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Anna Wintour's 'Devil' Image Dispelled by 'The September Issue'

2 years ago

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After viewing the soon-to-be released documentary "The September Issue: Anna Wintour & The Making of Vogue," I've done a one-eighty on Wintour. Before seeing the film, I thought of her as a simplistic caricature; now I admire and respect her for her brilliant work for the last 21 years as editor-in-chief of the marquee magazine in the Conde Nast publishing portfolio.

My previous conception of Wintour is mostly from the 2006 movie "The Devil Wears Prada." Meryl Streep's version of Wintour as the nasty, demanding, cruel editor is hilarious and enormously entertaining. I loved the movie for the gorgeous clothes and shoes, glamorous Manhattan and Paris sets, sharp witticisms and seeming insights into the famed world of "Vogue" magazine.

"The Devil Wears Prada" mocked the fictionalized Wintour and portrayed the fashion industry as superficial and simplistic. But, "The September Issue" is a totally different portrayal of Wintour and "Vogue." The documentary shows Wintour to be a visionary editor and detail oriented, and the magazine staff to be hard working and dedicated to perfection.

Fashion industry insiders view "The September Issue" as redemption for their profession as a whole, and an honest portrayal of Wintour. For the Washington premier of "The September Issue," I sat next to Johnny Wright, a celebrity hair stylist who does First Lady Michelle Obama's hair, and D.C. socialites' stylist Christopher Johnson.

As we settled in to our seats, Johnson blurted out: "I hated 'The Devil Wears Prada,' " and Wright concurred. After the "The September Issue" ended, both Wright and Johnson were thrilled, saying the film showed the real fashion industry they know, where editors, writers, photographers, artists and designers are not caricatures, but serious, dedicated workers.

Johnson said he had discussed "The September Issue" with Vogue's editor-at-large, Andre Leon Talley, months earlier at a White House event. Talley, who provides all the delicious comic relief in the documentary, said that Wintour was happy with the film because it captured their world accurately. And, this insight makes the scene with Talley playing tennis in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton and diamonds even more hilarious because it's true!

The film, by director RJ Cutler, shows the "Vogue" world as surprisingly un-glamorous and hard working, much as his political documentary "The War Room" did for presidential political campaigns.

Compared to the sleek, modern and clutter-free set in "The Devil Wears Prada," the real Vogue offices are cramped and cluttered. The magazine staff, from Creative Director Grace Coddington on down, go about their jobs without makeup or designer wardrobes, in a singular dedication to creating the perfect product.

"The Devil Wears Prada" got most of its laughs from the way Streep treats the entry-level staff like serfs. "The September Issue" more accurately shows that the bottom-rung jobs in high-profile industries are not exciting for a purpose: to weed out staffers who are not willing to work hard or learn the business. In professions that a 22-year-old would see as glamorous -- like movies, publishing, TV and politics -- the new hires are forced to do inane tasks for a couple years to prove they want the job, not the glamour.

After graduating from college, my first job was as a desk assistant at NBC News. My primary responsibilities included: making Starbucks runs (and returning exact change to each person); taking lunch orders (hate tuna fish); distributing newspapers (a list told me who got which paper, or even just a section of a paper); answering the phones; faxing; working the overnight shift (10 p.m.- 6 a.m., Wed.-Sun.); running scripts around the building for a live show; and transcribing hours of CSPAN coverage of tedious congressional debates.

So, I know quite well from experience that starting out you have to pay your dues by doing simplistic and humbling tasks. After those years, I was promoted and moved on to bigger and better jobs. But in D.C., unless you are the president, you're never above getting the boss a water or coffee.

A criticism of "The September Issue" is that it shows Wintour and her staff to be out of touch, and the documentary dated, since the economic recession hit after it was filmed in 2007.

On the first count, that the Vogue team seems out of touch with the realities of business, I would point to a clever scene in which Coddington, smiling like the Cheshire cat, says to the filmmaker that Wintour hates that their conversation on the budget of a fashion shoot was captured on film. Coddington is insinuating that Wintour views the magazine as art above commerce. Since the publishing industry, including Conde Nast, is hurting, I am quite sure that the owner, Si Newhouse, keeps Wintour well aware of her budget.

Some critics say the world portrayed in "The September Issue," the world of "Vogue," is an anachronism, a throwback to an era of economic prosperity. I would say that those critics are missing the point of why we average women read "Vogue." The magazine gives people who can't afford the lifestyle in the pictures an escape from our real world problems and financial stress.

For only $4.99, I can buy "Vogue" and spend a couple of hours flipping through the beautiful images from Coddington's romantic photo shoots and fantasize of beautiful, perfect lives. I can imagine what it would be like to be beautiful, thin and tan and skipping around Rome, as Sienna Miller does in one scene.

An issue of "Vogue" -- any month, not just September -- gives me a few hours of daydreaming of wearing a Chanel couture gown, vintage Cartier diamonds and walking up the red carpet at the Met for a white-tie ball.

The power of the magazine to carry me into this lovely, imaginary world is a result of the vision and dedication of the "Vogue" staff and its editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, who will go down in history as one of the greatest talents of fashion and publishing.

Follow Emily Miller on Twitter.

Filed Under: Media, Woman Up, Culture

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