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Sally Holmes 鈥�09 insists her life is not glamorous. And in this pandemic year, that鈥檚 slightly more believable. Since taking over as editor-in-chief of the iconic fashion magazine Marie Claire听in September, Holmes has spent the majority of her working hours glued to a computer screen in her New York one-bedroom鈥攏ot exactly a scene out of The Devil Wears Prada.

鈥淲hat my day-to-day actually looks like is: wake up at 7:30 and sign online,鈥� Holmes said with a laugh.

But who says Zoom and glitz can鈥檛 mix? The day we spoke, Holmes had virtual discussions lined up with a fashion house and a beauty brand, both eager for exposure to Marie Claire鈥�s nearly one million print subscribers. A week earlier, she had listened in as drag queen-turned-cultural icon RuPaul remotely interviewed the country music legend Dolly Parton. 鈥淢y head was an inch from the screen,鈥� Holmes said. 鈥淎ll of my job is fun, for the most part, but that was a very cool, lucky thing that I got to do.鈥�

Although her meeting calendar has filled up in her new role, she still finds time to write. A search for Holmes鈥檚 byline is a wild ride, turning up articles on everything from how the British royal family influenced her choice of sunglasses (鈥淩ay-Bans are the perfect mix of sporty and feminine鈥�) to the death of the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (鈥淚t鈥檚 a tragic day for women鈥攁nd supporters of women鈥攊n the United States鈥�). Holmes is as interested in healthcare legislation as she is the latest Chanel collection, and believes the same can be said for most women.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all 360-degree people,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an intellectual note in Marie Claire听and that鈥檚 something we鈥檙e really proud of. It鈥檚 for a woman who is interested, invested,and looking for fun, informative content.鈥�

The glossy world of magazines is one that Holmes has immersed herself in since adolescence, when she and her friends would read Seventeen aloud and decorate bulletin boards with its torn-out pages. Every month, Holmes devoured her mother鈥檚 issue of Vanity Fair, dog-earing stories she found inspiring.

At Boston College, Holmes briefly considered pre-med before pursuing a degree in English and landing high-profile internships at Vanity Fair and Scholastic. After graduating, she interned at New York magazine, ten months that she described as an editorial 鈥渂oot camp.鈥� She learned how to 鈥渨rite fast, and also well,鈥� penning articles on New Year鈥檚 Eve concerts and chocolate-themed holiday gifts. When the internship ended, she was named editor of the magazine鈥檚 online homepage.

Holmes then moved to The Cut, an online offshoot of the magazine, before leaving New York to join ELLE.com as an editor. In 2018, she was named digital director at Marie Claire, where she published the magazine鈥檚 first digital issue, which featured trans activist Janet Mock on the cover. Then, in September, Marie Claire editor-in-chief Aya Kanai announced she was leaving the magazine. Holmes was chosen to succeed her, and she is now responsible for both Marie Claire鈥�s print and online presences.

Holmes鈥檚 promotion came in the middle of a pandemic, of course, which has meant navigating a new position with social (and professional) distance. But the restrictions have also yielded bursts of creativity. With in-person fashion photo shoots deemed unsafe, Holmes鈥檚 team instead commissioned illustrations depicting clothing and accessories being worn, a practice Holmes plans to continue indefinitely because 鈥渋t鈥檚 beautiful, and a cool way to work with people we don鈥檛 normally work with.鈥�

And while fashion spreads and skin-care routines will always be Marie Claire staples, Holmes feels strongly that, going forward, the magazine鈥檚 pages should also feature even more urgent journalism, and highlight activism. For instance, early in the pandemic, Holmes hired a writer to follow a COVID-19 nurse through a harrowing week of twelve-hour shifts at a New Jersey hospital, humanizing the experience of healthcare workers for readers stuck at home. Then in October, Marie Claire hosted a virtual networking event featuring, among others, the actress and activist Gabrielle Union and the Black Lives Matter cofounder Alicia Garza. And for the magazine鈥檚 winter issue, Holmes assigned a lengthy article profiling eight women involved in the global Black Lives Matter movement.

Holmes said her greatest hope is that the articles and events she helps to create will empower and inspire the next generation of readers, just as Seventeen and Vanity Fair did for her. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just so much magic in magazines,鈥� she said.听

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