Bio
Joanna Coles is a British-born American fashion editor and television personality best known for frequent appearances on the fashion reality competition Project Runway and for mentoring the contestants on the spin-off show Project Runway All Stars.
Coles was named editor-in-chief of U.S. Cosmopolitan in September 2012. In her role, she oversees all content for the brand's print magazine, website, tablet editions and brand extensions, including Cosmo Radio on Sirius/XM, books and the Cosmopolitan Collection of lingerie, handbags and shoes at JCPenney.
Prior to that, Coles was editor-in-chief of Marie Claire (from April 2006), a joint venture between Hearst Magazines and Marie Claire Album, where she transformed the brand into a huge success on both the circulation and advertising fronts.
In 2011 she was named Adweek's "Editor of the Year" and Marie Claire was no. 2 on Adweek's hotlist. Under her editorship the magazine has won numerous awards for its journalism.
In 2008 she was producer of Running In Heels, a reality show about the magazine, set in the offices of Marie Claire, which aired on Style Network and syndicated to 16 countries. In addition, she hired Nina Garcia as fashion director of Marie Claire and the magazine became part of Lifetime's Emmy-winning show Project Runway.
Coles then served as the on-air mentor on the spinoff series Project Runway All-Stars.
Prior to Marie Claire, she was executive editor of More (September 2004 – April 2006) and Articles Editor of New York magazine (September 2001 - August 2004.)
Coles arrived in the USA in June 1997 as The Guardian's New York bureau chief, traveling widely across America to cover news and current events. In July 1998, she became the New York columnist for The Times of London and was a frequent contributor to the BBC.
In addition she has been a regular contributor on cultural and social affairs for ABC, CNN and MSNBC.
Coles graduated from the University of East Anglia in the U.K. with a B.A (Hons) in English and American literature. She is a founding member of the American Friends of the Royal Court Theater.
She is the co-author of the Three of Us, a book about moving to New York with her husband, the author and screenwriter, Peter Godwin. The couple lives in Manhattan with their two sons.