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
28 NOVEMBER 2018
FOR SUSIE CAVE, THE VAMPIRE'S WIFE WAS A PATH OUT OF DESPAIR
Fashion insiders love The Vampire's Wife for its exquisitely feminine designs. For co-founder Susie Cave, her work has been the thing that's saved her.
VOGUE
9 OCTOBER 2017
I'M A DOG BORE
Meet my new "daughter" aka Nancy, the Shiba Inu.
THE TIMES
01 APRIL 2017
TOWN AND STRIFE
Oh my, it’s tough having two homes, says Christa D’Souza. Unless, of course, you know the rules…
THE TIMES
10 MARCH 2017
STELLA TENNANT AND LADY ISABELLA CAWDOR ARE REINVENTING HOLLAND & HOLLAND
Saying “pardon” instead of “excuse me.” Calling your cook a chef. Pitching up on a grouse moor in brand-new shooting gear. When Nancy Mitford popularised the phrase “non-u”, this is what she was talking about.
W MAGAZINE
8 AUGUST 2016
LOOK LIKE A BEACH BUM FOR £2000!
Christa D’Souza’s beach bohemian look: yours for £2,000! The writer reports from Mykonos on the real cost of looking footloose and fancy-free.
THE TIMES
6 AUGUST 2016
LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND SHAMELESS
Jet fleets, umbrella butlers, and incessant demands, the truth is that throughout history there have always been those for whom the best wasn’t quite good enough.
W MAGAZINE
3 JUNE 2015
LEON MAX - AND HIS GLAMOROUS COUNTRY LIFE
It’s a gloomy November morning, and we are sitting in the main drawing room of Easton Neston, the exquisite English home in Northamptonshire that Leon Max bought in 2005.
W MAGAZINE
26 FEBRUARY 2015
ME AND MY BRA
As news emerged this week that our medieval sisters wore underwear just like our own, we asked four women – and one man – to discuss their intimate experiences with bras.
THE GUARDIAN
21 JULY 2012
CHRISTOPHER KANE & DONATELLA VERSACE: THE ODD COUPLE
Dalston meets Milan as Christopher Kane joins the House of Versace.
W MAGAZINE
1 OCTOBER 2010
A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY
Christa D’Souza ponders our national obsession with fancy dress.
THE SPECTATOR
6 JULY 2007
SARAH BURTON, THE VISIONARY
Sarah Burton is a Woman of the Year because... "Only Sarah could continue McQueen's legacy. She pushes the boundaries between fashion and art, creating the most incredible clothes every time." —Kate Moss, model.
GLAMOUR
4 NOVEMBER 2004
ALEXANDER McQUEEN - McQUEEN AND COUNTRY
When Givenchy's Alexander McQueen met Gucci's Tom Ford it was love at first sight and led to one of the most controversial coups in fashion history. The British Designer of the Year talks about power and politics in the fashion world.