Response: The September Issue

I loved this movie! I was so glad we got to watch it in class. I hadn't ever heard of the documentary and I have a deep love for fashion magazines, especially Vogue, so this was really fun to get into. The overall atmosphere seemed so intimidating, and that stresses me out a little bit. I don't know if I could handle having Anna Wintour as my boss, myself! It's crazy to think about placing myself in the fast-paced world of the magazine industry.

In the movie, Grace's role as creative director appeared to have a lot of pull, but she seemed entirely too overpowered by Anna. I think there's a lot to be said for the creative director's ability to understand a concept visually and to present images that are not only appealing, but original and have a certain impact. It was obvious that everyone appreciated her input and considered her a visual genius, but I thought that everyone seemed much more preoccupied with Anna's opinion. This made it difficult for Grace to have her way as the creative director. I was disappointed by this. I thought Grace should have had more of the final say in a lot of matters.

I was especially in love with the 20's photo shoot that Grace set up. The images were so striking! It was impressive that she was able to incorporate a modern style in such an outdated atmosphere. I appreciated her romantic view of things. The soft photos got a certain message across that seemed perfect for the overall concept. I was so mad when Anna pulled out more than half of her spreads! The girls in the pictures maintained a sense of activity and motion while being caught in a still frame. There was something about all of the images that were so breathtaking.

photos credited to Vogue's 2007 September issue

In the case of Vogue, I believe the role of the creative director is more overshadowed by that of the editor-in-chief, but I don't think this is the type of relationship that is necessarily common in other publications. I wouldn't exactly say that I think of the creative director as an equal to the editor-in-chief, but they are in charge of the way a magazine is represented visually. I wish that Grace would have had more of an input in whether or not more of the images were able to be used, not just in the features she presented, but throughout the magazine. I believe that the editor should have a responsibility not only to ask the advice and opinion of the creative director, but to follow their direction.

For my life, I don't know if the creative director position is one that I want to pursue. It seems like this person is so overwhelmed by their life at a magazine, they don't have much of an opportunity to live outside of it. The pressure of having to coordinate the visual representation of an entire publication throughout seems entirely too overwhelming for me. I like giving direction, but I don't know if I would want the stress of having to give direction to an entire staff. On the other hand, how exciting would it be to be so influential in a publication like Vogue? It's definitely an goal to strive for.