Must see: The September Issue
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The cameras followed the Vogue magazine team putting together the magazine's iconic edition which had Sienna Miller on the cover and which toppled a whopping 840 pages of mostly advertising, the worlds biggest issue to date and read by 13 million people.
Wintour and her team were followed by acclaimed director, R. J. Cutler and his film crew, who were given unprecedented access to Vogue's Time Square offices. A stark contrast to today's shrinkage in magazine ads, "The September Issue" provides an in depth look into how the Vogue team made its most fashionable issue. Vogue's Creative Director, Grace Coddington, also British, emerged as the true star of the film, and the cameras captured her passion for modern romanticism making each spread become more than just a collection of pretty pictures – it’s a narrative of art and emotion. But what is even more appealing is that the average person can identify with Coddington who stomps around the Conde Nast building taking witty and sly digs behind her boss’s back.
The result is a rare insider account of the nine months leading up to the printing of the highly anticipated September issue. Cutler takes us behind the scenes at fashion week, to Europe and back, on shoots and reshoots, and into closed- door staff meetings, bearing witness to an arduous and sometimes emotionally demanding process.
At the eye of this annual fashion hurricane is the two-decade relationship between Wintour and Grace Coddington, incomparable creative director and genius stylist. They are perfectly matched for this age-old conflict between creator and curator. Through them, we see close up the delicate creative chemistry it takes to remain at the top of the ever-changing fashion field.
Cutler cleverly deconstructs the creative process as it plays out in the hallowed halls of Vogue, lined with racks of couture. In The September Issue, his access and insight are impressive and make us aware that he is offering us a privileged glimpse into a world many dream about but few see.
While the strikingly raw documentary enthralls even those who are blind to the business of style and stilettos, it won’t be getting any love from animal activists due to Wintour’s obvious obsession with wearing dead animals and how no shoot is complete without at least a little fur.