What with the DVD release of the film last week, I was able to cozy up at home with my guapo and watch this highly entertaining doc.People going into this wanting any of the following:
An Expose of Editor in Chief – Anna WintourYou will be disappointed.
An all out bitch fest ala ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
An insight in Haute Couture
Instead you get a behind the scenes look at how the mega influential, annual fashion bible, the September issue of Vogue, gets put together. Sure, you do not get into the articles or advertising, but you do get to enjoy a lot of fashion.
Wintour is not the ice queen Meryl Streep had you believe. She is quick to laugh with the designers and advertisers (buttering them up perhaps), but in the office she is focused and, yes, cold. Photo shoots get scrapped and clothing gets discarded with a simple quiet ‘no’, sometimes a reason is given and they all serve her vision for the magazine.
You feel for the people under her at times, but you understand her point of view. This is the Editor in Chief of Vogue – come prepared with the best you can offer, and be able to back it up – she is a busy woman.
Getting under the skin of Wintour is going to take a lot more focus than director RJ Cutler has time for. You get a few insights into her life (her daughter respects her, but does not think much of fashion) but nothing to give you that “Eureeka!” moment. Is that needed? Not really. The cast of entertaining characters are more than enough to make up for lack of depth. André Leon Tally is Editor-at Large is bitchy camp at it’s best. Most of the people at Vogue are in fact highly entertaining (or rather annoying – depending on how you look at it)
In fact, the true star of the film is Creative Director, Grace Coddington. Former model for Vogue became an assistant editor after a car accident prevented her from modelling. She worked her way up to her current position and is responsible for creating the photo spreads. Her vision for clothing, hair, make-up, accessories, and location make for some of the most beautiful photo’s in fashion.
With her frizzy red hair, pale skin and dedication to black clothing one would think her plain. She is extremely witty and opinionated. After 20 years of working at Vogue, it is a sight to behold to see someone so in love with what they do, that they are reduced to tears when their hard work is rejected.
Wintour may be the brains behind the magazine, but Coddington is the beauty. What she does can only be described as art (see below).
Grade: A-
2 comments:
Just a clarification on Grace Coddington, she has worked 20 years with Vogue in New York along with Anna Wintour and prior to that another 20 years with Vogue London, where she started as a junior editor
Thank you my love. I would have gone into all of that, but the title is 'Mini Review'.
Love ya!
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