A new novel by Zadie Smith is certainly cause for celebration and this fourteenth edition of The Gentlewoman leads the festivities with the peerless British writer as its cover star, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh. Joining Zadie in this issue are women of great renown and distinction: the legendary literary editor Diana Athill; queen of environmental campaigning Erin Brockovich; fashion dynamo Clare Waight Keller; the ingenious artist Helen Marten; polymath pop star Natasha Khan; and the exceptional menswear designer Grace Wales Bonner. These extensive profiles and illuminating conversations sit alongside an array of fashionable doings for autumn including an induction into the ways of Ikebana and a spot of cat walking. The season’s wardrobe explorations include precise sartorial proposals showcased by the enchanting models Rianne van Rompaey, Jane Moseley and Karen Elson, while the photographer Harley Weir explores the art of self-portraiture in a personal portfolio. Total tonality, whopping woollies and belts, buckles and bands, along with extrapolations on the finer details of modern living, round off this bumper edition for Autumn and Winter 2016.

The Gentlewoman celebrates modern women of style and purpose. Its fabulous biannual magazine offers a fresh and intelligent perspective on fashion that’s focused on personal style – the way women actually look, think and dress. Featuring ambitious journalism and photography of the highest quality, it showcases inspirational women through its distinctive combination of glamour, personality and warmth. These qualities are also at the heart of its website, thegentlewoman.com, a virtual place where real women, real events and real things are enjoyed.