The megastar actor Scarlett Johansson is the face of this 23rd issue, photographed in technicolour fabulosity by Inez & Vinoodh, styled by Mel Ottenberg, and profiled inside by Sophie Elmhirst.

This instalment of the magazine is a tour de force of womanly power and hotdog heroines across its 238 pages, among them the Somali-born boxer Ramla Ali, the thoroughly modern ceramicist Akiko Hirai and the trailblazing fashion force Stella McCartney. There’s also radical action and opinions galore from the conservationist Isabella Tree, the east London restaurant dynamos Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson, and the powerhouse voice of Manchester, Rowetta.

Furthermore, stylish critiques and smart ideas of the now are posited in essays by the writers Ann Friedman, Horacio Silva, Lauren Collins and Otegha Uwagba, while the fashions are quite simply divine.

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.