When in Paris....
Pnina Fenster is the launch and current editor of GLAMOUR. Prior to this, she was the launch editor of Marie Claire, and before that, she was an award-winning journalist, Sunday Times columnist, and occasional short story writer and illustrator. She is an unabashed coffee obsessive, lover of all things vintage, happy bookworm, passionate traveller and the recipient of several style awards.
With Black Coffee at GLAMOUR's Most GLAMORous event #gmg17
If not an Editor what career path would you have taken?
Outside of editing and writing, I’m fascinated by fragrance, flowers, vintage and the arts, among other things, so those interests might have led elsewhere, but really, magazines and media were love at first sight. And it’s just as well — I really had no idea what I was going to do with my life until the legendary Dene Smuts gave me a career break on the basis of an ocean of enthusiasm and some poetry I’d written along the way.
With 'fashion's most favourite' milliner, Albertus Swanepoel
How do you draw inspiration from month to month?
In terms of editing, my most important inspiration by far is the GLAMOUR consumer. What is thrilling, concerning, intriguing, delighting her right now? What’s the mood in the air? What’s the conversation on our social media and website? And how can we celebrate and reinforce her self-esteem, style and happiness?
In terms of my personal life, I love the Henri Matisse saying: “There are flowers everywhere for those who bother to look”. Inspiration comes from all over; it could be a book, a TV series, a movie, an image, the sight of the ocean, a piece of music, an open road, traveling, time with people I love, meditating. And YouTube! That’s a galaxy of inspiration at the touch of a button, from spiritual talks and interviews to performance pieces and narrative platforms like The Moth (if you haven’t discovered it, give it a whirl – 15 or so minutes of spellbinding storytelling).
Have you noticed a change in print industry over the last few years?
More than words can say!
Mercedes Fashion Week Cape Town with Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe #mbfwct17
Your greatest influence over the years has been
A mix of fabulous and not-so-fabulous people.
Pnina standing in the impressively stocked library in Stockholm
How would you describe your style?
Expressive, romantic, feminine, retro.
What do you never travel without?
A book, lavender aromatherapy essence, a cashmere shawl, perfume and rubber-soled boots for urban exploring. And Uniqlo Heat-tech tights and camisoles – a lesson I’ve learned after years of emergency shopping in the alleged summertime of cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam.
Hot air ballooning courtesy #CHANEL in Grasse, South of France
Favourite quote?
It wasn’t given to me in person, but I do love Miss Piggy’s classic wisdom: “Be yourself or it gets really confusing for the postman.”
Love this one of Pnina 'showered in petals' at #CHANEL's rose farm in Grasse for the launch of Chanel's No.5 L'Eau fragrance
Favourite movie
There are too many to choose just one, but the long list would definitely include a bunch of musicals (from Singin’ in the Rain to Chicago), the Studio Ghibli masterpieces like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, and the great works of genius directors like Scorsese, Polanski and Fellini. And I love the live-stream performances from the National Theatre. All in all, it’s about being shaken to the core by a drama like The Counterfeiters, transported to a world of wonder by whimsies like The Grand Budapest Hotel, or dazzled by the wit and inventiveness of crime capers like American Hustle and Baby Driver.
With Deputy editor, beauty director Michelle Brownlee-Smith and International celebrity hair stylist Christopher Naselli
Would you change anything if you could do it all again?
The standard response to this question is ‘no regrets’, but truth to tell, I would have started saving way sooner, I would never have gone anywhere near cigarettes (I’ve long given up, but why begin in the first place?), and I would have ignored my friend Mervyn when he told me to down a glass of champagne. Never down a glass of champagne!
Pnina as one of the judges for Miss SA, standing with fellow judge Sophie Ndaba and Miss SA Kunene Ntando SA2016
Winning a well deserved South African Style Icon Award 2016 #sastyleawards2015
Follow Pnina on