2023-09-22 13:01:15
It’s that time again, as soon as the holidays are over, the big fashion weeks start again around the world: first in New York and then in London, after which the fashion caravan (consisting of journalists, influencers, buyers and models) moves on to Milan and Paris. The fashion shows for next spring 2024 will then come to an end in the French capital.
This is a billion-dollar industry that also affects people who reject fashion. Because as soon as we dress ourselves in any way, someone has first thought about: What should the item look like, what material should it be made of, or what color should it have? Even the simplest T-shirt or jeans emerge from this caravan of fashion.
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I would recommend “The September Issue” to anyone who is even slightly interested in fashion – because it is one of the best fashion documentaries ever made. The film meticulously examines the creation of the most important annual issue of the American fashion magazine Vogue using the September issue of 2007 as an example. This is traditionally the magazine that sets the fashion trends for an entire year and which set new records every year in terms of page count, advertisements and so on copies sold.
Even though this film was released in 2009, it is full of information that makes it possible to understand the fashion system. A machinery that seems inhuman; under the rule of the legendary editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who is still active today. But it is precisely this that provides surprisingly deep and intimate insights in interviews and statements. In this regard, the documentary is really hard to top.
Director RJ Cutler sensitively shows the effort that goes into creating the magazine. You also witness the passion with which Grace Coddington worked. The charismatic red-maned woman is a former model turned Vogue creative director. She was the only person who dared to contradict Anna Wintour. In the film, Coddington is often portrayed as the main victim of Wintour’s aggressive personality. But Wintour valued Coddington’s expertise and keen eye for design. At the end of the documentary, Wintour approves of most of Coddington’s ideas, and they appear in the final version of the September issue. Coddington is no longer employed by Vogue, but continues to work freelance for Wintour.
The quintessence of what was presented in hundreds of fashion shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris and conceived, produced and demonstrated by hundreds of thousands of hard-working employees of the fashion brands ultimately ends in trends that thousands later follow. “The blazer is the new coat” or “Red is the new black” are the headlines – and the verdict of the print and online media can decide whether a collection sells well or not. This also becomes clear at the end of this exciting report.
It also becomes clear how the world of fashion journalism has changed since then. But one thing has remained the same, and Candy Pratts Price says it this way in the documentary: „September is the January of fashion.“
“The September Issue” can be purchased on DVD and streamed from many providers.
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