Wintour to Reporter: This Garment Would Never Fit You
In today's Anna Wintour image rehabilitation news, the Vogue editor is reportedly filmed at yet another charity ball and gives the WSJ an interview. But she called the reporter huge. Whoops!
It's so hard to keep the nastier side of your monster-editor personality in check when you go from "no interviews" to full-fledged PR blitz. Wintour tried. She seems to be using writer Rachel Dodes' frame to illustrate the absurd tinyness of a blouse/dress, not to call her a giant, though the effect isn't really any different:
Without naming names, we had a little sequined thing that wouldn't come down to here on you [points to chest.] And I said, 'How much is it?' $25,000. I said, 'No. We're not going to photograph that right now.'
If Wintour meant the writer ill will, the once-reclusive editor would not have granted an interview. But accidents happen and tongues slip.
UPDATE: We emailed Dodes before writing this; she's written back. She didn't take offense:
She was referring to a little garment, a bedazzled
shrug or something of that nature, and trying to explain that she didn't
feel it was worth $25,000. She wasn't making any disparaging remarks at
all about my appearance.
Other highlights from Wintour's Wall Street Journal interview:
"I don't think anyone is going to want to look overly flashy, overly glitzy, too Dubai, whatever you want to call it. I just don't think that's the moment."
"Previous First Ladies seemed to feel the need to wear a sort of uniform, whereas Michelle Obama likes fashion and is very comfortable in fashion... It's extraordinarily refreshing, and it's empowering for women all over the world."
(Dodes pic via WSJ on YouTube)
60 Minutes
Meanwhile, Wintour was again seen with 60 Minutes cameras in tow for the profile the newsmagazine is prepping on her. This time she was filmed, according to Fashionologie spies, at an AIDS foundation gala. In November, 60 Minutes caught her at an awards dinner for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for young designers. That fund was also plugged in the WSJ interview and would seem a key part of her image makeover: Anna Wintour as a philanthropic guardian of fashion rather than as a cruel boss.
Given what's known about its filming scheduled, it sounds like that's some spin on Wintour 60 Minutes will indulge.