Stories from the Fashion Frontline: 120 Years of 'Vogue'

Ever since the release of The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, the chic veil that once shrouded the world of American Vogue has slowly been lifted. Fashion documentaries like Bill Cunningham New York, Valentino: The Last Emperor, and of course, The September Issue have not only warmed the public's perception of editrice extraordinaire Anna Wintour but also revealed the publication’s relentless pursuit of perfection. To mark Vogue’s 120th birthday, and airing tonight on HBO, comes the documentary In Vogue: The Editor’s Eye by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Narrated by the fashion encyclopedia that is Hamish Bowles, the film revisits some of the magazine’s most arresting images, as recalled by several current and past fashion editors like Grace Coddington, Tonne Goodman, Camilla Nickerson, Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, and the 99-year-old Babs Simpson. Other fashion faces that appear include Alber Elbaz, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, and former Vogue intern Vera Wang. Stories of Elizabeth Taylor yelling at Phyllis Posnik, or of Polly Mellen constantly reducing her staff to tears, as well as the conception of Grace Coddington's Alice in Wonderland spread are fantastic—as is Camila Nickerson's resolve to produce an image that always "poses a question." 

In Vogue: The Editor's Eye airs December 6 at 9pm EST, as part of HBO's documentary series. 
Michaela Bercu, photo by Peter Lindenbergh, courtesy of HBO

Photo by Irving Penn, courtesy of HBO


Natalia Vodianova, photo by Annie Leibovitz, courtesy of HBO


Stella Tennant, photo by Steven Meisel, courtesy of HBO



Marie-Lise, photo by William Klein, courtesy of HBO


Jade Hobson, Babs Simpson, Phyllis Posnik, Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, Polly Mellen, Grace Coddington, Camilla Nickerson and Tonne Goodman, photo by Annie Lebovitz, courtesy of HBO