It Was a Very Good Year

In my experience, the old cliché that launching a new brand is akin to childbirth is, in fact, pretty close to the truth. It's exhausting and exhilarating, and you soon miraculously forget any initial pain to find yourself loving your baby more each day. So I couldn’t resist getting a bit nostalgic on our anniversary...

I believe that writing is an inherently personal and emotional endeavor, like listening to music or eating. So the first-person essays from our editors are among my favorite stories. Natasha Burton’s “In Praise of My Working Mom” was truly heartwarming and hit very close to home since I’m a working mom myself.

Despite my bias toward essays about moms, Megan Bello’s “Why an Imperfect Mother Is Really the Most Perfect Kind of All” stands on its own merit. She had me, and I imagine the many others who read it, at the first two lines: “In 1985 we banned my mother from making meatloaf. To be honest, I think she was relieved.”

We also love grabbing hold of a pop culture moment and turning it on its head. For “10 Kens We’d Like to See” in honor of the Ken doll’s 50th birthday (I know, can you believe it?), we had a really good time dreaming up ridiculous and sublime personas for Barbie’s main squeeze. My personal favorite: “Bad-Influence Boyfriend Ken.”

Comedy writers (and couple) Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn make married life a thing of hilarity. Their columns for Glo offer insightful observations as well as laughs, turning well-worn topics into something fresh. I especially appreciate the tell-it-like-it-is aphrodisiacs in “10 Ways to Reignite the Flame,” including “Buy the Damn Lingerie” and “Make Money!”

Caroline Manzo puts the real in The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and her fans relate to the reality star’s no-nonsense attitude, focus on family and, above all, abundant common sense. Every Monday Caroline answers Glo readers’ questions about deeply personal—yet universal—issues, such as family communication and body confidence.

The “What Your _____ Won’t Tell You” series has included everyone from flight attendants to servers to babysitters. Our intrepid content partner, Woman’s Day, tracks down candid representatives from every field imaginable, who then dish everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask thoughts that are at once juicy and revelatory.

Our Party Planner stories in Living present fabulous and affordable tips for making your life a little more festive. Elina Furman’s kids’ Easter party story is one of my favorites, packed with sweet ideas, from Jelly Belly bubbles to Mad Hatter favor boxes.

Celebrated blog Remodelista is another of our premier content partners, and their impeccable taste never ceases to amaze me. They identify the trends first, such as “Urban Barn” and then find spot-on objects to beautify your home.

Amy Keith, Glo’s Living editor, also hunts down incredibly cool pieces in sometimes unexpected spaces. Despite the fact that I no longer have a dog, I can’t stop flipping through the over-the-top accessories in her “Extreme Pet Pampering” story.

The impetus behind our Hump Day Happy Hour column was, frankly, the desire for another excuse to drink. “Why not have mixologists create custom Glo cocktails to celebrate news events and holidays?” we thought. Totally logical, no? And then we discussed how Wednesday is the cruelest day of the week and when you most need a stiff one. I believe the greatest excuse we came up was Barbie’s birthday—it still makes me smile.

Who do you think women really dress to please? Themselves, other women, men or their mothers? Well, we decided to cover all bases when we created our “Of Mom and Men” series by enlisting stylist Nicole Mann Novick, her husband and her mother to write irreverent commentary on the latest runway trends. Their perspectives couldn’t be more different or amusing—a healthy reminder that one person’s Rodarte is another’s fashion roadkill.

The premise of “Resident Style” is to “dress like your favorite room in the house”—a less direct way of saying “shelter porn for the fashion-obsessed.” Beautiful room images + matching clothing and accessories = happy readers. I love the gorgeous slides designed by Glo art director Natasha Lee and how they're a creative way to shop.

At Glo, we’re firm believers that real women on the street often can be even more inspiring than models on the runway or celebrities on the red carpet. The “Sidewalk Style” series showcases real women everywhere, from Nashville to New York, alongside practical style tricks.

That doesn’t mean we ignore what happens during Fashion Week—we just make it fun and accessible in our “Runway Cheat Sheet” stories. The runway shows are actually about more than just clothes; our style and beauty editors reveal the inspiration behind the fashion, the celebs in the front row, the music that played and more.

Finding gorgeous fashion at a good price is very important to us—and our editors have a rare talent for it. “Baubles on a Budget” is a great example of incredible jewelry that won’t break the bank.

“Hair Highlights” was, believe it or not, inspired by men’s obsession with sports highlights. We feel that woman are as passionate about Michelle Williams’s latest pixie cut as men are about March Madness. Our series presents the best celebrity hair of the week and now gives you something to do while your guy is marveling at Blake Griffin’s latest slam dunks.

Beautiful people come in many different packages in our book (many of them not 5'10 and 120 pounds), so we love featuring diverse women and men. “Flatter Your Face,” an original makeover feature we shot, showcased just that.

I love a good theme issue (like this one!), and we had a blast coming up with ideas for our 90210 issue last September 2, 2010 (9.02.10). It was a big hit, so apparently there are a lot of closet Brenda and Brandon fans out there.