The Edit: Holly Meadows

From an internship at Tatler in Vogue House London at age 17, to working in Bollywood in Mumbai, to being appointed digital then deputy editor at a leading women’s magazine, Holly Meadows joined Cosmopolitan as deputy editor in 2015. Next, she spent some time heading up the commercial content division at Associated Media Publishing, and recently returned to Cosmo as Editor.

We asked the fun, fearless, female behind the biggest women’s title in the country to select her favourite workwear items on Superbalist, and then to give us her best advice on navigating the workplace.

Do girls run the world?

“It’s an incredibly empowering statement, and an important one (thanks Bey). But let's get real: the patriarchy is still deeply entrenched, and it’s our job, and yours, to keep on challenging today’s standards of gender, race and inequality – so that one day, we will run the world.”

The term "#girlboss" gets thrown around a lot. What does it really mean?

“It means being the boss of yourself: being authentic and being unapologetic about it. I find some of the definitions being filtered through the prism of #girlboss problematic. You don’t need to be a leader, or have a side hustle and a start up, nor do you need to have huge aspirations to take over the world. You can simply be what you are, what you enjoy, and what you want. Sometimes that’s leaning in – to get your business idea off the ground, to ask for a raise from your boss. Other times, it’s leaning against the fridge door wondering how much of that ice cream tub is left.”

Do you believe in power dressing, and what’s your ultimate work outfit? Please also tell us a bit about the Superbalist selects you made...

“I’ve always believed that it’s the woman that wears the dress, not the dress that wears the woman. And, honestly, my work outfits change daily. Right now I’m loving my flatforms, fishnets, a kimono-style dress and my cropped white puffer jacket.”

“Fabric, cut and colour are important to me so I’ve chosen a beautiful wool blend coat, a burnt orange trench and a structured leather skirt. I love the addition of metallic elements to any outfit and the silver patent brogues with a floral rim are the perfect statement combined with classic separates.”

Now that you’re in the big chair what changes can we expect to see in the pages of Cosmopolitan, and what are you particularly proud of?

“I think one of the biggest challenges for all editors is in staying relevant, and that requires constant change and innovation. September will be my first issue, on shelf 28th August, and we’ll be unveiling a local cover star which I’m very excited about. We’re also launching COSMO Hustle in September, a career workshop centred around building brand 'You'. It’s happening in Johannesburg, and we’ll release details on how to get involved in mid-August .”