"The September Issue" hits Paris!

The Beauty Bible otherwise known as VOGUE reveals what goes on behind the covers starring the feared, revered, glamorous and fur-loving Anna Wintour – the Editor in Chief of American Vogue or rather the ‘Pope of Fashion’.Director RJ Cutler takes his cameras not just backstage but I would go as far as saying to the “change rooms” revealing decision making process, emotions, pure bluntness, rejections and approvals all leading to the giving of birth to the most anticipated issue of the year – The September Issue! Filmed in 2007 with the stunning Sienna Miller as its cover-girl we see Ms Wintour’s decisive interactions with the likes of Oscar de La Reta, Mario Testino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Stefano Pilati, Thakoon and the charismatic André Leon Talley Vogue’s Editor at Large.
My absolute favorite scene though has to be her daughter Bee Shaffer who apparently has no interest in fashion saying “I really don’t want to work in fashion. It’s just not for me. I respect her, obviously, but it’s just a really weird industry … She wants me to be an editor. I would never put it down, but I just don’t want to take it too seriously. People in there act like fashion is life. It’s really amusing, but if that’s your career—there are other things out there, seriously … I think I want to be a lawyer.”

This gorgeous brunette is probably the only person in the world who dares to say “no” to the Devil in Prada!

I also simply loved watching the dynamics and tension-in-taste between Wintour and Vogue’s Creative Director Grace Coddington (whom both started working for Vogue the same day 20 years back). This fiery red-head, ex-model from the 60′s simply steals the show by pouring out all that’s in her head and heart – what a creative genius this woman is! She really adds the human element to fashion by personally dressing her models and bringing berry pastries for them to eat during shoots….Respect!
I am so hoping she kept copies of all her shots that Wintour rejected in Vogue issues and publishes them in a book one day – it would be just priceless…By the way, did you know that this particular September issue was the heaviest (2.5 kg!) and the single largest issue of a magazine ever published boasting 840 pages and that the gorgeous Sienna Miller has fillings (which had to be photoshoped out of course!)
And for a random note, the scene in the movie that had the Parisians in loud giggles was watching their very own Jean Paul Gaultier speaking with Wintour in his heavily French-accented English….while for us foreigners it’s exotic….for the French it’s just hilarious….

There are also some stunning scenes of Paris but I would have to say my favorite one was Grace Coddington sitting in a car and re-calling a quote from British photographer Norman Parkinson who once told her “Never shut your eyes or go to sleep in a car, train, anywhere. You might miss something inspiring“. And while we see very little of Paris during this line – I find it a very powerful one as it’s exactly how I feel about this city too and how I’ve come to understand why all the world’s greatest artists were influenced by Paris so much – Grace included.

In conclusion – would I want Anna Wintour’s job? With that wardrobe, any day! Would I ever want to be her assistant…..you know what? Bring it on!
Did I love it? Yes. Going “inside the head” of a sheer brilliant person – a visionary through those trademark sunglasses who shapes the world not through politics but through clothes. The power of her ‘know’ and her ‘no’ are simply remarkable.

RJ Cutler delivered an issue of Vogue every girl should read…

Released today in the US and UK and September 16th in France…

Check out the trailer below

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