To celebrate their tenth issue, here are our top five Gentlewoman interviews

For me the commissioning, content and tone of The Gentlewoman are absolutely unparalleled in the magazine industry, and it gives me nothing but sheer joy to open a copy and have it satisfyingly flop on to the table to devour. Here at It’s Nice That we look forward to seeing the new cover and the choice of woman featured on it more than any other publication. The new cover of the bi-annual must-have magazine is out, and this time the star is Swedish electronic music artist, Robyn.

We decided this was cause for celebration, so here are my five personal favourite Gentlewoman articles in no particular order. If you haven’t checked out their website then I thoroughly recommend having a gander, it’s less of an archive and more of an incredibly soothing and informative experience.

Beyoncé interviewed by Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn, who writes for The Guardian and The Times among others, does a fantastic job at portraying Mrs. Carter as she rightfully should be: as a business powerhouse who is as as intoxicatingly human as she is dynamic. Paul interviewed Bey on the release of her autobiographical film, Life is but a Dream, after the Glastonbury performance which made everybody I’ve spoken to who witnessed it bawl like babies. This inspiring interview overlooks any kind of angle other journalists might take and reveals a side to the performer nobody else has covered, or perhaps ever could. I’ve read this interview three times in the last year, and I probably will again over lunch.

www.thegentlewoman.com/beyonce

Tilda Swinton interviewed by Penny Martin

A fantastic example here of pure Gentlewoman brilliance. We all like to think of Tilda as being a mixture of all the characters she’s played over the years: a formidable and somewhat chilling woman everyone seems to admire without being able to place exactly why. With the help of the brilliant Penny Martin and some breathtaking portraits by Benjamin Alexander Huseby we are whisked into Tilda’s world which is, surprisingly, full of Land Rovers and Springer Spaniels.

There’s a brilliant bit where she speaks of the outrageous cost of living in the south of England where just for a split second she slips into the character we associate with her. Penny Martin tells Tilda she imagines she could probably afford to live anywhere, to which Tilda replies: “One would imagine. One would imagine. One would imagine all sorts of things.”

www.thegentlewoman.com/tilda

Apollonia Poilâne interviewed by Susie Rushton

The moment I read this article a few years back was the moment The Gentlewoman suddenly all made sense. Apollonia Poilâne is the young heir to an infamous Parisian bakery with sourdough bread so sought-after it’s almost legendary. Susie Rushton speaks to Apollonia about the personal side to the business, the day-to-day work and the illustrious history of the bread. Did you know that Apollonia’s father once collaborated with Salvador Dalì to make an entire bedroom made of specially designed loaves? Thought not. Read more of the most curious, intriguing article about bread you’ll ever come across over here.

www.thegentlewoman.com/apollonia

Adele Adkins interviewed by Jude Rogers

Many Gentlewoman readers will name this as the issue that cemented their love for the publication. As a smoker, I was overjoyed to see Alasdair McLellan’s audacious, two-fingers-up portrait of the ludicrously beautiful Adele on the teal cover of the magazine. The interview within takes all the “down to earth,” “just a normal girl” elements of every single other article about Adele, but adds in so much extra insight that you feel as if you and Adele have just had a sleepover by the end of it. For anyone who thought they didn’t really “get” the hype about Adele there is no better article to read that will change your mind immediately.

www.thegentlewoman.com/adele

Susan Sarandon interviewed by Jina Khayyer

This is GREAT! In this interview Susan Sarandon is everything you could possibly want her to be. If you weren’t completely intrigued – and perhaps slightly turned on – by Juergen Teller’s portraits of this star then the interview will leave you believing she could possibly be the best woman on the planet at the moment. Smart, strong, funny, dry and with so much intelligence and knowledge about being a woman, Susan speaks like a sage about raising children, acting and relationships. I hung on her every word, and have gone back to look at those photos of her numerous times since first coming across the article. Absolutely brilliant.

www.thegentlewoman.com/susansarandon