Persona #1
175 x 237 mm, 104 pages
London, UK & Sydney, Australia
Biannual
Editor-in-chief: Grace O’Neill
Creative director: Paulina Paige Ortega
The latest editorial endeavour of former Australian Elle editor-in-chief Grace O’Neill and Vogue Philippines contributing editor Paulina Paige Ortega, Persona is a new hardbound and clothbound biannual spotlighting a single woman each issue. Born from a shared understanding that ‘the greatest indicator of taste is the women you’re obsessed with,’ this inaugural issue is devoted to English fashion designer Bella Freud.
Choose from a selection of four covers, including a cool toned figurative painting by Los Angeles-based painter Amanda Wall, a candid photograph of Bella in the 90s from Nigel Shafran’s archive, and two photographs of Bella adorned in Dior by Jonathan Anderson, captured by Scarlett Carlos Clarke. Reminiscent of Alexa Chung’s 2013 memoir ‘It’, inside you’ll find a collection of archival photographs and ephemera—spanning show notes, family photographs, and BTS shots from runway shows and the trio of short films Bella made in collaboration with John Malkovich in the late 90s—an op-ed by Grace on personal style, a profile and interview conducted by American novelist Zoe Dubno, and a glimpse into the books that furnish Bella’s home library.