Grace Coddington began her career as a fashion editor at British Vogue in 1968, then moved across the Atlantic and spent nearly three decades at Vogue US. Now in her 80s, Grace joined Chloe in The Run-Through’s studio to talk about her latest book, Grace: Now, a huge yellow volume collecting her favorite fashion shoots from the past decade. To narrow down her choices, Grace printed out hundreds of images, laid them out on boards, and made a dummy book, just like the ones Vogue’s art department creates for every issue. (“I learned from the best,” she says.) When asked whether her favorite stories tend to change, she answers wisely: “One always loves the last one one did.”

In the opening pages of the book, there’s a handwritten tribute to Grace’s late friend Michael Roberts, noting that this was the first major project she had worked on without him in decades. “Michael was someone who could complete my sentences,” Grace tells Chloe. “I’d known him since the early ’70s, so he knew my life very well. He could write, and he was a visual person too. I wanted to do it in my handwriting because I felt like I was talking to him. I adored him.”

Later, she reflects on how much has changed since R. J. Cutler’s 2009 documentary The September Issue, in which she was undoubtedly the breakout star. “Fashion shows were getting bigger and bigger, and what you saw was grander and grander. Clothes got much bigger.” Everything seems to have grown except the magazines, Chloe suggests. “I don’t feel it’s about more anymore,” Grace reflects. “It seems obscene to be excessive, with all the things happening in the world.”

When Chloe observes that, unlike her previous books, the shoots in Grace: Now feel more like reportage than pure fantasy, Grace says that was her intention. “It’s interesting to see the turn from complete fantasy, like Alice in Wonderland and all those stories I did with Annie. I’m not interested in the [clothes] you can’t actually wear,” she says. “Maybe we’re not about fantasy anymore, sadly. Life is very real at the moment.”

Her shift away from the fantastical doesn’t mean she’s no longer inspired, though. Grace goes to fewer shows these days, but she still keeps up with designers—especially Prada, which she feels hits the mark every time.

Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Grace Coddington Podcast Episode New Book Changes in Fashion Since The September Issue

1 What is Grace Coddingtons new book about
Its a memoir about her life and career in fashion including her childhood her years at Vogue and her personal reflections on the industry

2 Who is Grace Coddington
Shes a legendary fashion editor best known for her long career as Creative Director at American Vogue She became famous to a wider audience through the documentary The September Issue

3 What is The September Issue
Its a 2009 documentary about putting together Vogues biggest issue of the year It made Grace Coddington a star for her creative clashes with Anna Wintour

4 Why did she write this book
She wanted to tell her own story in her own words her career her creative process and how fashion has changed over the decades

5 What does she say about how fashion has changed since The September Issue
She says the industry has become much faster and more digital Social media influencers and online shopping have changed how fashion is made shown and sold

6 What is her biggest complaint about the industry today
The pace She feels the constant demand for new content and instant results leaves less room for creativity and craftsmanship

7 Does she think social media is bad for fashion
Not entirely She sees its power to reach people but worries it rewards speed and spectacle over real creativity and storytelling

8 What does she miss about the old days of fashion
She misses when magazines had more time and budgets for big imaginative photo shoots and when editors had more creative freedom

9 What is a fashion editor for someone new to this
A fashion editor decides what clothes and images appear in a magazine or brand campaign They concept and style photo shoots and work with photographers models and designers

10 What can young people in fashion learn from her
Stay true to your own vision work hard and dont chase trends just to please others She also stresses the value of experience and learning from mentors

11 Did she and Anna Wintour really clash
They had a creative partnership with occasional tension mostly over how much space her artistic shoots got versus commercial content