The September Issue
- Jayde Walker
- Sep 28, 2009
- 2 min read
Anna Wintour's doco response to her unsympathetic portrayal as Boss Bitch from Hell in Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada. The September Issue is a sympathetic but fascinating PR exercise where yet another Wintour underling, Grace Coddington, steals the show.
What’s the deal?
The September Issue documents, unsurprisingly, Vogue's September issue. Traditionally it's the largest and most important issue of th year, not only setting the trends for the new summer season but demonstrating how attractive the titles are to advertisers. We follow Wintour behind-the-scenes as she cracks whips/heads trying to get the mag out on stands in time.
It’s good!
I'll be the first to admit I'm not a style icon (what, a Save Ferris t-shirt, docs and navy cords isn't a cool ensemble?); nor have I ever really gotten high or couture fashion. However, I found this doco absolutely interesting and absorbing.While you only get a fairly microscopic and very controlled glimpse the 'real' Wintour, she certainly is depicted, dare I say it, as a likeable figure. However, if Wintour comes off as likeable, Vogue creative director Grace Coddington is naturally loveable and inspirational. The pair of them share a remarkable yin/yang working relationship and it's clear that while Grace doesn't coddle Wintour, her opinion is the only one Wintour seems to respect.
What’s wrong with you?
Some of our career fashionistas seem frivolous, like the camp-tastic and vaguely wankerish editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley. There's also a sense that being entrenched in so much glamour and wealth can lead to professional apathy if you're not disciplined. Take Mario Testino’s cover shoot of Sienna Miller, where he and the stylist get so caught up in their own smug, mastabatory 'vision', they totally forget the actual shoot brief.
Neo-Maxi Zoom Dweeb-ery
It’s not the deepest or the most thought-provoking documentary around (in fact, you've got to wonder how much is contrived), but it’s certainly fascinating viewing. From a feminist perspective, it’s pretty cool seeing a cluster of middle-aged ladies ruling fashion roost.
Truth?
Go for Wintour; stay for Grace Coddington.
Bender Fist Pumps
Rating:4/5
