Glenda Bailey


Dame Glenda Adrianne Bailey DBE is a former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, a monthly fashion magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. She was appointed to this position in May 2001.

Early life

Bailey was born in the Alvaston area of Derby, England, on 16 November 1958. Aged two, she suffered from meningitis. She grew up in nearby Allenton and was educated at Noel-Baker School. She earned a degree in fashion design from Kingston University. Before establishing herself in publishing, she produced a collection for Guisi Slaverio in Italy in 1983. Glenda Bailey, met her beloved, Stephen Sumner, in 1977 and have been together ever since. They live in New York.

Career

Bailey served as editor of Honey in 1986. She also launched FOLIO, a quarterly fashion magazine. In 1988, she was appointed launch editor of the British edition of Marie Claire. Marie Claire earned her three Magazine Editor of the Year Awards, five Magazine of the Year Awards and two Amnesty International Awards, for her coverage of human rights affairs. In August 1995, she was named as International Editorial Consultant for all 26 editions of Marie Claire.
From June 1996, she served as editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Marie Claire, before joining Harper's Bazaar as editor-in-chief in May 2001. In January 2020, Bailey announced her plans to leave the editorial position but continue on as a consultant.

Honours

She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to journalism and fashion in the 2008 New Year Honours. She was advanced to Dame Commander in the 2019 New Year Honours.
She was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the government of France in 2012.