Off topic: The September Issue

The September Issue

Category: I first saw this in 2009, and have seen it several times since.

My thoughts: When I mentioned this documentary in the post about Lipstick Jungle, I thought how I’d like to watch it again and review it. I’m not obsessed with fashion, but I’m very interested in it. I’ve been a Vogue reader for years, and I love behind-the-scenes glimpses, so I was excited to see The September Issue when it first came out. It’s about the process of making Vogue’s September 2007 issue. I actually used to have the issue, but no more. I tend to make collages out of old magazines, so I think that’s the fate of that particular issue. Alas…

In The September Issue, we meet Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief and General Eisenhower of the magazine, Grace Coddington, the creative director, Andre Leon Talley, Vogue’s editor-at-large, and other staff members. I was fascinated by the portrayals of work styles in the documentary. Anna Wintour is coldly efficient, whereas Grace Coddington is a little more subtle and no less determined to reach her goals. This results in a little friction between the two, but they respect each other immensely. It’s a bit like the head butting that goes on between account service and creative in the advertising world.

Anna Wintour has a reputation for being a meanie. In the documentary, she comes across as tough, but with a purpose—that is, to produce the best possible Vogue. And she shows a flash of vulnerability when she was discussing the fact that her siblings, who have careers that many would deem more “serious” than hers, are sort of “amused” at what she does. This made me warm to her. Those of us who have siblings have surely at some point been humbled by them.

Grace Coddington really shines in this documentary—along with her flaming red hair. She continually fights for creative integrity, is damn good at her job, and has such an unparalleled eye for beauty. And stands up to Anna Wintour—what a brave soul. Grace concedes that Anna’s idea of putting celebrities on the cover helps sell the magazine—although Grace doesn’t love it. But because the magazine sells, she has something in which to put her amazing work. Creative and practical—that’s Grace Coddington.

Unfortunately, we don’t see enough of Andre Leon Talley. He is the very definition of awesome. But underneath all the swagger, he’s got an incredibly sharp mind. Also, I really enjoyed listening to Sally Singer, who wrote some of the Vogue articles I love best, and who is now the editor-in-chief at T Magazine.

Great line (from the incomparable Andre Leon Talley, in one of the best scenes in the documentary): It’s a famine of beauty!

P.S. I’m still reading The Living Is Easy.

Bonjour Tristesse

More lunch break reading

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

Category: This is the first time I’ve read this book.

My thoughts: I am a bit unsettled by this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I can’t say that I loved it. Bonjour Tristesse is narrated by Cecile, a seventeen-year-old girl who lives a libertine life with her widowed father, who has a rather long list of concubines. This story centers around a particular summer when Cecile is determined to purge her father’s latest paramour from their carefree lives, while plunging into a sexual relationship of her own.

While reading this book, I wondered how American readers in the 1950s received this novel. It was published in 1955, and on television and in movies from this period, married couples slept in separate beds (like in I Love Lucy). The main character and her father, however, are very plainly sexually active. Cecile’s father’s girlfriend, Anne, tells her that women who indulge in such behavior “usually end up in a hospital.” I wonder if such a reference to abortion shocked readers at the time. And does Anne know this from personal experience?

Françoise Sagan wrote this novel (perhaps it’s better called a “novella”) when she was eighteen. It works really well, being that age and writing about a character that age. I don’t have much in common with Cecile, but I do remember being seventeen. You’re not a child, and you’re not a woman. And you’re not sure if you should cling to childhood or throw yourself into adulthood. It’s such a time of discovery and uncertainty. This is Cecile’s life, and she discovers that she has certain powers and abilities.

I have to say that I was a little creeped out by Cecile’s relationship with her father. They seemed to be too close for comfort. Like I said before, I was a bit unsettled by Bonjour Tristesse. However, I respect that the novel reflects real life. Cecile’s machinations indirectly result in a tragedy, which seems to give her pause, but does not alter her core. I think that’s real—a lot of the time, people are unwilling or unable to change their behavior when they should.

Great passage (which I feel epitomizes Cecile): I cannot say I wanted to “be myself,” for I knew I was still soft clay. But I refused to be molded.

Next, I’m reading The Living Is Easy. And dear readers, I’ll probably have a lot to say.

Happy Birthday Toni Morrison!



Photo credit: Photofest

It's Toni Morrison's birthday! She was born on February 18, 1931, and grew up to change the lives of many with her words and win a Nobel Prize for Literature. Such an amazing writer!

Cocoa

Orange slices go quite well with hot cocoa.

I wasn't kidding about the cocoa. Hopefully mine is as good as Maud Martha's. This isn't the first time a reading experience has influenced me to do something. When I was a kid, I (temporarily) stopped eating bacon after reading Charlotte's Web.

Maud Martha

Category: Maud Martha, written by Gwendolyn Brooks, is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read for years. At last, I read it.

My thoughts: Oh my goodness, this book is great! I love Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry (particularly “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon,” which is about the murder of Emmett Till), and her language is delicious in this novel. Reading Maud Martha is like drinking a really good cup of coffee or soaking in a hot bath (both of these things, incidentally, are good to do while reading).

Maud Martha is about the life of a black Chicago woman, starting when she is a child. In little chapters, we get glimpses of her inner life and experiences, and meet her family members and neighbors. Maud Martha is very likable. She is observant, smart, fiercely loyal, and makes a mean cup of cocoa. One of my favorite moments is when she ferociously defends her brother against several bullies. We see early on that this girl has guts. Another great moment is when Maud Martha’s mother says that there isn’t enough cinnamon in the gingerbread, but it’s still good (Thanks, mom!). Maud Martha calmly informs her mother that she likes nutmeg better than cinnamon. Something about this moment made me fall in love with her. I like to bake, and I totally agree with her on this one. Cinnamon is nice, but nutmeg has kick. Of course Maud Martha likes it better than cinnamon.

One vignette that is particularly poignant is her desire to attack the white Santa Claus who all but ignores her eager daughter. She then ponders the moment when her daughter will realize that discrimination will be thrown in her face, sometimes in unexpected ways, because of the color of her skin. Maud Martha sadly thinks of how she cannot protect her child from pain. Maud Martha herself struggles to maintain her dignity in a world where, because she is black and female, people make it difficult for her to do that.

I can’t overstate how beautiful the language in this book is. There were passages that I read again and again, and this is a book that I’m going to recommend to people. After that, I’m going to buy some cocoa.

Great passage (and this is one of many great ones): One walked out from the almost perfect wall, spitting at the fire squad. What difference did it make whether the firing squad understood or did not understand the manner of one’s retaliation or why one had to retaliate?

Next…I’m not sure. Probably Bonjour Tristesse.

Lipstick Jungle



Lunch break reading

 Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

Category: I listened to this on CD about five years ago.

My thoughts: So I was in the mood for something light after reading Paradise. And Lipstick Jungle is definitely a fun read. But it isn’t full of empty calories, if you will. I found myself really clinging to what the book says about powerful women. Let me build…

Lipstick Jungle is the story of three high-powered, forty-something women living in New York City, Wendy Healy (a movie executive), Victory Ford (a fashion designer), and Nice O’Neilly (an Anna-Wintour-like magazine editor). The novel follows the women’s work successes (and some failures) and their romantic misadventures. Lipstick Jungle was also, very briefly, a TV series (which I tried to like, but failed). Reading this book, I couldn’t help thinking about our old friend Undine Spragg from The Custom of the Country. She would fit right in in this world of cutthroat business in New York.

In Lipstick Jungle, Candace Bushnell features thought-provoking portrayals about women and gender roles in the personal and professional worlds. Interestingly (well, to me), the book was published in 2005, the year I joined the work force, and what resonated with me is her insight on women in the workplace. If you’re too nice, people attempt to take advantage of that (Dear readers, if you’ve ever seen The September Issue, about the making of the titular issue for Vogue magazine, you’ll remember Grace Coddington saying to Edward Enninful, “Don’t be too nice, even to me. Or you’ll lose.”). But if you show that you can’t be messed with, you’re called a bitch. One of the characters previously learned that, in business, talent can take you only so far, and that “perception and positioning” are key as well. The older I get and the more I work, I see that this is true. Nico, Wendy, and Victory certainly had a lot of talent, but they also had grit, drive, and the ability to strike while the iron is hot.

As I said before, their lives are not all work and no play. There are some, to be frank, pretty hot scenes in the book concerning the women’s love lives. I have a feeling that Lipstick Jungle is one of those books I’ll return to several times.

Great passage: What most women thought were “the rules” were simply precepts to keep women in their place. “Nice” was a comfortable, reassuring box where society told women if they stayed—if they didn’t stray out of the nice-box—they would be safe. But no one was safe. Safety was a lie, especially when it came to business.

P.S. If you haven’t seen The September Issue, do watch it very soon! And next, I'll be reading Maud Martha.