Full of Grace

Last weekend I went to see the much talked about September Issue. As much as I love the bitchiness of Anna, the real star of the film was Grace Coddington (pictured above middle). Grace Coddington is Vogue magazine's creative director and, as quoted from the film, possibly the greatest stylist of all time. She also controls most of the photo shoots for Vogue and, also quoted from the film, the only stylist who still dresses the models.

Word on the street is that she absolutely did not want to be filmed for the documentary but relented due to Anna's requests. "Watching the documentary, you'd barely know it: she charms Cutler's (and thus, in some ways, Wintour's) film crew and soon is using them for her advantage by talking money with Anna on camera so that she can't cancel her budget. This dame knows how to play the game and isn't afraid to fight dirty, but she doesn't do it in the name of flighty Fashion (with a capital F) but she does it for art, which gives her a nobler cause" (Gawker.com).

During the film, Grace was warm and kind. At one point telling the camera man not to listen about what Wintour said about "hitting the gym." "Coddington seems to pump passion and artistic integrity into the pages while not being swept up in the celebrity frenzy that seems synonymous with fashion these days" (Associate Press).

Grace started her career in fashion modeling in the 60's. Her modeling career was cut short by a car accident in which she flew through the window. British Vogue quickly picked her up as a junior fashion editor. Later starting at American Vogue the same day as Anna Wintour. The lovingly volatile pair still work together today creating some of the most interesting fashion spreads the world has ever seen:

"If you give in, you don't get perfection."

- Grace Coddington, New York Magazine

Love you, mean it

Emily