So guys, I’m pretty late on this on but I just caught the September Issue, which is supposedly a documentary on Anna Wintour. I found it to be less so and concentrated more on Vogue and the painstaking amount of work they had to do MONTHS in advance for their biggest issue in the year – The September Issue ™. Hence the title.
It’s a pretty short one, clocking only 90 minutes, so much of the footage has actually been cut out. Much has been said about the infamous Anna Wintour’s icy demeanour, but I feel that after I’ve watched it, I’ve come to understand her better. Not that this is a heart and soul confession sort of deal, most of the time, Anna IS business. And perhaps that is why she is known for being an ice queen. (remember Miranda Priestly? Well, she’s not half as beastly as Priestly but with her regal poise and unflappable demeanour, I half expected her to say the infamous line: That’s all.)That being said, the staff at Vogue are actually pretty sensibly dressed. I think they amp it up during Fashion Week, but most of their clothes at work spoke BUSINESS. So all the crap about running around wildly when the boss enters in their designer stilletos is just crap. Oh, and most of the time, the sample sized clothing stays on the model. Not that I doubt they get free stuff, they just seem too busy to try them on while at work.
Anna is the person who launched the career of Marc Jacobs and John Galliano. (my favourite.)

He does crazy stuff like this. A mermaid geisha! How do they get those fans to stick there??? Guess its a trade secret.
She was the one who predicted that celebrity covers would be a big thing. (something I’m not fond of, but it just shows she has the nose for business, cos GOD KNOWS you can’t turn anywhere without seeing a famous smile or a pair of famous boobs peeking at you from a glossy cover of a magazine.) On this phenomenon, I agree wholeheartedly with creative director Grace Coddington (who is the heart of Vogue and actually seems to be the star of the show) : I don’t care if I don’t see any more celebrities on the covers of magazines. There was a time that fashion was fashion and they kept these people out of it. But well, without celebrities, the industry wouldn’t be doing so well. (more on that some other time perhaps.)
On Grace Coddington: I felt I could relate to her the most. Anna’s demeanour serves her well when ruling with an iron fist, but it fails her in this sort of thing when people are expecting something to make her SEEM more relatable. Also, she has an amazing sense of style and artistic direction: She knows she wants to tell stories through her photographs, and every detail is planned to perfection to achieve that. I felt really bad for her when a GORGEOUS photoshoot of hers was pulled from the issue, but I suppose Anna was going for commercial with this issue. Although I disagreed with what she did, this is the harsh truth if you work in the media: The editor decides. That’s all. (sorry couldn’t resist!)
Grace is the brains behind many creative and gorgeous photoshoots. This was one of my favourites and I was really happy when they showed a picture of it. Such a talented lady, don’t you think?
Alice in Wonderland, Vogue December 2003
I guess the documentary speaks to me and Grace’s story speaks to me mostly because I think I’m like her – I love the whole aesthetic of high fashion even if I don’t have the luxury to indulge in it and I think I understand what its like to want to work for passion. If I’m not wrong, Vogue staff aren’t particularly highly paid (Wintour would be an exception, but it took her VERY long to get there.) And despite seeing the ugly truths and hard work prevalent in it all, I feel more inspired to become a good journalist now more than ever. (not in magazines though.) Am I weird? I think so.