The September Issue

I recently viewed RJ Cutler's documentary film on the behind-the-scenes making of Vogue's 2008 September Issue starring no other than the infamous fashion phenom, Anna Wintour. Her artistic aesthetic combined with her ability to envision the future of the fashion industry throughout her reign as editor-in-chief of American Vogue has grounded the publication's reputation as "The Bible of Fashion".

Case in point is Anna Wintour's first Vogue cover where 19-year-old Israeli model, Michaela Bercu, is seen showcasing a $10,000 jewel-encrusted Christian Lacroix with $50 faded blue jeans. Mixing "high and low" fashions is the reality of the vibrant, modern woman in 1988. Not surprisingly, it is still a popular fashion theme some 20-plus years later.

Vogue, along with other reputable high-fashion glossies, are in of itself a modern woman's fashion source book. They offer the viewer with indulgences through their fantastical editorial worlds where eras are blurred and tweaked through the eccentric styling of prêt-à-porter and haute couture designs. Imagination is limitless. Inspiration is abound.

I personally find inspiration in such publications as it encapsulates fashion as an art form and simply not a merchandising vehicle for products. Not only does it reflect a fashion era or fashion of the moment, but it also looks into the future of fashion. I seek titillating visual stimuli mindful of artistic brilliance and Vogue has not left me feeling deprived. With these inspirations in mind, I am inclined to ambitiously project a similar dialogue for the fashion source book required in this course as well as projects ahead.