Have you seen The September Issue? I somehow conned my fiance into letting me watch it, and was absolutely riveted for the entirety of the film (he promptly fell asleep). It’s a documentary about the making of the September Issue of Vogue (most of you probably know already that the September Issue is The Issue of the year — at some point in the film, someone says its release is almost like January to fashionistas — a time to reinvent, try new trends, and so forth). The documentary follows noted “Ice Queen” Anna Wintour around as she fulfills her duties as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. The interesting bit, of course, is that you never quite get a sense for who she is; she remains elusive, exacting, and steely throughout (even the segments with her daughter are stiff, rehearsed), although there is something almost vulnerable about her soft-spokeness, her taciturnity when reviewing designers, and the expressivity of her eyes when she takes off her ubiquitous shades. Fascinating.
She dresses with pure class and is most commonly seen in a perfectly-tailored sheath dress like the Tory Burch classic below ($365, Saks), killer shades (Versace, $190, Nordstrom), and mega-bling ($1,398, House of Lavande).
If you’re channeling Anna, you’ll probably also need an upscale, classic-styled bag, like this Marc Jacobs arm candy ($1,295, Barney’s):
Perfectly polished. Very Wintour-ready.
Though she often gravitates towards florals, the sheath is the underlying requirement — and this DVF would be perfectly passable ($325, Shopbop), especially when layered beneath a boxy Oscar de la Renta jacket ($2,390, Net-A-Porter) and a chunky, blingy collar necklace (Flutter by Jill Gordon, on sale for $280, Les Nouvelles):
The jacket above reminds me that one of my favorite scenes in the documentary, when Ms. Wintour (I just can’t call her by her first name) visits with Oscar de la Renta — just two kingpins of the fashion industry, putting their heads together. Their combined power and discriminating taste is honestly humbling. I also happen to think that Mr. de la Renta is just the classiest, most charming gent out there (my fiance excluded):
I should also mention that Ms. Wintour is always pushing the jacket — it’s the focal point of so many of her outfits and so many of her fashion spreads. I don’t blame her — I love a lovely coat. Something like this dazzling Matthew Williamson brocaded jacket (sorry everything in this post is so pricey, but she is not a bargain-hunting lady — $1,183, MyTheresa):
Love the nipped-in waist (and so does Ms. Wintour — she is always body-conscious). And it’d go perfect with this perfection-in-fabric-form sheath (also Oscar de la Renta, $1,590, Net-A-Porter):
The above dress would look equally fab with this slightly less expensive (though still not exactly cheap) Alex & Eli topper (on sale for $339, Les Nouvelles):
And of course you can’t go wrong snazzing up a classic black sheath (you can find them all over the place for relatively affordable prices — Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, and so forth — I just found the most incredible version at H&M for $35. Love a good deal. And black always looks more expensive than it is). Add a bold floral print coat like this Anne Klein piece (the floral is extremely Anna Wintour-esque — on sale for $169, Anne Klein) or this artful (almost water-color-inspired) Rachel by Rachel Roy jacket (on sale for $82.99, Rachel Roy):
Don’t forget the jewels — I love this costume version of a Wintour classic from J. Crew ($98, J. Crew):
For something on the lighter side (yes, Anna has one — see below), consider a bold sequined coat (the first: L’Wren Scott, $1,002, TheOutnet; the second: on sale for $49, Newport News) over a creamy vanilla colored dress (Fendi, $690, StyleBop):
Though the slouchy style of the sequin jacket above may be a bit of a stretch for Ms. Wintour, I just had to include it because I was so inspired by my favorite little fashion magpie, Olivia Palermo, and the downtown-cool vibe she scored in her own sequined coat (side note: the shoes are by Aldo — love the mix of high and low):
And, though I’ve mentioned this throughout the post, you have just GOT to have oversized-jewel collar necklaces aplenty if you’re going for the Wintour look. I could not stop ogling at her phenomenal collection while watching the movie.
One of my favorite jewelry designers, Bounkit, has jewels aplenty in a similar style. Consider these opulent pieces ($1,540 each, Bounkit — and take 20% off now through July 18, 2010 when you enter SUMMER2010 in the promotional code box):
For something in the realm of realistic affordability, check out these awesome designs by the Art for Interior designer ($130 apiece — to order, visit her blog for images and email her at [email protected]):
Or forgo the problem of finding a suitable necklace altogether by snagging this Tory Burch dress with built-in baubles ($430, Net-A-Porter):
Of course, Anna Wintour tops it all off with a lavish amount of fur. But because many of you have moral and perhaps aesthetic objections to this and because it is, after all, summer — we’ll leave that issue to Wintour (and winter).
Until next time…
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