Anna Wintour Talks First Vogue Cover, Sunglasses & Bloggers

Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon recently chatted with Anna Wintour, drilling her on Vogue vs. bloggers. Wintour said that, "like any evolution in the industry, [fashion bloggers] force you to become better at what you do....They force us to dig deeper for stories, but we're not competitors; we serve different markets."

Leon also asked her about her first Vogue cover:

HL: Your first Vogue cover featured jeans paired with a Christian Lacroix jacket. How did this idea, which was so revolutionary at the time, come about? Do you still take inspiration from youth culture? Is there anything happening in street style that you find interesting? AW: It was first and foremost a translation of a European aesthetic for the American consumer. It brought couture to the street and streetwear into Vogue during the era of Madonna's Like A Prayer. It was also a recognition of the importance of personal style in fashion, which has played a role in Vogue ever since.

Wintour also bemoaned the closing of an "oculist on Prince Street that had great sunglasses and is sadly now a wine store."

Comments

[giraf]

02:01 PM on 08/31/2010

Anna, role model and creator of icons and mentors, showed herself when asked in the September issue what her biggest weakness was.
She said: "My children".
I wanted to stand up and shout out NO. No Anna, don't tell women that love for their children is a weakness. All the emotions our children make us feel are our strength,. They tell us when to be compassionate, vulnerable, angry, protective, when to love, and when to tread lightly. They make us strong and not just as mothers. but as women who are bosses, leaders, wives and friends. Children are where we, women, easily connect with strangers. Its where we feel comfortable in the strength of our numbers. As mothers have each other's back. It's where we shine. It's where we rule. Even in fashion.

http://barbidoesmiami.wordpress.com/

[Lynda Filler]

05:35 PM on 08/29/2010

I like that Ms. Wintour is 'coming out of the closet'. Getting to know the force behind the most incredible fashion magazine ever is wonderful! Good job Anna! There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving the best that we can possibly give!

[greentexan]

03:55 PM on 08/24/2010

I remember this cover! Scary....I remember thinking the girl on the cover was "au natural" and I loved it!

[MsVella]

10:08 AM on 08/24/2010

Thats an awesome cover, love it

[Nichole Boultas]

07:07 AM on 08/24/2010

If that's a jeweled lacroix jacket, I wondered if those stones were real. Are they?

[KristaPeck]

04:34 AM on 08/24/2010

How Vogue has evolved. I love how she states that we style bloggers push the industry a bit. I don't think we serve a different audience, though.

[Carsy]

09:43 PM on 08/23/2010

Wow, acid washed jeans, I remember those and I also like the way the model looks. A healthy weight. You can see the same thing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. My husband has collected them for years, and he inherited the copies from the 70s and early 80s from his father. I look at Christie Brinkley who looks great on the cover and shake my head because she would be considered fat by today's standards.

[SilentSolidarity]

08:55 PM on 08/23/2010

Nuclear Wintour. Just watch The Devil Wears Prada.

[Brian Gorrell]

07:53 PM on 08/23/2010

I love Anna Wintour and her craziness about fashion.
I thought September Issue was fantastic.
A MILLION times better than the idiotic Devil Prada mess.
I also ADORE ADORE ADORE Grace Coddington in that movie!!!

[Art Dodger]

09:23 PM on 08/24/2010

I agree Brian, Coddington was amazing in September Issue. I had no idea what a gifted stylist and artist she is. Although I admire Wintour's ability to be powerful and strong I think that Coddington stole the show and that Wintour seemed less sympathetic.

[DaMojo]

05:45 PM on 08/25/2010

Grace's talent is amazing.

[Daisytoo]

06:11 PM on 08/23/2010

Great cover

[mrs adler]

05:57 PM on 08/23/2010

She has great style but that does not excuse her to be so mean. I watched a documentary in which one of Vogue's editors called her "unsufferable".

[Daisytoo]

06:15 PM on 08/23/2010

I watched the same documentary. I saw a woman who was driven by her vision - a real perfectionist and so, a difficult personality. Finally, I saw her as an extremely vulnerable and even lonely woman. Remember the scene w/her daughter? I wouldn't take too seriously what fashionsitas have to say about their bosses. In fact, I wouldn't take too seriously what anyone says about their boss :) - she's the one who goes home w/the problems. Employees don't.

[Benjo333]

07:21 PM on 08/23/2010

I thought the documentary was great too...I am sure she is hell to deal with, who wouldnt be with that job! And, fashion folks are insane...I have several close friends who work in the industry and they constantly complain about how awful it it...

[playsindirt]

04:55 PM on 08/23/2010

Sadly, Vogue as devolved into just another celebrity worshipping rag. I miss the days when actual models were on cover. I remember this first issue of Wintours. I also just bought the September 2010 issue and it was three pounds of ads. Halle Berry is on the cover and there were maybe three or four editorial spreads. What a waste. At least Marie Claire has relevant articles.

[mrs adler]

05:59 PM on 08/23/2010

Agree - I do not like when they workship the style of celebrities who have nearly no sense of fashion: Kate Bosworth, Blake Lively, Kate Moss etc.

[PaticaDeGato]

06:58 PM on 08/23/2010

Blake Lively dresses like she charges by the hour.

[rivergirl301]

10:15 PM on 08/23/2010

I used to buy the September issue *because* of the ads. That was before magazines hit 5 bucks a pop.

[Katherine Owen Bell]

11:08 PM on 08/23/2010

I still buy the issue for the ads.

[playsindirt]

12:58 PM on 08/24/2010

Yeah, but even the ads are too celebrified for me. I mean you have Madonna and D&G, Julia Roberts and Lancome, etc. I miss the days of Lauren Hutton, Karen Graham, Lisa Taylor, Jerry Hall, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campell, Christy Turlington, etc. Real women modeling! Now it's celebrities or skinny teens. Bleech.

[robbor]

03:55 PM on 08/23/2010

wish she'd talk about that rock of gibraltar hairdo

[Daws]

03:29 PM on 08/23/2010

I find her support of the fur industry vile and yet she is intriguing to me.

[jennifer steele]

03:13 PM on 08/23/2010

What's really amazing is that the model appears to have a bit of a muffin top and you can actually see wrinkle on her face - which is such a wonderful contrast to the robot looking airbrushed covers of today. The model looks, well, like an actual girl!

[Daisytoo]

06:18 PM on 08/23/2010

What's a muffin top? I agree about your assessment of the model - she's very pretty and healthy looking. She's genuine.