Double Vision: Passion, Fashion, and The September Issue
“September is the January in fashion.” Candy Pratts Price, Executive Fashion Director, Vogue Magazine.
R. J. Cutler’s 2009 documentary, The September Issue, a look at the arduous process of compiling Vogue magazine’s biggest edition of the year, was initially promoted as a profile of its Editor In Chief, Anna Wintour (left), but ended up shedding more light on Creative Director, Grace Coddington, resulting in her becoming the film’s most fascinating star.
Coddington’s free-spirited, yet focused passion versus Wintour’s structured, and equally focused, determination made for a compelling dichotomy. Even their hairstyles and overall fashion sense speak volumes: Wintour dons her signature bob, classic and conservative, a strand rarely out of place, while Coddington (below) rocks thick, flowing, rock-star-style red hair. Ironically, Wintour, often stern, tends to exude personality through attire that embraces prints and color, while Coddington, like the cool bohemian aunt in your family, is frequently draped in black, almost choosing to pull focus from what’s on her person to what’s on her pages.
Coddington fights to get her work into the magazine, but it repeatedly gets put to the side, as Wintour edits, then ultimately decides what fashion spreads will make it into the issue. As Coddington senses her spreads are on the chopping block, she can’t hide the defeat on her face, as she sits at her desk. She updates the documentary crew about her spreads’ seemingly limited lifespan: “They took two more out and there’s question marks on two more, so it’s been whittled down… and I’m furious,” she calmly discloses. After a somber pause, she reveals with a brief nervous chuckle: “And it’s very hard to go on to the next thing.”
Later, a trip to Paris reignites the inner fire that looked to be extinguished. In a film full of flash and fashion, and pretty pictures, it’s this section that shows the inner beauty, particularly as Coddington overlooks the gardens at Versailles, an inspiring perspective emerges: “You have to go charging ahead, you can’t stay behind.”
And isn’t that what fashion, and life, is all about. The September Issue is a glimpse into the glamour, but more so it’s in-depth insight into the relentless passion it takes to create, and the frustration that can happen along the (run)way.
The September Issue cinematographer: Robert Richman.
Stitch Mix: Music, Mood and the Chanel Fashion Show
Like a belt or purse matching the shoes, fashion and music can be coordinated perfectly. Whether it was during Karl Lagerfeld’s iconic run as creative director, or now with Virgine Viard at the lead, the Chanel fashion house knows all about, all of the above.
In December 2019, Chanel posted its Métiers d’art (art professions) show, a yearly event highlighting the artistry of the many ateliers with whom the house works. (Think, in part, meticulous beadwork applied by master embroiderers.) Held at the Grand Palais in Paris, this year’s show—the first for Viard since Lagerfeld’s passing—was entitled “31 Rue Cambon,” the address of Chanel’s Paris store. The set was co-designed by the film director, Sofia Coppola and was inspired by Coco Chanel’s apartment, with its curved staircase surrounded by angled mirrors; large chandeliers descend from the rafters to illuminate the already brilliant homage.
Stylin’; Profilin’
“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”
— Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883 - 1971)
As the old adage goes: Perfection is in the details, and this rings true regarding Viard’s use of a ‘70s/‘80s-inspired soundtrack. When the model, Vittoria Ceritti opens the show, she glides elegantly down the staircase to Roxy Music’s “To Turn You On” from Avalon, with Bryan Ferry’s ethereal vocals further setting the tranquil tone.
Other songs include:
Sam Taylor Wood produced by the Pet Shop Boys on “I’m In Love with a German Film Star”;
Soft Cell’s jazzy, peppy, yet ironically moody, “Torch”;
The French singer, Amanda Lear’s Euro-Disco, “Follow Me.”
If you need to edit your time, watch the Roxy Music section, then skip to 10:30, featuring LCD Soundsystem’s “Oh Baby,” with its dark, yet dreamy, synth-pop sound. Thanks to the music choices and the models (including Kaia Gerber near the end) walking and weaving around each other in perfect harmony, these two sections are meditative, hypnotic, couture with a calming effect, certainly something to embrace in these times. Note that Ceritti closes the show as well, creating a satisfying sense of completion.
Watch as fashion and music fit beautifully like hand to glove:
Fashion Forest: Chanel Fall/Winter 2018/19
Earlier this year, Karl Lagerfeld and the team at Chanel didn’t just present fashion, but illusion. With the fall season less than two week away, check out the brand’s F/W show, where the Grand Palais in Paris was transformed from ordinary catwalk into a walk in the woods. This cinematic set decoration (complete with a fab prefab-inspired structure) immerses the viewer into a crisp autumn wonderland, while a soundtrack featuring the ‘60s-underground-rock sound of The Liminanas (“Dimanche”; “Istanbul is Sleepy”) and the ‘80s-pop mood of A.R. Kane’s “Love from Outer Space,” all work together to create a fashion-forward future that is romantically retro.
An Australian in Paris: “…That Sweet City Woman”
Kylie Minogue’s cover of the Bee Gee’s classic, “Night Fever” (from Saturday Night Fever) utilizes her upper upper-register, in order to capture Barry Gibb’s distinctive vocal style. In the live performances below, Kylie showcases her authentic, live-vocal capacity, even amid a backing track for (background-vocal) effect. When Kylie sings, “Makin’ it mine,” she’s makin’ it hers.
The staging, styling and choreography is nothing short of chic, paying homage to Parisian glam-pop-disco in the ‘70s, while the two female dancers sport voluminous hair and seductive moves of the period. Kylie joins the dance party at “I got fire in my mind/I get higher in my walking,” and can’t help near the end to do a funky four-step.