the september issue

I rented The September Issue last night, which is a documentary about Vogue and all of work and detail that went into putting together, you got it, the September issue in 2007. And I absolutely loved it. So much in fact that I am at this moment re-watching it. It's fun and pretty and shiny and just stuffed to the brim with dishy behind the scenes action. But the main reason I loved it so much:

Grace Coddington. This woman with the flaming red hair and penchant for all black wordrobes is the Creative Director of Vogue. Until this movie I really knew nothing about her. After this movie I want to be her best-friend. She simply oozes creativity, but the best part is that along with this amazingly lyrical and artistic soul she curses like a sailor, wears seemingly no make up, dresses in flats, and just seems like a tough broad (as evidenced by the fact that she has no problem at all standing up to Anna Wintour). In a documentary stuffed full of presences (I mean have you seen Andre Leon Talley), she is by far the one you remember most. She seems like someone who innately understands beauty, and who will fight for it and try to find it in every situation. That's a remarkable talent. I used to read Vogue a lot. Behind the mystique and/or stigma of it, it's a well put together magazine with very many well written articles. Sure it's elitist and a bit snobbish. Sure it's a tiny bit intimidating. But like Grace Coddington, like Ms. Wintour, Vogue is all of these things, but also hard to forget.

Things in Vogue stay with you. It's not political commentary or anything that will change the world, but the photos, the elegance, the sheer style of it all, it's important in its own right. And after watching this film it's clear many people work very hard to put it all together. So even if you could care less about fashion I encourage you to watch this movie and give it a chance. Because what's the point of life if we don't take time to appreciate beauty?

My career as a journalist is probably not in fashion, but I want to be like Grace Coddington when I grow up. She's simply phenomenal.