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husband, Richard, for decades (they
have a six-year-old son, Jack), and many of the people Rob spoke to
for his story have been loyal friends of Tom’s for years and years.
Through all of his ups and downs, Tom has always remained the
same: fearless and honest, driven by a restless and relentless desire
for change. One thing that’s certainly going to be quite different:
While he has resisted New York for a long time, he has finally
bought a home here—Halston’s legendary Upper East Side town
house, no less!
Our cover star, Taylor Swift, is also no stranger to pushing
forward. Her activism—particularly her support of LGBTQ
communities, which has resulted in a celebration of queer identities
in her musical output—and the way she has asserted herself in
the face of male power and privilege in the music industry have
been nothing less than impressive, as the writer Abby Aguirre
notes in her excellent profile. Many of us sat up and took notice of
Taylor when she revealed her political leanings during the run-up
to last year’s midterms, coming out in favor of the Democrats for
the Tennessee legislature and criticizing Marsha Blackburn, the
Republican running for Senate, on Instagram.
“She [Blackburn] believes businesses have a right to refuse service
to gay couples,” Taylor wrote. “She also believes they should not
have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”
The importance of this was twofold: For one, it encouraged someSEPTEMBER 2019 VOGUE.COM
THE VALUE OF VALUES
ABOVE: A NEWLY POLITICAL TAYLOR SWIFT, PHOTOGRAPHED
BY INEZ & VINOODH. LEFT: THE BEST OF FALL FASHION
(INCLUDING THIS LOOK FROM SIMONE ROCHA ON ADUT
AKECH) WARRANTS A LASTING PLACE IN OUR WARDROBES.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JACKIE NICKERSON.
65,000 people to register to vote. And for another: Taylor
reminded us that each and every one of us must speak up
and speak out, to have clear and present values. (I’m
pleased to add that we have the South represented in this
issue by the indefatigable Stacey Abrams, who has
impressively bounced back from her loss in Georgia’s 2018
gubernatorial race.)
Values are something that we have been talking about
ever since we returned from the fall 2019 collections in
March. You’ll certainly find lots of investment-worthy
clothes for the coming months in this issue, from the
darkly romantic reimagining of that fashion perennial the
flower on all manner of dresses to the terrific new puffer
coats, cheekily modeled by Gigi Hadid on a trampoline.
Yet our message for September is about more than showcasing
new trends and directions. It is a celebration of clothes that
are, beautifully, made to last—the perfect camel coat, a stately
bag, the eternally right tweed blazer—as well as pieces that have
been sustainably produced through upcycling. (If you’ve ever
wondered what that means, or whether you could wear it, stylist
Alex Harrington’s fashion sitting will reveal all!)
What’s apparent now is that every designer, from global
powerhouse to independent localista, has to be tackling the same
big questions of responsibility and accountability. Our age simply
demands it. I’m looking forward to hearing Tom—as well as
Tory Burch, Virgil Abloh, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, Kim Jones
of Dior Men’s, Marine Serre, Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough
and Lazaro Hernandez, Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera, Grace
Wales Bonner, and Donatella Versace—discuss all of this at our
third annual Forces of Fashion event, on October 10 and 11 in New
York City. (You can find out more by visiting vogueforcesoffashion
.com). If fashion has never been more intertwined with our
real lives, this will be another very personal way to experience it.Letter from the Editor