How on earth R.J. Cutler managed to film The September Issue is beyond me. Did Anna Wintour contact him? Did he contact her? Who’s idea was this documentary? Is it a tactic to try and clean Anna’s image after the film based on the book “The Devil Wears Prada” shows a fist-of-iron editor? Written by a disgruntled ex-Vogue worker, Lauren Weisberger loosely based her book on working with Anna. I believe that this documentary is the image that Wintour wishes people to see about herself.
Anna Wintour has now been the editor-in-chief of Vogue US for the last 20 years. Vogue is very much Anna’s magazine and her point of view; her decisions are set in stone. Feared and revered, the magazine is fashion church and she is it’s Pope. She is the director and producer of the show called fashion.
During the film, Anna is portrayed in different moments in her daily life. Arms continually crossed, she seems very lonely. She is extremely practiced at deflecting questions from reporters and comes across as aloof. It is strange to see her at home, with her daughter, whom she tries to include in magazine decisions. Her daughter would prefer to be a lawyer which seems to cause a certain tension. Anna’s father, Charles Wintour, was the person responsible for her career trajectory. I get the feeling that Anna would like to also decide for her daughter, Bee Schaffer. Bee sees her mother’s world as over-exaggerated and superfluous, not the best reaction in the world.
Peppered with tense and extremely embarrassing moments, it is a visual wonder to the eyes. When I refer to embarrassing moments, these are when Anna visits certain designers to preview their catwalk collections. It made me squirm on the couch to see designers such as Stefano Pilati of Yves Saint Laurent fame, Jean-Paul Gaultier or Oscar de la Renta grovel before her, almost like small puppies looking for favours and attention. These are extremely talented people, creative, directing great design houses, either their own or for others. They also weld an extreme amount of power, yet are reduced to mumbling, nervous boys. Anna rarely acknowledges them, doesn’t look them in the eye while speaking, commands the conversation at all moments and at most times looks extremely bored. Now, in my book, that has a name, I call it rude.
Everyone scurries around after her. During a breakfast that Vogue hosts for important department stores in the States, especially New York, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus or Barney’s, Anna decides what should be in the stores depending on the trends that she has picked out for the season. Her reach is all powerful, omnipresent in the fashion world. It is completely mind-boggling the power that this particular woman commands. The designer Thakoon compares her to Madonna and says that his hands were shaking the first time he met her.
The real star of the film is Grace Coddington, creative director of the magazine. Interestingly, she started at Vogue the same day as Anna, 20 years ago. Grace is from Wales, with a lovely accent. She is sensitive, warm and emotional, a stark contrast between the two. She lives and breathes fashion, upset and frustrated when 50,000$ worth of photos are dropped from the magazine. With her lovely, wild red hair and her eyes constantly open searching for inspiration, she is the one that inspires.
So does the film debunk any myths, does it show the truth? Can you decide what side of the fence to position yourself after viewing? No, not really. Even though I would classify Anna as rude, there is much to be admired. She is strong and extremely decisive. If she is still in command today and has reached the top it is because she is the best at what she does. Always immaculate, her clothes, sunglasses and perfect bob. There are tense moments and she gets angry; the only moment that she shows some positive emotion is right at the end, while talking about Grace. In her own words: “People that mock fashion is because they are not included and it makes them nervous”. I do strongly agree with that. She herself will always be the target for much nervousness, the fashion ice queen, who never melts. The holder of Vogue US and the entire fashion world.
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