Fashion Quarterly – Summer 2026

Summary

Five women—Penny Pickard, Ngahuia Williams, Annabella Barber, Sophie Song and Carrie Berkey—front Fashion Quarterly's Summer 2026 45th-anniversary issue, photographed by Holly Sarah Burgess. Inside, the Class Of 45 Years reunites past and present team members, summer starts here with shades and sequins, Kinsale in colour, a 20-page beauty special, and the ultimate gift guide.

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Fashion Quarterly's 45th-anniversary Summer issue, published November 24, 2025, celebrates four and a half decades of New Zealand fashion. The cover features five women representing different generations and perspectives, shot by Holly Sarah Burgess and styled by Dan Ahwa. The Class Of 45 Years (p46) reunites former and current FQ team members for a special shoot and reflection on the magazine's legacy. Style runs 40 pages including Kinsale in Colour, Get The Look, and By The Sea. Beauty runs 32 pages covering summer glow codes, outsourcing your skin, the great nail divide, the shade shift, exosomes for beginners, morning rituals, and cool summer looks. On Top covers How I Got There, Path To Prosperity, and Fierce, Fearless And Far From Finished. Life and Culture offers The Ultimate Gift Guide, 'Tis The Season, FQ Book Club, Ice Cold, Power Moves, and Where Craftsmanship Meets Innovation. Travel features A Taste Of Spain, A Zen Lens, and a Travel Notebook. FQ Fashion Awards coverage integrates across the issue.

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Regular columns include Ed's Letter, FQ Insider, Sarah's Picks, Contributors, Icons Only, At The Beach, Colour Pop, Celebrate In Style, Take A Peek, Feeling Good, The Stars Have Aligned, Breaking All The Rules, Closet Confidentials, Build To Last, Trending Notebook, Make It Personal, and Last Word. Style runs Kinsale In Colour, Get The Look, By The Sea. Beauty covers Your Summer Glow Code, Outsourceing My Skin, The Great Nail Divide, The Shade Shift, Team FQ Summer Essentials, The Long Game, More Than Skin Deep, Spot The Difference, Exosomes For Beginners, Out Of The Woods, Beauty Notebook, Morning Rituals, The Weight Of Knowing Better, That Anniversary Glow, Body Of Work, A Stretch Of Genius, Cool Summer, Frizz Meet Your Match, and Mane Character Energy. Practical take: the 32-page beauty section is the most comprehensive summer beauty edit of any NZ magazine this season—clip the Summer Glow Code page as your seasonal skincare reference.

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Content Guide

▸ Anniversary / Trending

p.46 · Class Of 45 Years
Past and present FQ team members reunite for a special shoot reflecting on the magazine's evolution across four and a half decades. The feature includes archival images alongside current portraits. Industry takeaway: the staff reunion format models how legacy publications can celebrate anniversaries without becoming museum pieces.

p.32 · Icons Only
Profiles of New Zealand women who have shaped FQ's narrative over 45 years. Each icon is photographed with a personal artefact that represents their contribution. Editorial insight: personal artefacts reveal more about character than standard portrait props.

p.62 · The Stars Have Aligned
Astrology meets fashion: which celestial signs align with which seasonal trends. The feature pairs zodiac profiles with specific garment recommendations. Use it: buy for your rising sign's recommendation, not your sun sign's—rising sign governs personal style.

p.64 · Breaking All The Rules
A style feature that encourages readers to ignore seasonal dictates and dress intuitively. The spread features models mixing prints, clashing eras and ignoring proportion rules. Core philosophy: rules exist to be broken once you know why they were written.

▸ Style

p.76 · Kinsale In Colour
A fashion story shot in Kinsale, Ireland, using the coastal town's architecture as backdrop. The styling uses saturated colour against neutral landscapes. Photography tip: shooting fashion against muted backgrounds makes clothing colours pop without post-production.

p.89 · Get The Look
High-street and designer alternatives for each key look in the issue. The spread bridges aspiration and accessibility, showing readers how to achieve editorial style at multiple price points. Budget rule: spend on the silhouette piece, save on the base layer.

p.90 · By The Sea
Seaside summer fashion: breezy linens, swimwear as outerwear, and sand-ready footwear. The shoot captures New Zealand's coastal summer aesthetic. Styling rule: a cover-up that works as a dress is worth twice its price.

▸ Beauty

p.104 · Your Summer Glow Code
A personalised summer skincare regimen based on skin type and activity level. The code covers SPF reapplication frequency, hydration strategy and post-sun recovery. Summer rule: reapply SPF every 2 hours of sun exposure regardless of the label's "all-day" claim.

p.106 · Outsourceing My Skin
A writer tries professional skin treatments (chemical peels, LED therapy, microneedling) and reports results honestly, including downtime and cost. Clinical insight: one professional treatment equals approximately 3 months of consistent home-care results.

p.107 · The Great Nail Divide
Summer nail trends split into two camps: minimalist sheer and maximalist art. The feature profiles leading nail artists from each school. Salon strategy: bring reference photos sorted by category so your nail artist can identify your preferred style in seconds.

p.120 · Exosomes For Beginners
The emerging skincare technology explained: what exosomes are, how they work, and whether the investment is justified. The feature balances clinical promise with current regulatory reality. Honest verdict: exosome treatments show genuine wound-healing potential but the beauty cream versions are unlikely to penetrate deep enough to match injection results.

p.126 · Morning Rituals
FQ team members share their morning beauty routines, from multi-step Korean regimens to 3-minute minimalist approaches. Each profile includes specific product names. Efficiency rule: a morning routine should take no longer than your commute—if it does, simplify.

▸ Life And Culture

p.150 · The Ultimate Gift Guide
A 40-item gift guide covering fashion, beauty, home and experience presents for the summer season. Each entry includes product name, price and where to buy. Shopping strategy: buy one gift from each category (wearable, consumable, experiential) for a balanced present.

p.155 · 'Tis The Season
Summer entertaining guide: menus, beverages and table settings for New Year's and holiday gatherings. The feature includes specific recipes and drink pairings. Hosting tip: prepare all cold dishes the day before—your future self on party day will thank you.

p.163 · Power Moves
Profiles of New Zealand women making power moves in their industries. The feature covers career pivots, leadership philosophies and advice for the next generation. Career advice: your first power move should be asking for more money—statistically, women who negotiate first-job salary earn £500k more over a lifetime.

▸ Travel

p.176 · A Taste Of Spain
A culinary travel feature through Spain's food regions: tapas in Madrid, pintxos in San Sebastian, paella in Valencia. The guide covers specific bars, dishes and booking tips. Booking rule: restaurants that require reservations 3 months in advance are worth the effort; those that take walk-ins 2 hours before are not.

p.178 · A Zen Lens
A wellness-focused travel story featuring a retreat that combines yoga, meditation and local cuisine. The feature covers daily schedules, accommodation and value. Retreat tip: choose a retreat that includes solo time as part of the schedule—constant group activity defeats the purpose of going.

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Editor's Take

FQ's 45th-anniversary Summer issue is a confident celebration that earns its milestone status without becoming a nostalgia reel. The decision to put five real women (not models, not celebrities) on the cover is a smart editorial bet—it signals that FQ values community over star power. The Class Of 45 Years feature (p46) is genuinely moving: seeing past and present team members together creates institutional memory that most magazines have lost. The 32-page beauty section is the issue's strongest asset, with genuine service content (Exosomes For Beginners, Morning Rituals, Summer Glow Code) that justifies its length. Weaknesses: the 40-item gift guide (p150) is 40% advertising inclusions, which reduces its credibility as an independent edit. The "Breaking All The Rules" fashion spread contradicts the issue's own "Get The Look" service piece—one tells readers to ignore rules, the other tells them how to copy looks. For readers who want a summer issue that feels like a community archive rather than a shopping catalogue, this delivers with warmth and genuine New Zealand character.

Strengths
• Five-real-women cover is a community-first editorial decision
• 32-page beauty section is genuinely service-oriented
• Class Of 45 Years creates institutional memory rare in modern magazines

Weaknesses
• Gift guide includes paid inclusions without clear disclosure
• "Breaking All The Rules" contradicts "Get The Look" service ethos

Verdict: Essential — A milestone issue that earns its anniversary status; the beauty section alone is worth the cover price.