The episode has already been filmed, and will include some choice nuggets about Wintour’s tenure at Vogue. Fashion trivia buffs will eat up the editor’s anecdote about her first issue for the magazine, which fronted a breezy photo (right), originally an outtake, on its cover:
“To me, it just said, ‘This is something new. This is something different.’ And I remember the printers called us up because they thought we’d made a mistake. Just wanting to check that that actually was the cover.”
Image courtesy of Rodeo.Net
Wintour’s Vogue has changed significantly in the past decade, most prominently by featuring celebrities—actors, musicians—instead of models.
“I remember getting quite a bit of criticism for my first Madonna cover. And you know, ‘She’ll never sell.’ And it was a little bit risky. And it was up something extraordinary, like 40 percent on newsstands. So that was an eye-opener to all of us.”
I’d love to see Vogue pay homage to its earlier days with Wintour. Just looking at the endearing 1988 cover above and reflecting on today’s typical covers—the flawless, poised movie star smiling regally against a generic, impressionistic background—makes my heart cry a little. But if Wintour doesn’t really do “different” anymore, its because she’s found a formula that sells. And you can’t blame a girl for making bank.
Quotes courtesy of CBS SUNDAY MORNING
[WWD]
