British Vogue - 10.2019

(Amelia) #1
Clockwise from
right: the magic of
Bottega Veneta,
on page 208; artist
Grayson Perry (page
130); and actor Matt
Smith, on page 250

53


MERT ALAS & MARCUS PIGGOTT; JAMIE HAWKESWORTH; STEVEN MEISEL; VENETIA SCOTT; PAUL WETHERELL; GETTY IMAGES


EDITOR’S LETTER


it’s a pleasure to bring you an issue filled
to the rafters with fashion fantasy, dazzling
culture, intriguing faces and beautiful
writing. Fittingly – as temperatures
cool and leaves begin to turn – there’s
a pleasing theme of “home” at play. From
model Hailey Bieber’s trip back to her
childhood stomping ground in upstate
New York (page 192), to our first look
inside Claudia Schiffer and her husband
Matthew Vaughn’s country hideaway
(page 254), the lure of those places we
find most peaceful is strong.
Yet, whether it concerns our fashion
choices or personal identity, our
relationship with geography is not always
straightforward, is it? In A Tale of Two
Wardrobes (page 236), Zadie Smith,
one of my favourite authors, writes
about the sartorial split she experiences
as a Londoner who spends half of her
year in New York. Meanwhile, on page
216, model Binx Walton travels with
photographer Juergen Teller to Ghana.
As an African-American on her first
trip to the African continent, Binx shows
how, for many of us, the concept of home
is multifaceted – and that roots matter.
Naturally, we have the cream of the
season’s culture for you. From Grayson
Perry’s cheeky take on the lives of the
uber-rich (delivered mostly via the
medium of pottery, of course), on page
130, to Tim Walker’s hunt through the
recesses of the V&A’s esoteric archives
for inspiration for his biggest show of

photography to date (page 204), you will
find some of Britain’s leading artists on
thoughtful and daring form. On stage,
I am particularly looking forward to
the return of two of the country’s most
beloved actors – Claire Foy and Matt
Smith, formerly of super-series The
Crown – who will be at The Old Vic in
two-hander Lungs in October. As a
modern couple navigating the moral
maze of having children under the
spectre of climate change, it promises
to be a provocative, stylish and human
production – in short, a perfect Vogue
night at the theatre (page 250).
When it comes to fashion, autumnal
decadence abounds. From the sheer
luxury of a cashmere cape to the
subtle opulence of perfectly pitched
minimalism, it’s all about smart
indulgence. Making her British Vogue
cover debut in regal style is Kaia Gerber,
who continues her reign as model of
the moment. That Kaia has become
one of the brightest faces in modelling
is a personal delight to me. I have known
Cindy Crawford, her supermodel
mother, since the ’90s, so it’s wonderful
to now work with her daughter, who is
as driven, hardworking and beautiful as
Cindy is. It always pleases me that, every
season, despite coming from privilege,
I see Kaia in the trenches with the other
models, doing show after show, always
on time and with a kind word for
everyone. That’s the way to do it.

As summer evenings

become autumn nights...

Left and below:
this month’s
cover star,
Kaia Gerber


  • on page 184;
    on the runway
    for Calvin Klein
    Collection;
    in Paris for
    couture s/s ’20;
    and backstage
    with Virgil
    Abloh


10-19-Eds-Lette.indd 53 15/08/2019 10:12

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