FASHION: INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

(To all of my readers that have not yet decoded the pun in the blog name 'Wintour Wonderland': you are in need of this post.)

To many people's disbelief, knowing fashion is not the same as being able to identify an LV suitcase or a logo printed Gucci hat. Knowing fashion is knowing how it became possible for you to do so. How these logos came to be imprinted in your memory. Who sparked that? Who persuaded our subconscious to gravitate toward certain prints, textures, lengths? People who will have had impact on the very clothes you're wearing. People who, through this post, I aim to acquaint you with.
  

'It's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.'

- Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

1. ANNA WINTOUR

For those of you who've read / watched The Devil Wears Prada, you'll hopefully be as excited as I was to discover that it is based on a true story. Yes, the cold Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep's character), actually exists. And the writer, Lauren Weisberger, genuinely worked a year at Vogue as her assistant.

Anna Wintour - nicknamed 'The Ice Queen' - is arguably the most significant face in fashion of this era. As editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Ms Wintour selects what is seen in Vogue and what doesn't make the cut. Literally deciding what is in fashion, and what is not.

She owns the most powerful seat in fashion, hence the name 'Wintour Wonderland'.

2. KARL LAGERFELD

Coupled with Ms Wintour, Karl and Anna have become one of fashion's most famous friendships - possibly since both are equally terrifying. However, terrifying due to the masses of power they hold in their judgement; making careers with phone calls.

Karl is creative director to the most iconic of all the fashion houses: Chanel. Whilst acting as creative director to Fendi also, his collections inspire a multitude of other designers in warping their ideas and perceptions of fashion. He may even have touched your life without your noticing - take last year's monochromatic colour palette, that wasn't started at topshop, it came from Karl. And before that, Gabrielle Chanel herself. *

Echoing my earlier point, never dismiss your association with the industry.  

*More on Karl in this post from last year:

http://wintour-wonderland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/back-to-black-and-white.html

3. GRACE CODDINGTON

'Karl Lagerfeld called her a genius. Wintour agrees.'

Working closely with Anna, Coddington plays the role of creative director at American Vogue. The Guardian called her the second most influential face in fashion; 'she is the stylist responsible for Vogue's visual identity', selecting the clothing for Vogue photo shoots, and therefor concocting a ripple of trends - high end as well as high street.

What's more, Grace is a strong woman that has been faced with many challenges throughout her life. Intimidating she may be, but inspirational nonetheless.

(Lucinda Chambers is the British Vogue equivalent of Grace - also a name to remember)

4. PATRICK DEMARCHELIER

'Being a photographer is like being an athlete, you must practice every day' 

Along with the other great fashion photographers - Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, etc - Demarchelier has worked closely with Vogue for many years, photographing everything from cover shoots to Chanel campaigns. 

Photographers, since being behind the camera, are barely credited enough. They capture pieces of art, set up political statements, launch models' careers, yet it's often only what's within the shot that gets credited.

5. SUZY MENKES

Hopefully you will have noticed a pattern in that so far more than half of this list has been made up of journalists. It would seem that the people who comment on fashion have more control over the industry than those who create fashion. Bringing us to Suzy Menkes, the Cambridge educated fashion critic whose opinion is never one to be ignored.

After writing as fashion editor for newspapers such as The Herald Tribune and The New York Times, Menkes surprised fashion week last March with the announcement that she was moving to Condé Nast, where she now works as international fashion editor for 19 editions of vogue.com. 

Menkes, just like Anna and Grace, is known for her cut throat, no nonsense, attitude. Her opinion can make or break a designer; an intimidating, yet brilliant force to be reckoned with.

6. MIUCCIA PRADA

For me, the next handful of names on this list all fall close to the same level of hierarchy. All have huge impact on both the runway and the red carpet, so trying to order them has proven difficult.

Granddaughter of founder Mario Prada, Miuccia is creative director of Prada and MiuMiu - named after her own nickname. Prada, along with the following fashion houses, is one of the most popular brands on the red carpet. Because of this, and because of the celebrities who wear Prada, its prints are echoed throughout the high street and effect many other designers.

Miuccia is also mentioned in this post from last year...

http://wintour-wonderland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/language.html

7. Hedi Slimane

8. Raf Simons

9. Christopher Bailey

There are multiple designers I could list here. Yet, thinking of the most influential in the current fashion era leaves me with these three. These men are each creative director to the some of the most well respected fashion houses in the world: YSL, Dior, Burberry. Leaving their mark during awards season as they pattern the red carpet, the same three names being repeated among bursts of celebrities - effecting fashion for many seasons to follow.

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