I took some time on my trip to New York to go see the documentary The September Issue which was only playing in select theatres across the USA.  The movie is about the making of the 2007 September issue of Vogue.  The September issue is supposed to be the most important issue which sets all the trends for the year in the fashion industry.

I was surprised to find a lot of people watching this type of movie at the small theatre that I went to.  Even more surprised to find a few guys who were watching the movie by themselves and they weren’t even metrosexual!

I think the way they structured the documentary was great.  They kind of show two main points of view in the movie.  From Anna Wintour’s point of view as the Editor in Chief and from Grace Coddington’s point of view as the Creative Director of American Vogue, with a little bit of comic relief from Andre Leon Talley, Editor at Large.  Anna Wintour is the cold and decisive character who intimidates even big name designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Stefano Pilati, Creative Director for Yves Saint-Laurent.  She was described as the “pope” of the fashion industry and whatever she says goes.  Not only does she tell several people to hit the gym throughout the movie, she even managed to get Miuccia Prada to change the fabric of the coats in her fall/winter collection because the original fabric was too heavy.  Grace Coddington is almost the complete opposite as Wintour.  She has a softer personality, but she will put up a fight with Wintour about anything that she believes in, because she is so passionate about her work.

They have a very interesting relationship in that they do not talk to each other much.  You will see awkward silence between them throughout the movie, and they never really spend time together outside of the meeting room.  Despite this seemingly tense relationship, the September issue turns out to be an issue with the majority of spreads produced and styled by Coddington.

Wintour does show off a warmer side of herself when she is around her children.  However, I found it a pity that even her own daughter stressed that she would never consider the fashion industry as a serious career and that she was going to go to law school instead.

Overall, I thought the movie was a great piece for anyone who is interested in the fashion industry or anyone who wants to get a kick out of the “most powerful woman in the United States”.  It captured my attention throughout the 90 minutes, and it is definitely worth renting on DVD even if you can’t catch it at a theatre near you.