The September Issue

I had two great insights into Vogue and the fashion world. The first, and most important insight is that assuming the Vogue target audience is 25-45, the people who make the most important decisions are well above that age. Anna Wintour must be in her mid 50's, similarly or even older, Grace Coddington, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaulthier, Giorgio Armani, Oscar de la Renta, etc, etc. And what was also relevant about this "discovery" as seen in the movie, is that these people are NOT wearing the ridiculous outfits they are foisting on the public through magazines such as Vogue--which sets the fashion dictates of a season. Anna Wintour wore only the most feminine, attractive, figure flattering, AGE-APPROPRIATE outfits throughout the movie---which are damn hard to find in the stores! (unless, perhaps, one is paying top, top dollar for designer prices which may cater to an older crowd) But the fashion designs that are being interpreted for mainstream America is following the latest trends as written and photographed by Vogue. Secondly, this is a movie that attempts to humanize Anna Wintour, and does so simply by showing that she is an obsessive human being, whose obsession is her magazine. She does show some warmth with her daughter, but otherwise she is simply driven and clearly makes no attempt to ease the palpable discomfort of others in her presence. She's not evil, nor bitchy, but she does seems to take some pride her in tabla rosa facial expressions--which clearly raises the anxiety level of those submitting work to her. It wouldn't hurt her professionalism to attempt more empathy, but I guess she doesn't see it that way. Overall, it's a very interesting movie and shows the business side of creating the largest fashion magazine in the world, complete with casual references to using Photoshop to enhance an already beautiful woman, or the promotion of fur in fashion due probably to the large amount of furriers who buy advertising. Great eye candy throughout!

This is a fascinating documentary, not so much about the fashion world but about the world of glossy magazines. Even if people may think that an interest in clothes and accessories is a sign of a shallow personality, it should not be forgotten that fashion is also big business, because dealing with the upper class clientèle creates a huge turnover.

While some photographers and editors might also be interested in the creative side, others are more concerned with the money-making machine and are pretty aware of the fact that department stores and advertisers must be treated nicely.

This split between hard-edge and creative personalities is quite clear in the documentary. Anna Wintour appears to be much of the first type and Grace Coddington of the second. We follow these two women (and a lot of other staff, famous photographers and beautiful models) through the making of the September issue, trekking to Paris, London and Rome and back to New York.

Sure, there is a lot of hard work involved in the creation of beautiful images and in the selection of ethereal (sometimes plain crazy) outfits. However, one can hardly feel much empathy for Ms. Wintour, who gives the impression of being an unpleasant, self-absorbed, arrogant woman. Apparently she is just confirming all the rumors about her. In the most revealing sequence she is uttering the lines "If I get too angry I will quit this job". Indeed, one could say that throughout the documentary she makes a big effort to conceal deep seated rage. But what exactly is making her so angry is a mystery.

She gets what she wants basically at all times, both with staff who does not dare to contradict her and with designers who tremble at the sign of her disapproval. In short she looks like a despotic queen, a sort of female Henry VIII who could at any time order to have heads cut off. And yet, she is so angry… It is difficult to see what people could do to please her more, but maybe it is just not in her nature to be happy.

Different story about Grace Coddington, who is the human face of this elitist fashion world. She actually seems a nice person who really cares about beauty and elegance. The photos she styles are indeed beautiful. Too beautiful for this commercial world, indeed. In fact, most are rejected by her commander in chief and one cannot but feel sorry for so much creativity compressed within the pages of what is basically just a luxury items catalog.

The September Issue is a superficial look into the making of the September 2007 issue of Vogue. Many of the shots consist of various photographers, art directors and members of the editorial staff behaving in a groveling and subservient way around editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. The one exception is stylist Grace Coddington, a confident and gifted woman who does superb creative work and isn't afraid to stand up for herself. Her work really is the backbone of the magazine. Once she leaves, Vogue is on a fast ride downhill. Wintour's insights, as she looks at and discusses potential fashion spreads, seem fairly prosaic. She must have gotten the job by game-playing and the usual machinations of the business world. Outside of standing back somewhat and letting Coddington do her work, I don't see what she contributes to the magazine except for making her staff feel compulsively insecure. I enjoyed the few scenes that show her with her twenty-something daughter, who wants to be a lawyer. She clearly has the ability to "get" to Wintour that no one else in the film does. Good for her. Wintour talks about her father and siblings, but neglects to mention her American mother, an interesting omission. Wintour is a lonely character, in a way. There's a revealing scene of her in the back of a town car clutching a Starbucks coffee and staring straight ahead. She's off in her own world most of the time.

As is to be expected, no one on the Vogue staff actually wears the outlandish clothing featured in the magazine. Wintour wears flattering silk dresses, Coddington dresses in various frumpy black outfits and the staff and photographers wear practical work clothes. The exception is Leon Talley, the only member of the staff who truly buys into the fashion myth. Since Wintour reveals so little of herself and the filmmaker is as deferential to her as the rest of her intimidated staff, ultimately "The September Issue" is an elegantly made film with no emotional heart.

It is best to remember that this film is pre-economic breakdown and surely many of the perks are gone. That said, the September issue is really an unfolding mystery story about a woman with little talent who manages to become the editor of the most popular fashion magazine in the world. The documentary is also a war story between two minds, Wintour and Coddington's. Wintour is the general, so she gets to decide and in general, no pun intended, she makes bad decisions. It is impressive that the documentary got made and that Wintour, who must have seen it was OK with the image its portrays of her because, the source of her power, her editorship are nowhere to be found. Wintour behaves like a celebrity because when the veil is drawn, there is not much there. Her visual sense is tired and the manner in which she makes her decisions, with wimp art director Charlie Churchward, is appalling. It is one of those ongoing ironies that editors get to claim the honors for their magazines, when the real visual artists, in this case, Grace Coddington, have to play second fiddle to people so clearly less talented. The only one to escape this fate was Fabion Barone, who having worked for Harper's Bizaar, actually is seen as the force behind the success of the magazine. The other elephant in the room about this documentary is that no one seems very happy. Anna clearly is depressed about being seen as a lightweight in her family (i.e.,fashion), even her own daughter, while clearly enjoying the riches of her mothers fame, doesn't "get it." Grace and her weathered face tell it all: it is torture to work with his talentless woman called the editor and all the minions run around in fear—of what exactly is the real question...which reveals Anna's only real talent and power she has: the ability to fire people.

The most interesting thing about this movie was that it wasn't about fashion. The movie was about work and excellence. Vogue wouldn't be a success without the creativity of Grace Coddington and the business acumen of Anna Wintour.

Grace Coddington was a revelation and her ability to tell stories through still images is inspiring.

I long suspected that The Devil Wears Prada was a cruel screed against Anna Wintour. I think in this movie we see a more accurate picture of who she is. While not the warmest person in the world, she comes across as incredibly real and she is good at what she does. That must be respected.