Tag: vogue

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Fashion

Fabulously Applying the Same Remedy.

In the “Here We Go Again” category, another month, another headline on layoffs at the big publishing houses.  It is hard to imagine who will be left to write about a perfume review. It is hard to see just how many more staff members can be fired from a company becomes dysfunctional. Applying the same not working remedy for the same long term illness has not worked.

First, Hearst, the Eight Avenue headquartered publisher of Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and Cosmopolitan announced 200 employees would be fired.  President Debi Chirichella gave the usual excuse of allocating resources to support goals, etc. The reality is the company may employ A.I. to produce articles.  Hearst’s flagship title Harper’s Bazaar will publish one less print edition next year, from ten to nine.

The second announcement of fashion magazines meltdown came from Conde Nast.  The collection of prestigious magazines released underperforming financial figures.  On Thursday December 5th, GQ heads rolled along with other workers.  Last year Group leader Roger Lynch fired 5% of the staff, decamped to cheaper digs in London and New York City while trying to pivot to digital realms. Claiming ad buys are down, costs are up, the Vogue owner is seeking new bottom line cuts.

Plush Meltdown

As this plush content calamity happens, the great survivor Anna Wintour continues with the title Chief Content Officer over several titles. The simple question is, why? The strategy of jettisoned international editors has failed, one template for all local versions has failed.  Editors are now working across multiple titles and platforms.  What made Vogue magazines unique has become as exciting as eating at a global fast-food chain. Conde Nast became a sinking brand extension of Wintour.

Hearst and Conde Nast are going to have to search for new ideas as 2025 looks to be difficult year with conflicts, consumer pressures and business cutbacks. Will the once uncontested style gate keepers be relevant? Dinosaurs existed until one day they did not.

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Fashion

Met Gala’s Garden

The Met Gala happened yesterday.  The ultimate “LOOK AT ME “Red Carpet ceremony went off without a hitch after brokering a last-minute deal averting a strike involving NewsGuild members of Conde Nast employees. Anna Wintour took center stage.  The Vogue head has transformed the event into the most important annual fashion ritual on the calendar with global celebrities and business tycoons attending.   

This year’s theme “Garden of Time” was inspired by JG Ballard with hosts Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth and Zendaya.   The dress code inspiration centered on nature with proceeds going to the Costume Institute. 

Admittingly, this year’s looks were striking.  The designers got the memo, then went to work. 

Way ahead of the pack, Cardi B., the rapper took over the scene with a more means more black strapless look.

Zendaya is the Modern Queen of the Red Carpet, no argument on this end.  The Dune star decided to have two looks for the night by Maison Margiela. 

According to Vogue Gigi Hadid’s dress White Rose dress took 13,500 hours to create.  The Thom Browne creation is a mix of satin and silk moire with thorn appliques and the off the shoulder corset.

Gwendoline Christie in a Masion Margiela black and red ensemble was a subtle stunner.

In the “Only eat one carrot a day” the Sand Dress from Balmain worn by songstress Tyla will rank as a Met Gala standout. 

Barry Keoghan’s Burberry three-piece suit with top hat took the Beau Brummell prize for romance and elegance in the menswear category. 

Has the Met Gala aged well?  Red Carpet bashes feel more ponderous than glamorous. The format comes across as modern as our grandparent’s prom pictures.  

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Book Review Fashion

Talley’s Chiffon Trenches

Andre Talley

I finally read Andre Leon Talley’s book The Chiffon Trenches, the fashion authority’s memoir published in 2020.  The Brown University graduate shows his gift of flowery as well melodramatic language describing his pioneering life in the fabulous  stratosphere.  However, therein lies the problem with the book.  The author weaving the tales got tangled in the plush silk web.  

From humbled beginnings in North Carolina to the corridors of fashion power at Vogue and Conde Nast, Talley’s journey was remarkable.  An assignment with editor matrix Diana Vreeland opened the doors of influence and access.

Stints at Interview, W Magazine and Ebony, Paris then New York placed the Washington D.C. born journalist in a spoke of the fashion universe.

Into the Bubble

The expression goes “The devil does not come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns.  He or she comes as everything you wished for.” It would be Anna Wintour who placed the journalist as close to the fashion’s center- hub as he would get.  The British born uber magazine head made Talley a true member of the style gentry class.  With a prestigious name plate, suddenly the first African American fashion Editor at Large not only had new friends, old enemies sought truces. 

Working at Conde Nast came across as a gilded bubble, flying here and there, front role seats, endless name dropping, believing the gold leaf fiction would prove the influential style consultant to the star’s eventual downfall.  Everyone has an expiration date. Mr. Talley’s beliefs in personal relationships in a transactional world came across as misguided, naïve, silly. Given his skill and knowledge, how did Andre fail to understand this?

The lack of introspection, suddenly chasing identity in a shallow way bothered me while reading his book. At the time of his writing, the world was gripped by BLM.  Perhaps this was chasing the headlines of the day.  I cannot remember Talley championing other African American Writers, designers, stylists until it was safe. Being friends with Naomi Campbell, Diana Ross and Michelle Obama was hardly risking taking.

His Job?

The confusing part of the book, what exactly did Talley do at Vogue? The details of having to pay for his driver when expenses were cut, laid bare, while the particulars of his job seemed vague, a column or a VIP styling every full moon. What were his real responsibilities?  After his unceremonious 2018 dismissal from the fashion Bible, the once well-heeled connected style purveyor got lost, forgotten, a relic who did not keep up with the times.  Seeing the frequently wearing caftain wearer on the 2020 Tamron Hall Show, I saw a man who came across as a child who lost his mother at the shopping mall.  The issues with Wintour still ran deep. 

Andre Leon Talley passed away in 2022 alone, struggling with legal and financial issues.  The 73-year-old left a bigger than life legacy that sadly faded at the end.

Categories
Fashion

Conde Nast does it AGAIN!

Conde Nast

Yet again, this time around 5% or around 300 people will get pink slips from Conde Nast’s 5,500 employees. As the New York based publishing house takes “death by a 1,000 cuts” road to profitability, I am starting to get the feeling perhaps it is not the patient but the doctors in charge of treatment. Round after round of lay offs and high profile exits seems to have yielded less than good results. In a letter from company head Roger Lynch, there were hints of more head count cuts to come along with a smaller office space footprint.

Conde Nast Vogue
Conde Nast/Vanity Fair

Twentieth century aspirational titles are becoming less relevant in the digital landscape. Platforms are algorithm centric where guys with no shirts, puppies and comedic irony rules. The parent company of Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair continues to struggle with declining ad revenue along as readers flock to short videos on TIKTOK and Instagram.

It begs some questions about the current centralised approach strategy for all magazines, one template fits all. How long can Conde Nast keep trying to “reduce costs” its way into the black column? Why is Fashion Empress Anna Wintour, still sitting on the thrown of a plush, yet continuing shrinking kingdom? Sooner or later the royal court will have to face reality.

Categories
Fashion

Edward Enninful is IN & OUT

The First Man on the cover of UK VOGUE

Edward Enninful, Vogue’s first person of color Editor-in-Chief has moved to another position at the publishing house. It was a sort of a shocking announcement, with the usual “thank you for your support” and other clichéd niceties. The Ghanaian born’s new title is “global creative and cultural advisor” for the publishing house. That is a big title to swallow, imagine on a business card. Starting in 2024 Vogue UK will no longer have an EIC, but an Editor of Content. That means less money, less power, with all final decisions made in the United States.

Edward Einnful
EIC Edward Enninful
First Vogue Cover
Enninful’s first cover from 2017


For some time there has been an open secret of a rift between the Queen of High Fashion Anna Wintour and the British title head. Rumours of cold shoulders were rife, Edward not appearing at Vogue World in New York. Mr. Enninful has been the face of the fashion world’s move to inclusivity. Placing many no so typical faces on the cover. My questions, beyond the bubble hype, did these issues sell? Do readers buy fashion magazines for “activism”? The paradox of wearing a $10,000 dress while screaming a social cause is not exactly the same as Gandhi crisscrossing India demanding liberation from the British Empire.

Activism Cover


Parent company Conde Nast has struggled over the digital years. Once fashion’s standard-bearer, today, the glossy pages come across as the faded opulence of your once glorious yet struggling aunt who has not come to terms with modern times. Instagram sets the fashion clock today.

The other hint of tension happened on June 1st when Wintour announced her plan for a London Vogue World event charity benefitting the arts scene. Enninful’s name was conspicuously missing from the announcement, a big slight for the ultimate UK based fashion insider. Even predators on the Serengeti respect each others’ territory, not New York’s Queen of the Magazines.

Edward learned what others knew. Those Prada’s will walk over anyone to stay on top of the rag trade press.

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Fashion Feature

Karl & The Met in the New Gilded Age

Met Gala

Karl Lagerfeld took front and center at the Met Gala 2023. KARL LAGERFELD:A LINE OF BEAUTY was the theme of fashion’s biggest Red Carpet. The legendary German helmed the luxury house Chanel for 37 years.

Vogue editor Anna Wintour along with co-hosts Rodger Federer, Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel and Penelope Cruz brought the glitz and glamour to the exclusive Red Carpet affair, raising money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As with so many other gilded events, this year’s Met Gala came across as awkward. Imagine putting together an IKEA shelf with a 12 degree leftward angle.

Would we go to the most exclusive party in the fashion world? This would be a hard a question to answer. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the club? However, it’s no secret the fashion industry is swerving on a mountain side road. Retailers as well as brands are feeling a hard pinch. Consumers have cut spending on clothing. Weak brands are falling while the strong ones struggle.

Reality? Who Cares!

Conde Nast has not been immune from shifts. The publishing house has fired staff, issued pay cuts and is decamping in Louboutins for newer, speculation is,,,, cheaper, digs.

I was recently speaking to a press agent about the speed of the change. No one knows who is in charge of publications. Email contacts now have a “no longer working here” instant reply. Journalistic quality has become questionable. What is an objective review? Magazines are now platforms for hire where if you do not pay there is no coverage. Press invites are more of a kin to potluck events, bring your own dish. In the past, agent relations were about seduction with Goodie Bag samples, generous catering and a conversation.

The Good Ole Days are gone. What happens now is more similar to a used car salesman in a polyester plaid suit trying to close a deal before the buyer becomes aware. As many press agents have lost clients, so have their kissing on the cheeks budgets decreased. Only the “In Crowd” may get a trinket. Food, maybe, is a croissant from a corner supermarket, if the lowly overworked intern has time to grab them. Call me adaptable, these days I pack a protein bar with a bottle of water for fashion press events.

Which brings me back to the Met Gala. Sure, it looks great, gilded circus food, cotton candy on a stick. But how long can you eat cotton candy?

Categories
Fashion

A Low Octane Met Gala

Of course I reviewed the Red Carpet fashion looks from the 2022 MET GALA. The big event raising money for the Costume Institute in New York City. Vogue Global Editorial Director Anna Wintour reigns over the biggest night in fashion. The theme this year “Gilded Glamor” raised a few eyebrows. The theme was either a stroke of insensitivity, pr genius or random luck given the growing wealth gap. Let’s face facts, how many of us can afford the $35.000 ticket? Only the rich and famous need apply for the First Monday in May dress up.

Funny, given the over top promotion on the Conde Nast platforms for millionaire party, a person would not think many of the publishing house employees have formed a union for better salaries, working conditions and security. Under the banner “Prestige does not pay bills”. Perhaps, a fundraiser for Vogue staff should be organised.

Relevant

Desperate to stay relevant, let’s face it, Vogue’ mountain top tastemaker status is under threat from platforms and content makers. The MET GALA is a cash cow for the aspirational publication with income streams from sponsors to high media value. According to the Business of Fashion, the 2019 MET GALA generated over $16 million.

The Red Carpet Gold Medal: Kim K stole the limelight channeling old Hollywood Glamour in a nude dress inspired by Screen Goddess Marilyn Monroe, hardly keeping with the theme of the night, but the reality star mogul understands the optics. For the other attendees, their A-Game fell short, lacking spectacle. As if invitees were unsure. In other words, “I’ll go, but make a social political woke statement at an elite event during a global pandemic in a world on the brink of World War 3.” I hope the food was good.

Categories
Fashion

Andre Talley-1948-2022

A force in fashion, a larger than life personality, Andre Talley passed away today. A man of many contradictions in an industry based on elitism and privilege, such was the life of an icon who loved fashion along with it all its trappings, from his Louis Vuitton Tennis Towel to friendships with Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent.

The one time Vogue Editor at Large commanded respect in the fashion world. In the eighties Mr. Talley was one of the few African American faces to sit front row at many fashion shows.

Categories
Fashion

Same Story, Different Day

 Anna Wintour hit the headlines of the New York Times yet once again for the wrong reasons. The proclaimed most powerful woman in the fashion world has been under heavy criticism for Vogue’s lack of diversity.  Black voices sidelined at the publication were the norm.  Fashion magazines were or less country clubs for the elite.   Slim white women from well to do families had the best positions. A place were rich wives “worked” telling other rich wives what to wear for the season.  I attended a public state school, a person of color. I knew Vogue as a place  closed to my type.  

Read my fast response to the NYT 

  • Vogue head Anna Wintour
    Wintour from Vogue

The question raised again: Should Anna Leave?

Categories
Fashion

Fabulous Denial Syndrome

Being Fabulous! Aspirational living! This is the lifestyle Vogue and other Conde Nast publications put in our faces. That $1500 bag matched with a $900 linen top.  Advice; Pay the rent before heading to Bloomingdales. 

Once again the magazines find themselves in the headlines, but for the wrong reason,,AGAIN!  Six years ago Conde Nast debased from Mid Manhattan to the World Trade Center. Fast Forward to the 2020 Pandemic, ad revenue flat lined. Suddenly, those palatial 1.2 million square feet became a brick tied to an ankle in a sea storm.

Fashion magazines have been in a denial stage for a decade. Bloggers and social media elbowed in once exclusive territory. Brand advertising splintered. But to the heads of Conde Nast, this was a bump on a Champagne Boulevard. They had become victims of a movement they help create, “Living In A Fake Reality”. 

Nothing says success than new digs. Trading up, moving to 1 World Trade in lower downtown New York represented the future, optimism. Anna Wintour and staff sat on top of the world. August 4th  2020, reports started circulating Advance Publications, parent company of Conde Nast, is scouting for a new office. I had to do a double take. Suddenly, Vanity Fair, New Yorker, Teen Vogue’s 21 floors lost its appeal or a need to  “trade down”. Six months ago I saw Vogue editors coming in and out of the Bristol and Hotel de Crillon hotels in Paris. 

One Minute This, Then, 

In April requesting government a bailout, today negotiating cheaper rent. No more fashion week teas in “Le Boudoir”. Have the company credit cards been cut? No worries, if a Vogue Staffer is reading this, send me a message. I know a few affordable places in Paris and Milan.

Looking over the magazines social media channels, I could see problems. Access to the best writers and photographers in the world, yet, a lack of original content replaced by recycled stories. How many pictures can be from the archives? Or Vogue Challenges every week?  HMMM! 

All smokes and mirrors, denial is a fabulous way to live until a “reality brick” hits the face.