Alexandra Joel

I began my media career while I was still a student at the University of Sydney, performing voice-overs for TV and radio commercials (I hereby confess to being the “We Try Harder” Avis Girl).

After graduating with Honours in Government, I spent six months as an international intern on the staff of a Congressman in Washington DC. I returned to Australia to work as a reporter and newsreader on a regional television station in Queensland.

Back in Sydney, possessed by a long-term fascination with fashion and a passion for writing, I became a regular contributor of feature articles, interviews and reviews for major national and metropolitan publications including The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine, Cleo and Harper’s Bazaar.

I then wrote the landmark book Best Dressed: 200 years of Fashion in Australia followed by Parade: The story of Fashion in Australia (both HarperCollins Australia). This led to my appointment as the Editor of Harper’s Bazaar, then Portfolio, Australia’s first magazine for working women.

A mid-life career change, inspired by my role as the President of The Royal Hospital for Women Foundation, saw me undertaking postgraduate studies in Applied Psychology and the establishment of a successful psychotherapy practice.

A decade later, I found I was once more unable to resist the lure of the written word. My memoir,  Rosetta: A Scandalous True Story, has been optioned for the screen by a major studio!

I have two beautiful children and live in Sydney with my husband.

I’m also a keen student of art, fashion, history and politics and am exceedingly fond of Paris.