A Different Kind of Passion for Fashion

Image: Vogue "Beauty and the Beast" Shoot

Last weekend I watched "The September Issue," a documentary about Vogue (or about as close as it comes) and boy was I in for a surprise! In watching this film, I expected to see a bit more of the human side of the ever-watched Anna Wintour, but instead I found myself captivated by one Grace Coddington. This woman stands as a fierce red-headed ribbon of distinction amongst Vogue's elite. 

In the documentary, Coddington is featured wearing comfy loafers to the Vogue offices and sporting several loose-fitting semi-casual black ensembles. And yet, as Coddington unfolds her creations as Vogue's creative director all one can do is simply stand back in sheer awe. Even Wintour notes Coddington's creative genius, and this genius is wildly evident in Coddington's photos that made it into this documentary. 

To Wintour's potential shame, Coddington is the star of this movie. "The September Issue's" filmmakers reveal stunning image after image shot under Coddington's perceptive eye. These images have such sophistication, such beauty, and such humanness. And, they're fun to boot. Quite honestly, they stand as a stark contrast to much of the content featured in the beauty industry and are a true breath of fresh air amidst too much uber-modernist flair. 

And there you have it, I believe that Grace Coddington is literally breathing life into the pages of Vogue through her self-styled, self-directed photo shoots. At times, her photos are whimsical and airy, at others they are highly styled with ornate backdrops and over-the-top hairstyles, but they are always about more than selling clothes or even selling a lifestyle. Her photos express the part of the fashion tale that opens up our emotions, not our pocketbooks. To that effect, i'll close with a quote from Coddington herself:

You have to have that fashion story. You know, spots are in, or stripes, or full skirts, or straight skirts, or whatever it is. But I try to make that secondary. We build a fantasy around the girl and what she's doing, what she's thinking, who she is. [emphasis added]