Fridae

Admit it, you fags, you’ve been waiting this one. 

After The Devil Wears Prada, Ugly Betty, The Hills and The City fired up many a gay imagination about how fabulous life would be if one could just get a job – any job – at a fashion magazine or modeling agency, along comes The September Issue to fuel this fantasy even further. 

The September Issue (as if you had to ask) is a documentary about the making of the September issue of Vogue – usually the thickest and most popular issue because of its fall fashion coverage. Director R.J. Cutler and his camera crew followed Vogue’s famous editor-in-chief Anna Wintour as she interacts with writers, editors, designers, models, photogs and celebs for 8 months, ultimately culminating in the publication of the September issue.

From the editorial brainstorms to the studio shoots to the runways, The September Issue offers a rare insight into the world of fashion publication that will certainly be eye-opening to some and utterly dull to others. For fashionistas, few things are more thrilling than the camera getting up close and personal with famously reclusive editrix Anna, who has almost always been pictured in oversized sunglasses and fabulous clothes, and whose notoriously icy persona was caricaturized by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

Surprisingly though, Anna is not as cold as urban legend makes her out to be. But she can be unapologetically and sweepingly decisive about what she considers trendy or trashy. Sometimes, you can’t help but question the bases of her judgments, which may seem as personal or capricious as the next person’s. The global fashion industry trembles with anticipation at the words “I like this” or “I don’t like that” that fall from her lips.

Still, one can’t help but be in awe of her work ethic and professionalism, as well as the sweat and toil of others that go into making every page. Anna’s long-suffering creative director Grace Coddington may be just as important as figure in Vogue but is far lesser-known, while editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley is so hilariously gay. (Indeed, you could have quite a bit of fun trying to decide who the gayest person in the movie is – there’s so many to choose from.) 

With its endless parade of clothes, shoes, bags and models, The September Issue is a fashionista’s wet dream.