When I heard that Anna Wintour tried to have Milan Fashion Week cut down to three days so that it wouldn’t interfere with her Oscar plans, I wasn’t surprised. The fashion world seems to behave as though Anna Wintour is the queen of the world, so why not act like it? What shocked me is that Milan Fashion Week actually considered her request, and shifted the show schedule so that she would see as many as possible during her short trip there. I don’t understand why one person can command this.
US Vogue needs the advertising revenue from Armani, Prada, and co. more than the brands needs to woo her for magazine coverage. US Vogue has no choice but to feature Prada in their magazine, not because of the advertising revenue the brand brings to the magazine, but simply because what sort of fashion magazine can be credible without talking about Prada? Or Armani?
Anyway, I read this New York Times article this morning about how Milan’s “Fashion Weekend” is unjust, and that the industry should pay more attention to the city. I agree with the article, and I am disgusted how the designers have had to bow down to the requests of the media and buyers in the past few years.
And then I got to think about Anna Wintour…and I realised I didn’t really have an opinion about her, until now. (I am embarrassed to say I haven’t seen The September Issue yet.) Yes, she is the editor of one of the most-read fashion magazines in the world, but really, she is under the thumb of the advertisers who pay her (high) salary. What has she actually done for the fashion industry that merits her position today? Is she really worthy of this fame? I don’t think so. I am not saying Anna doesn’t deserve any of the attention, she does have a tough job and she does it well, but really, when was the last time you read an issue of US Vogue and got excited about some of the content? She is not a stylist, she is not a great writer, she is certainly not a visionary, so I am guessing she must be a good manager, because you have to be good at something to be in a position like that.
I get bored about these untouchable, terrifying fashion stars that put on a pedestal by the fashion industry and fans of the world. Anna Wintour is boring, yes, we would all love for her to endorse us in some way, but would you want to sit down and have dinner with her? I wouldn’t. I’d prefer to have a meal with someone that would have some incredible stories to tell, and someone who has achieved great things in their life. Give me Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Piaggi, Suzy Menkes, or Mario Testino. Even Ralph Lauren would be more fun, at least he could tell you how he came to build an empire off a collection of ties. What does Anna Wintour have to say? Her fame is dependent on the fame of the designers and image makers that make the fashion industry what it is.
I think I need to write more about this subject sometime in the near future, perhaps a “Fashion Heroes” column about the people behind the scenes that really make the difference. Not the tight-assed, bob-haired, sunglasses-wearing, tennis-playing, fashion bully, meanies who earn 2 million dollars a year just for being a bitchy manager. Oops, sorry Anna. (If you are reading this I guess you deserve the last laugh, because at the end of the day, you dropped out of high school and you have a nice big bank account and a closet full of Chanel suits, and that’s more than most of us have.)
