NTU were lucky enough to have a lecture by current editor in chief of vogue Alexandra Shulman last week at uni. I think everyone in the room was fan-girling big time! My ticket was booked for this event way over a month ago and I had been counting down the days until the day had arrived.
We gained a lot of interesting insights and what her job role was really like! She spoke about how relentless the job was and you never have a sense of achieving something because there is always something else to do and it doesn't stop! However on the 24th June she said she will probably wake up and wonder what on earth she has done! Shulman spoke about her decision to leave her job later on this summer after an amazing 25 years. Its crazy to think that I wasn't even alive when she had started her career at Vogue and her career has laster longer than my lifetime so far! She felt like she had the best final year with the centenary year, having the Duchess of Cambridge on the 100th cover, the BBC documentary and the collaboration with the National Portrait gallery. She talked about it being difficult to work with certain people sometimes but not getting on with people is part of the job. Even the Duchess of Cambridge had her own set ways when she had her shoot, she wanted it to be as natural as possible and not so over the top and royal!
Shulman's love of journalism was clear and this is probably something she will focus on now as she will have more time to herself. She is very proud of her book 'Inside Vogue' and described journalism of a way to tell your own story and how she sees it as a privilege to be able to tell people things. Her role in Vogue however was not to write it, not to style, photograph etc. It is to oversee everything and enable all of the people work together well which is difficult!
Shulman spoke about her own influences with David Bowie being one of them. His death had a massive impact on her as she grew up listening to him and his music. At the age of 14-15 music helps to form our identity and this is what Bowie did to Shulman, he was an influencer without trying and we all have our own influences. The issue dedicated to Bowie showing Kate Moss is one of her favourites.
When someone questioned her on fictional portrayals of the fashion industry and brought up films like 'The Devil wears Prada' she said that it is a difficult industry to fictionalise, you can't make up anything that is better than the reality- this made me even more excited for future jobs I may have in the ever so exciting and competitive fashion industry!
Shulman described her own style as 'schizophrenic' and also spoke about how Edward will do when she has gone. Her own take on Vogue is very British and many people notice this, however Edward has been working in America, he has a lot of interest in diversity and is very into styling, this is something he is apparently very good at. Things will change but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Thankou for reading,
Love from Georgia
xxx
No comments
Post a Comment