While I'm not a fashion fanatic, I did watch Devil Wears Prada and I was interested to find out more about the enigmatic Anna Wintour. This movie only skims the surface of life at Vogue, but given the complexity of people, places and objects involved in creating just one issue, the film makers did a pretty good job. I didn't always understand what people were saying. There were too many mumbling asides. But there were some genuine insights, such as how down to earth Anna's sidekick, stylist Grace Coddington is, yet very much an artist. You see how Vogue is not just an observer in fashion, it's a catalyst, a driver of what's coming up. There are some absorbing scenes -- the skinny model eating a cake, the cameraman roped in to a photo shoot, and the agonising debate about which cover photo to use. Wintour proved a tough nut to crack. She's naturally very stiff upper lip. Not intentionally at all, it's just her nature. She's obviously an excellent editor and well-respected. However apart from some of her comments about her family, I felt she remained a closed book.
Review of The September Issue
