2017 WhichCar Style Awards judges: Tanya Buchanan

When you speak to Tanya Buchanan, the editor of the bi-monthly BELLE magazine, you walk away with a sense of calm and enthusiasm. Her style is sophisticated chic; she looks totally composed and you get the sense her home would be straight out of a picture in her magazine. Of course, as a mum and the editor of an iconic magazine with a 40 year history and more than 200 pages per issue, her poise is a testament to her – a sort of controlled captain of an otherwise dynamic ship.

It makes sense that Tanya embodies her BELLE audience – she’s worked on the title for close to a decade, as managing editor for seven years before taking on the editorship in 2014 following the resignation of The Block judge Neale Whitaker.

It’s her twin roles ­ as a mother and esteemed editor of BELLE ­ that saw Tanya invited as a judge of the WhichCar Style Awards for a second year.

Tanya defines style as unique and individual. “It’s an expression of how we see ourselves and how we want the world to perceive us. Our choice of cars, fashion and accessories is an expression of our personal aesthetic,” she said.

As a passionate supporter of the Australian interior designer industry, and also an enthusiast of the arts, Tanya brings her knowledge of home design to the automotive space as the judging panel explores design, textiles and functionality of each finalist’s style.

“The WhichCar Style Awards were a lot of fun as it is always great to be able to spend some time really looking at a car and its interior,” Tanya said of the day.

“It is also very educational judging with automotive designer Paul Beranger and it’s good to have editors from other magazines … As everyone has a unique take and is looking for something different when evaluating the style of a car.”

While Tanya’s daily businesses focuses on luxe homes, her daily runabouts speak a different story. With a car-loving father and hands-on work in interiors and styling, Tanya’s daily drives tell a far more serviceable story.

“At the moment I’m driving a 1985 Mercedes 280SE but my father loves buying cars so he sends me a different model every six months or so. I also have an old Mitsubishi Triton ute which is very handy when you work in interiors and styling as you need to be able to morph into a removalist at call,” she said.

When asked about the finalists, Tanya said the Mustang and Audi really captured her attention.

“The Ford Mustang was like a bit shot of testosterone – a good-looking car – that was pretty impressive, especially considering the price. And I loved the quiet luxury of the Audi A4. Its elegant lines and chic minimalist interiors with well-considered design features really appeal to me.”

Meet the 2017 Whichcar Style Award finalists.