The September Issue

Editorial

Another name for September Issue could be The Devil Wears Prada 2, so closely does this fabulous documentary on American Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, resemble the fictionalised Hollywood version starring Meryl Streep as the legendary editor and High Priestess of global fashion.

For fans of fashion and the couture, designers, models, stylists, photographers and various hangers-on that come along with it, September Issue is the must-see movie of the year. The movie documents the creation of the 2007 September Issue of American Vogue, the largest single issue of a magazine ever published. 

With an ‘access all areas’ pass, director CJ Cutler presents a revealing behind-the-scenes portrait of Anna Wintour (pronounced Ahh-nah), the most powerful person in the 300 billion dollar a year world of global fashion. Famous for her ice queen traits (a characteristic perfected by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada), Wintour is a terrifying Commander in Chief, frightening everyone from world-famous designers to lowly office assistants and everyone in between in her quest for fashion perfection. Throughout the movie there seem to be only two individuals who are capable of holding their own in her presence – one, her daughter Bea, a law student not short on confidence (she’s interning for a Judge) who sees the whole fashion business as a bit silly, and the other is Grace Coddington, Wintour’s collaborator for over 20 years.

Despite this being billed as Wintour’s movie, it’s Coddington who steals the show. She was a former model and editor who started at American Vogue the same year as Wintour, (as the magazine’s Creative Director) and her relationship with Wintour is a fascinating battle between high art and arty commerce. Coddington, initially reluctant to take part in the doco (but forced to by Wintour) presents the most human figure in this strange, mostly crazy and over-indulged world of fashion. Her pain at Wintour’s clinical rejection of some of the most beautiful photo editorials I have ever seen, eventually extracts fashion revenge on Wintour, as it’s Coddington who ends up saving the day and possibly the September Issue of Vogue. While they might not like each other, there are 20 years of mutual respect firmly in place between the two that has largely resulted in Vogue being the most iconic magazine in the world today.

This movie has all the crazy characters you would expect to find in a documentary depicting the Command Centre of the global fashion industry – and it’s thanks to Cutler’s phenomenal access that the movie works so well. Part of me thinks, what the hell was Anna Wintour thinking saying yes to this? And the other part of me, like most who will see this movie, is absolutely delighted she did. After all, there might be any number of Devils wearing Prada, but there is only one Anna Wintour.   

Cath Pope, Citysearch

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