Gemma Watts is a name you had better not forget. This girl is climbing up the ladder of fashion and beauty journalism and she is not stopping until she has reached the top! I’ve been able to spend much of my week with her taking photos of her gorgeous face and chatting about what she does and how she does it. Learn about #gemkwatts and what she is all about right here in Studio P’s Take 10 interview.
Name: Gemma Watts
Age: 21
Who do you currently write for and what is your job title?
I am currently an in house journalist at L’Oréal Paris Australia, creating content for their Get The Look website, as well as Fashion Editor at Couturing.com.
Early this year I was approached to join the team at L’Oreal Paris Australia to take on an in-house journalism position for their Get The Look website. For L’Oreal, I write 3 articles each day focusing on beauty and hair trends, skincare, style and new products. I started working for Couturing.com as a Contributing Fashion Writer in mid 2012, and within a few months I’d worked my way up to the role of Assistant Fashion Editor. In early 2013 I was promoted to Fashion Editor, which is my current position with the site.
With both Couturing and L’Oreal I’ve covered fashion weeks in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide and have been fortunate enough to interview a number of Australia’s best and brightest fashion designers as well as several international fashion and beauty icons. As glamorous as it sounds, it really is a tough and very time consuming job- I’m so passionate about what I do though, so none of it really feels like work.
What made you decide to be a Fashion Journalist?
I’ve always loved to write, and I’ve always loved fashion, so I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to combine two of my greatest passions. When I was really young I used to hoard magazines and on more than a few occasions I tried to make my own from scratch on Microsoft Paint- with varying results. The first time I read Vogue Magazine in a doctor’s waiting room, I fell in love with it. My parents bought me subscriptions to Sabrina’s Secrets Magazine, then I graduated up to Dolly, and the rest is pretty much history. I always knew I wanted to work in the media, so I guess fashion was a natural progression for me.
Where did/do you study? What is the course title?
I completed a Diploma and Cert 4 in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT, and now I’m completing a Bachelor of Communication- Professional Communication at RMIT majoring in Journalism and Media.
Who has been the best person you have interviewed or met whilst being a journalist? Why?
I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many incredible people in the entertainment, fashion and beauty industries, both international and local, but I think a career highlight so far was meeting Domenico Dolce at a Dolce & Gabanna event in Melbourne earlier this year. He’s a true fashion icon, one of the few couturiers still working today, and one of the designers who ignited my love for fashion. One of my favourite interviews was actually with local designers Tettmann.Doust. Elke and Naomi were two of the first designers I ever interviewed at Couturing, so that interview will always remain sentimental to me. They have such an incredible way of approaching design and are really masters of their craft, so they set a really high benchmark for the kind of interesting people I’ve been able to meet as a journo.
List 3 clothing or accessory items you can’t live without.
- A great pair of well fitting jeans. Cut, colour and brand shouldn’t enter into it- you just need to find a pair that you feel amazing in. Jeans are a wardrobe essential because you really can dress them up and down. My current favourite pair are my Skin 5s in Pistol Black by Acne Studios.
- A beautiful white shirt. This is another piece you really can’t go wrong with. A white shirt in either crisp cotton or a luxe silk is a must have for me and really epitomises the idea of having a transeasonal wardrobe.
- A pair of heeled black ankle boots. There’s clearly a pattern here- these are another piece that go with everything. I like a really classic shape and a bit of a block heel as I wear mine on almost a daily basis.
List 3 things you love to do in your spare time.
- I love dancing. I started taking classes when I was 3 and studied jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, hip hop and commercial up until the end of 2013. I miss dancing regularly, but I still take casual classes whenever I get the chance.
- Can I say eating and drinking? I’m definitely a social person and I think there’s no better way to catch up with friends and family than over good food and a lot of good wine.
- Reading is a big one for me, particularly non fiction. I have piles and piles of big fashion reference books that I study all the time- I think having a solid knowledge of fashion history is what sets great fashion journalists apart from the mediocre. Although fashion is very much subjective, a journalist has to approach it in as objective a way as possible, so I think knowledge of design and being able to reference fashion history is really important.
What was the last thing you wrote about?
Winter skincare! That will sound so very superficial but there’s a lot of science behind it- I definitely don’t have a “science mind” but I’m learning on the job.
Is there any trends you see emerging that you think will be huge this spring/summer?
I think a lot of people are taking a really beautiful minimal approach to dressing now in that they’re opting for pieces they know they’ll get more than one season of wear out of, so from that has stemmed a very streamlined silhouette and monochrome look- both trends I celebrate in a large way. I think for spring and summer we’ll see people changing up silhouettes rather than colours and prints- think a lot of volume paired back with more structured pieces in really fresh neutrals. I’m a big fan of black but I think for the last few seasons we’ve seen white sort of become its rival, so I think the white on white trend will reach a peak this summer.
What is the most expensive thing in your closet?
My Acne Mape Jacket in Phantom. It’s suede, it’s charcoal, it’s perfect, and I’d rather not tell you how much it’s worth because I feel sick just thinking about it. But I mean if we’re talking cost per wear, it was a BARGAIN….
Is there any beauty products that you are obsessed with right now?
This is a hard one to rule down as I’m lucky enough try a stack of new beauty products on a weekly basis. I’m very big on skin care, so I use Aesop products religiously and every second night I alternate between my Alpha H Liquid Gold treatment and a Chanel Hydra Beauty Serum (I made friends with a girl at the Chanel counter so she gave me heaps of samples of this one- no way am I spending $125 on a 30ml moisturiser). My holy grail foundation is Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua because it gives a beautiful light coverage and a dewy finish. My beauty number 1, however, would have to be my Tom Ford Brow Sculptor. I’m a brow obsessive, and as I’m on the go from job to job all the time it’s important for me to have something compact that I can carry around with me- this little pen has a brow pencil, comb and sharpener all in one so for me it’s a no brainer.
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