More chic commenters than I will have to tell you whose dress Anna Wintour was wearing last night on her virgin voyage onto The Late Show with David Letterman, but I do know that the two-segment exchange was, as both host and guest seemed to want it, low-key yet prickly and pleasingly insistent.
Here was Hoosier boy Dave (“Let me tell ya what’s chewin’ at my liver today,” he began one post-monologue rumination last night) versus the self-mockingly self-described “ice queen… dominatrix” Wintour, editor of Vogue and present to promote the new documentary about her, The September Issue.
Striding onstage wearing big sunglasses, an apparent joke about her inaccessibility that she quickly removed, Wintour was mostly poker-faced and highly resistent to Dave’s line of questioning. Maybe that’s because Letterman wanted to talk about how one remains “fashionable” during economic lean times, and Wintour, with her Vogue feeling the crunch all magazines do right now, didn’t have a heckuva lot of answers to that. Given Dave’s hypothetical $20 to spend on “being fashionable,” she replied, “You could buy lipstick.”
Actually, Wintour came off as she probably wanted: a bit intimidating (“I am not always warm and cuddly”) but a good editor, a fine maintainer of order. “I’m very desicive, I give clear direction,” she said of her style as a boss.
Kinda like Dave, except with a clipped accent. Too bad she didn’t take Letterman up on his offer to hit baseballs with his other guest, Mark Teixeira. She did make me want to see the movie director R.J. Cutler has made about her and Vogue, though.
How about you? Did you watch?
I thought it was an interesting segment. Another well-rounded show. Playing verbal catch with Wintour and then hitting baseballs with a very affable Teixeira.
Sorry to be saying that but if ms. ana is doing brain sugrery or may be saving dieing little cats from burning building or some such think, then may be I can not focus on attitude of hers like that. But to be so sour of such a person is very offput.
she is a relic. the fashion industry does not care if you can afford their clothes, but they still want to pretend there are people out there that can buy them.
I saw the movie and it was quite good. I’m not familiar with the fashion industry or anything but I really enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it.
I loved “The September Issue”. As a long time Vogue reader, and September issue hoarder, it was fascinating to see how this Bible of the industry is put together: the work that it takes; the influence it (and she has); and the give and, mostly, take relationship Wintour has with Vogue’s creative director, Grace Coddington (give that woman a high-end reality show, stat).
It’s sometimes hard to love fashion in recessionary times as those who work in its upper reaches are often accused of being out of touch. But a point made strongly in the film is that Wintour works hard at the confluence of art and commerce which drives both the magazine and the billion dollar industry it celebrates.
And as fashionista-ery as I can be from time to time, sorry Ken, can’t enlighten you on who she is wearing!
Ms. Wintour was wearing Carolina Herarra. She certainly gives off a “let them eat cake vibe” but she gets her wardrobe for free, so what does she care how much haute couture costs. She is very fortunate to have the body type that can wear it. Poor Andre Leon Talley can use only it as finger puppets. Vogue has over 600 ad pages…Conde
Nast must love that even though the magazine is totally irrelevant. Do you think Ms. Wintour could even design or sew a dress unassisted? I prefer Martha Stewart.