Vogue: The Editor's Eye

In September 2012, Vogue, the world's most influential fashion magazine, will celebrate its 120th Anniversary. Many of Vogue’s hundreds of gorgeous images have remained timeless. With work by photographers such as Steichen, Horst, Avedon, Penn, Newton, Leibovitz, Testino, Weber, among others, Vogue: The Editor’s Eye is a visual journey through the choices and images that have shaped fashion and the way it is interpreted inside and outside of the industry. On the other side of the lens, this book pays homage the models who are celebrated for their charisma and versatility, including Suzy Parker, Lisa Fossagrives, Jean Shrimpton, Linda Evangelista, Natalia Vodianova; the most memorable, have become pop culture touchstones that have far outlasted their context and influenced fashion for generations. What remains unexamined is the unseen but critical role of the Fashion Editor in creating the world’s best fashion images. The Editor’s Eye sets out to change this, bringing fascinating new insight to the study and appreciation of fashion. With the same photographer, the same model and the same clothes, three different Fashion Editors would produce three vastly different images. This book defines the role the fashion editor plays in the conception, tone and look of a published photograph, bringing an entirely new vantage point to the study and appreciation of fashion. Drawing on Vogue magazine’s exceptional archive, and selecting 8 of Vogue’s all-time great Fashion Editors: Polly Mellen, Babs Simpson, Grace Coddington, Tonne Goodman, Camilla Nickerson, Phyllis Posnick and others, The Editor’s Eye delivers a chapter on each editor and includes photo portfolios, essays and interviews. Writers include Judith Thurman, Vince Aletti and Michael Roberts.

Hamish Bowles is the International editor-at-large for American Vogue. Hamish Bowles is the International editor-at-large for American Vogue.