The September Issue

After months of hearing reviews about Vogue's documentary The September Issue, directed by R.J Cutler, I finally managed to sit down and indulged in a little in fashion education of my own.

The film follows Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of US Vogue magazine and her editorial team as they work towards creating their annual and highly anticipated September issue.With a single nod of her head, Wintour has the ability to make or break a new designers career or alternatively have the world stop and take notice. If you make it into Vogue, you've made it in fashion and the September issue is the piste de resistance, weighing almost as much as a telephone book.

For years Wintour was seen as a poker faced fashion magnate, who's look was never complete without a fringed bob, floral dress and over sized shades. Then Hollywood made The Devil Wears Prada, a film in which Wintour was the inspiration for Meryl Streep's character, Miranda Priestly. The Devil Wears Prada, as expected, is heavily embellished and over exaggerates the relentless and unrealistic demands of Wintours perceived persona. However, I found relief in discovering that Wintour is far from the monster she's made out to be but rather a smart, savvy and incredibly respected business woman who has excelled at her job for over 20 years. The September Issue reinforces the fact that to survive in a cut-throat industry such as fashion, where one day you're in and then next you're out, you have no choice but to play hard-ball or go home.

Watching Wintour as she tours design studios, critiquing as she goes, it becomes quite clear just how influential her opinion is. When she asks the chief designer at Yves St. Laurent where the colour was in his Winter collection, he tries to pass off a dark green as "emerald", while Prada's pieces were considered "too heavy". Needless to say, Wintour was not impressed and both fashion houses returned to their sketch pads.

"Fashion is a religion.

Vogue is the bible."
- Anna Wintour

Without a doubt though, the documentary is lifted by Vogue Creative Director, Grace Coddington who contradicts every expectation you'd have of someone who works in fashion. Fiery red hair, sans make-up, flat sandals and a frumpy black dress is Grace's signature look, but it's her impeccable eye for editorial spreads and artistic vision which is sheer brilliance. Coddington creates while Wintour edits and it's their constant daily tussles over the right balance of art and commerce which has made Vogue the institution it's been for over 2 decades.

[Wintour and Coddington at Paris Fashion Week 2008]

In a world which millions of fashionistas would die to have access to, Wintour's daughter, Bee Shaffer, a law student is candid about her inability to understand the obsession her mother and much of the world has with fashion. To her, clothes are a necessity of life, rather than being a motivation for life. It's a reality which at times is uncomfortable to watch but provides an intriguing balance to a rather superficial world.

[Wintour and Shaffer]

For me, the value of this documentary is how it validates fashion as art and the sheer beauty of whats  being created by Coddington. Women don't buy Vogue to dress like the models, they buy it for fashion inspiration and an indulgence into a world that most of us will never experience. Couture is impractical but Vogue provides insight into the fairytale world of fashions most cutting edge and at times, bazaar creations. In my opinion, anyone that's expecting more of a fashion magazine is asking to be disappointed. However, this documentary for me, did not disappoint and anyone with a slight interest in fashion or editorial magazines for that matter, should check it out.