The September Issue

Have you had a chance to see the documentary, The September Issue? It’s not just for fashionistas. It’s a fascinating study in business, power and influence. Reality shows are still in and this film is the reality version of the Devil Wears Prada. The star is the legendary Editor-In-Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour. Anna is notoriously private, so The September Issue is an unprecedented look behind the scenes of the magazine and a raw and rare look at what makes Anna a true aesthete. I’m not saying I agree with every design decision Anna makes, but her power and influence in the field are undeniable. Her sheer force of will to first get and now hold her position at Vogue for so many years is a testament. The fact that no publication, design group or any entity has even remotely dimmed Vogue’s status since its inception can be no accident. The fascinating thing about Anna is she is not a designer, yet she reigns supreme in the world of design. She is almost 60 years old, yet she continues to successfully dominate an industry focused on the young and beautiful. She is not a great public speaker, she has no degree in business, she has obvious vulnerabilities. So why is she so powerful? How does she maintain her status and stay relevant? The answer is frustratingly unidentifiable! I suspect part of Anna’s magic is: she’s an enigma. I’m not sure we’ll ever really know the truth. She and her job are so intertwined, they have become one. She gives new meaning to the concept of living to work and working to live. But in Anna’s words, when she finally gets too angry at everyone, she will quit. So far, her anger management skills seem finely honed. But even Anna’s tolerance may be tested now that CondeNast has called in the all-knowing McKinsey business consultants for an all-out Anna audit. On second thought, no worries, McKinsey’s fees should make a $300K Meisel photo shoot seem downright cheap! ~ Karen Dacus