Posts Tagged ‘Anna Wintour’

In one corner – one of the world’s CHICEST women, the editor in chief of French Vogue, and former Tom Ford muse and stylist – Carine Roitfeld. Here she is at the current Paris couture shows. She’s known for rock n’ roll eye makeup, a lot of black clothing, tight boots, and streaked messy hair. In the other corner, Anna Wintour – another one of the world’s chicest women. She’s editor in chief of American Vogue, known for wearing color, prints, fur, Carolina Herrera, and her perennial tight blonde bob hairstyle and sunglasses and classic Manolo pumps. Who is chicer? It’s all a matter of taste, of course. Meanwhile, we just had to throw this out there – BOTH these women are in their mid fifties! Who says fashion is always agist? – Merle Ginsberg

Lots of magazines and websites are always telling us how to emulate celebrities’ red carpet style choices. They show us inexpensive options on how to get the look for less, at various price points. Lucky, Marie Claire, People, Us – they all tell us how to do it. But until now, NO ONE has ever assumed you could get Anna Wintour’s look for less! That’s because the ultra chic Vogue editor has her hair done every single day, barely eats (salads with no dressing and steaks are her staples), and wears only Carolina Herrera, Prada, Dior, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta – amazingly chic and expensive clothes, which often have been tailored just for her.
No one can try to emulate her look – you have to be a size 2, have incredibly thick hair, and have a 200,000 dollar a year clothing budget! But now with the release of “The September Issue,” Wintour’s chic working-woman look will become better known to more people. She does love tailored suits, fitted shift dresses, and “power print” dresses. To both the premiere of “The September Issue” and on her appearance on David Letterman, she wore print dresses that were very fitted and chic. Now, the website OneStopPlus.com, which is a discount retailer that reaches many plus size women (30 million women in America are plus sized), is running a feature on Anna Wintour, with a “splurge versus steal” section. Some of Anna’s “looks for less”

are from fashion brands such as AVENUE, Chadwicks, Jessica London and others.
For both those looks, both “look for less” options are under forty dollars! Check them out at OneStopPlus.com. Even if you’re not plus sized, it’s interesting to see how powerful Wintour has become as a style icon, and that the women who watch “Oprah” and “The VIew” are not emulating her style!!

As if you didn’t know Fashion’s Night Out on September 10th was serious – seeing Anna Wintour speak about it on Letterman on Monday night – and the coordination of events in NY at Bergdorf Goodman (which Fashionrules is a big part of!), Barneys, Juicy Couture (Vogue’s Hamish Bowles will sing Noel Coward songs!), the Carolina Herrera Boutique in NY (fashion photog Larry Fink will meet crowds), at Judith Leiber in NY, etc – Anna Wintour has gotten together with a few of her fashionable friends: Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashley Olsen, Donna Karan, Vera Wang, P. Diddy, Isaac Mizrahi, and DVF herself – to make this cute PSA (fashionsnightout.com) to get people to come out and shop. We love the t shirt they’re all wearing, and intend to buy one, and Anna’s is very awesome, because it goes with her skirt, and it looks like she’s wearing a Fashion’s Night Out dress! We don’t often see fashion people doing PSA’s and commercials, so this is very fun – more fun than Project Runway, actually!!!!!! Check it out here:

 

 

 

That line, for those who aren’t familiar with it, was the ad campaign copy for Blackgama fur coats in the sixties and seventies – and all kinds of famous women posed under that heading. And it begs the question, what DO you wear for a major occasion in your life? Anna Wintour, hosting the Manhattan star-studded premier of the new documentary about Vogue’s September issue called “The September Issue” – that had Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Sienna Miller and countless other biggies show up to wax on and on about the legendary editor – wore Prada. Funny, since everyone assumes the movie and book “The Devil Wears Prada” is about her. She isn’t doing much to live that rumour down, we’d say. The dress is a chiffon patterned dress from Prada resort 2010, which doesn’t hit the stores till November at least – as usual. Ms. Wintour’s way ahead of the curve. The movie will be released in L.A. in early September – but the September issue of Vogue IS on the newsstands now.

We were quite impressed with the Anna Wintour interview on last night’s “60 Minutes” with Morley Safer – but more with her cool composed conduct and who she pulled in to speak about her – than what the editor in chief of Vogue actually said. She revealed very little, as we expected. Looked great, as we expected. Kept a sunny demeanor - not what we expected. When tough guy interview Safer asked her how she feels about having young girls nipping at her heels, trying to get her job, her response was beyond chill: “Yes, there probably are a few,” she tossed off.

But the access! Nicholas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga, John Galliano of Dior, and Karl Lagerfeld were all interviewed about her great worth to the fashion industry – these are NOT designers who speak on camera often – particularly the reclusive Galliano. It was obvious Wintour asked them to participate. There were also shots of her going to showrooms in Paris (in March 09), so this piece has clearly been in the works for a long time – which shows that an outlet as prestigious as “60 MInutes” thinks Ms. Wintour is worth it. You can bet a lot of fashion people all
over the country were tuned in. – Merle Ginsberg

Anna Wintour – British-born and New York-based editor in chief of Vogue for over 20 years– and arguably the most important fashion person in America – will do a rare interview on CBS’s iconic “60 Minutes” Sunday night. At age 59, she just hosted the “Model as Muse” Met Ball event in NY, and is the apparent Model for the Meryl Streep character in “The Devil Wears Prada” – but no amount of “haughty” accusations seem to affect her hauture. Even her NY nickname, “Nuclear Wintour” doesn’t affect her studied cool. And her style is beyond reproach.
She is also the star of a new documentary on the making of Vogue’s iconic September issue, called “The September Issue,” which got a ton of press off Sundance. We can’t wait to see the movie – but also the interview this Sunday night. Set your tivos! – Merle Ginsberg

Check out this interesting story that International Herald Tribune writer Suzy Menkes penned for the New York Times.

In keeping with the theme of “Models as Muse” at the Met Ball on Monday night, Menkes asks Vogue editor Anna Wintour why the current crop of models don’t get major covers the same way celebs like Blake Lively, Drew Barrymore, and even Michelle Obama do – or like models like Giselle and Kate Moss used to. This was Wintour’s very astute answer: “For models to have the same social and commercial clout as Hollywood stars, they will have to want to live that sort of ‘fishbowl’ existence; they will have to be up for living a glamorous and public existence,” she says. “Gisele and Kate did this, of course, by dating the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp early in their careers; by going out to events and walking the red carpet; and by each having, in their very different ways, a world-class sense of style.”

It’s a fascinating read and we highly recommend it. – Merle Ginsberg

Now celebrities are not new to the fashion world. We have been watching them put out “collections” that they have apparently designed for many years now. They typically transcend into the marketplace in a big flash and then lose their luster after a few years. They ALL start out doing big, extravagant fashion shows a la Lamb, Sean John, JLO, only to find out that the same concepts used in promotion for music or celebrity do not seem to have the same impact in the fashion world.

We are now seeing a trend emerging of a more subdued, humbled celebrity in fashion, wanting to find mentors and open to learning the real ins and outs of being a designer, or the business in general. This summer Sean Avery worked as an intern at Vogue, fetching coffee and handbags for his bosses. Kanye West has been searching for an apprenticeship with a designer, willing to do anything and everything to learn from one of the best. Justin Timberlake backstage at the Mercedes Benz Star Lounge after his fashion show, was seen listening intently to the advice of Anna Wintour.

  

Why are all these celebrities with enviable talents in music, art, and theater, who have everything at their beck and call, willing to pay servitude in this aspect of their busy lives?? Because Fashion Rules! ….. really it does.

Okay, so the First Lady wasn’t there. Ikram Goldman wasn’t even there. But everybody else was. This was Jason Wu’s crowning moment as the new Young Prince of Seventh Avenue, and the crackle in the halls of the Exit Gallery at 35th St. and Tenth Avenue was an viable as the crash heard on Wall St in September – and just as loud. From Linda Wells of Allure to Robbie Myers of Elle and Bridget Foley of Women’s Wear Daily and W, the power editors and writers were all there, as well as movie stars like Joy Bryant and Gretchen Moll, and socials like Olivia Chantecaille. But even they couldn’t overshadow the entrance of Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who just put Michelle Obama on the cover of March Vogue in a Jason Wu creation. Staff told us Ms. Wintour changed her seating several times before actually arriving – and that she had so much security with her, other editors had to move to be able to see. Why so much security? We assume she had another PETA scare – even though she was not wearing a fur coat. Of course, it was rather warm that day.

         And Wu’s clothes did not disappoint, even for the many camera crews who’d never heard of him until January 20th. He showed a variety of looks, from his trademark womanly dancer-like chiffon dresses with belts, to actual boxy wool suits, gorgeous gowns (Michelle – come to the Oscars!), and even – gasp – some little prints! There were unusual color combos, like camel and navy, wine and navy, sky blue with grey, lemon with black and white – the young designer still likes to play and excite, and his creativity is charming, but not overbearing. Could it be – a new “Real Deal” at age 26? The collection certainly portended that. Even in a collection of wools and silks, he worked with feathers and beading with a hand as steadied as Oscar de la Renta.

 

OVERWHELMING TRENDS: Chic boxy suits, full skirts with blouses and coats, tight “Mad Men” sheaths, full full skirts paired with blouses and boxy jacekts. Belted dresses and tiny waists. Some longer fuller skirts, some longer tighter dresses – some shorter looks. Something for everyone. Feminine, but very wearable. Grown up and girly all at the same time.

COLORS: Grey, yellow, black and white, chartreuse, teal, pale peachy pink, soft sky blue

FABRICS: Satin, light wool, pale printed chiffon. There was beading on gowns that was heavy, but laden onto very wispy fabrics, so it still flowed like chiffon. Amazing! Subtle, with detail. You have to look close for all the detail. Even the pleated in the dresses is fresh and couture-style

BEAUTY TRENDS: Shiney simple neat low ponytails, matte red lips, pale skin – young, fresh, dancer-like. Most of the models didn’t wear any jewelry, but there were some pretty swingy long earrings that swung like ponytails in the wind. It does look like the smokey eye is going the way of smoking – out the window.

RELEVANCE TO HOLLYWOOD: Well, if it’s good enough for Michelle – Olivia Wilde from “House” wore a Jason Wu blue chiffon gown at an In Style Golden Globe lunch and was the best dressed girl there. Look for Wu Wu Wu in Hollywood, starting maybe even with the Oscars. And his dresses are unusual for Hollywood – not overtly sexy, not overtly fashiony – they are subtle and lovely. We love the sky blue Grecian soft gown, the pale peach gown with beading, and the silver smoke chiffon full skirted gown with beading dropped onto it like a spray. And those feathery dresses!!! They will stop any red carpet traffic!!!!!!!!! Too bad we’ll have to wait to the Emmys to see them, probably. But we can hope for the Cannes Film Festival, right?