Vogue's September issue -- a yearly rite of passage for glossy, fashion magazine carnivores & fiends alike -- is a behemoth of Autumnal fashion cleverly tucked between a (now ever-shrinking, sadly) bunch of couture ads, unnaturally airbrushed and cannily Photoshopped bodies modeling Fall's most sumptuous leathers (Gucci's metal-studded gear), sky-high platform stilettos (YSL's Tribute shoes), and purple pleated pants (only Juergen Teller could make Marc Jacobs' wackiness look haunted and intellectual). Credit crunch or not, shrinking ads or not, Anna Wintour having to debase herself on Letterman notwithstanding, it's the most anticipated issue of the year, the magazine that gets the most salon & spa fingerings, passed around dorm rooms at back-to-school inaugurations, and cleanly devoured & digested by glossy-paper-hungry (it's not fattening) fashionistas.
It's so much a phenomenon that Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue -- the Pixie Saint of the Eternal Bob, and the over-sized sunglasses that get almost as much airplay as Karl Lagerfeld's trademark shades -- stars in a new documentary (opening today in NYC, Sept. 11 nationwide) named just that: "The September Issue". In the latest resurgence of fashion icon documentaries (Valentino The Last Emperor and Lagerfeld Confidential), the film traces the formerly-private Wintour and Creative Director sidekick Grace Coddington through the daunting task of compiling the desirable Fall issue, catapulting the intimidating duo through chaotic fashion shows, editorial meetings, and photo shoots.
So what's so great about the 2009 Fall issue? Absolutely nothing, even at 584 pages (427 of those are ads -- the fattest ever, two years ago, was 840/727, but Vogue's circulation is at least declining less dramatically than its competitors), a price tag of $5, and Charlize Theron icy glare on the cover ('tho we admit that the Steven Meisel-shot "In the Mood" tribute to 1940s styles borders on the sublime). That is, until we flipped past page 518...
We're happy to see Dudamel ("short, dark, and handsome, with a dimpled smile and a mop of black curls that can take on a life of its own...") sharing prime space with our iconic designers -- Prada, Valentino, Tom Ford -- but this is a bit too thingspeopleweretalkingaboutin2007.blogspot.com.
Click the link below to see more!
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