British Elle December: Kate Hudson cover

It's rare that a mainstream fashion magazine cover deserves a second glance, but British Elle's December cover made me sigh with pleasure. It ticks all the boxes: fashion forward and arresting without being unduly provocative, and incredibly pleasing to the eye in its layout and colouring.

Most surprising of all, it features a celebrity whose styling is so immaculately unexpected and such a delicious departure from her norm that it makes us immediately consider our perception of her image, and therefore want to buy the magazine to find out more.

It's really no surprise that Elle's Creative Director Marissa Bourke wins so many awards. To me, this is the absolute exemplar of what a 21st century high circulation newsstand magazine cover selling to an increasingly fashion literate audience should look like.

Three cheers to editor Lorraine Candy for running with this.