The September Issue....continued

Much is being said about how Wintour has been made human with “The September Issue,” and this is very true. We see her ensconced in her surprisingly shabby-ish chic home looking lovingly at her daughter whilst talking almost candidly about her upbringing. The most telling insight into the soul of Wintour comes towards the end of the film when she is discussing her siblings. She had already explained that her father was raised amidst strident Victorian values and had chosen her career path for her at a young age (something she is resisting doing for her daughter). But when she lists the varied careers of her siblings, she states rather plainly and almost painfully that her family is “amused” by what she does. While some argue that she is the most powerful woman in America, her career, when compared to the serious ones of her brothers and sisters, is almost laughable to them.

Beyond slightly humanizing Anna Wintour, “The September Issue” succeeds in both introducing Grace Coddington, Creative Director of American Vogue, to mainstream America and portraying the Wintour/Coddington dynamic as a marriage made in fashion heaven. Wintour and Coddington started at American Vogue on the same day over twenty years ago and their relationship, like many long-term relationships, is chock full of admiration, animosity, anger, long periods of silence and occasional mutual respect. Part den mother, part fierce protector of all things creative, Coddington is the unsung creative powerhouse of Vogue.

In one of the first scenes of the documentary, we see Wintour being told by a Nieman Marcus executive that product supply has not been keeping up with customer demand. Her secretive smile in response indicates that the exercise of keeping product just a little out of reach is a successful marketing ploy. Does Wintour create the market? Is she a fashion soothsayer? Or has she been around long enough to set a sense of the cyclical metamorphosis of fashion? She states plainly “fashion is about moving forward,” but this statement is contradicted by Grace’s 1920’s spread; in the creative meetings for this feature you can see an actual library book in Grace’s hands which she uses as a reference and for inspiration when accessorizing her very 21st century hour. Fashion, more aptly, is in flux it is constantly expanding and contrasting and in such a constant state of inertia that statements like “the jacket is the new coat” are made with reverence and complete faith. Wintour has the ability to decipher what can sell and the know how to advertise those pieces in accordance with when they are expected to hit the malls and department stores, and Coddington understands how to present those pieces with a stylized whimsy that presents the clothes as part of a fantasy that is both approachable and out of reach. Wintour thinks about fashion not only as it relates to the concept of “wearable art,” but also how to advertise and sell that art. And she is willing to sacrifice style for business as demonstrated in her decision to pull a fantastic dress from Coddington’s 1920’s spread. When Coddington puts up a fight, Wintour reminds here that the piece will not be available until November, and tells her to use it in that edition. This exchange demonstrates how the Wintour/Coddington relationship is a perfect encapsulation of the creative/financial dichotomy in the fashion industry.

“The September Issue” is a visual homage to Vogue, a fashion institution and a capitalistic Mecca where creativity and industry collide. If you are a fashion maven this movie will inspire you and reaffirm the belief that fashion is art. If you are a nae sayer, do yourself a favor and avoid it at all costs as the details of expensive photo shoots, airbrushing and expressions like “September is the January of fashion” might set you over the edge.