GRACE CODDINGTON
Still in Vogue
“My childhood was very remote, I lived in my parents’ hotel way off the edge of Wales. I had one older sister, but she took off and got married very young, so I was somewhat on my own. I couldn’t chat to anyone because there was no one there.
People would come over in the summer, but summer only lasted about three weeks, so I had to make my own entertainment. I retreated into a dream world. That was fun, just sitting on the rocks, watching the ocean and imagining new things. I dreamed about adventures, love, growing up and having a family, doing things that I thought were unattainable, but that would maybe one day happen to me. I wasn’t really daydreaming about fashion, although I could make a pretty dress. I used to make my own clothes from Vogue patterns because that was the only way to get anything that looked remotely like the Paris fashions in Anglesey – although it was quite difficult to get material! But fashion was just one of many things I wanted to do. I wanted to be a singer, but unfortunately I’m tone-deaf. I also wanted to do theatrical design. I saw myself doing lots of things; fashion was really only one small thing that, in the end, just happened. But I’m very grateful.
All birds jump out of the nest eventually and I ended up in London. Someone said to me, ‘Why don’t you model?’ so I did a modelling course, but it didn’t get me very far. They didn’t think I was very good, because I wasn’t blonde and classic, which was the requirement at that time. Then, while I was working in a coffee bar, someone came in and said I should enter a Vogue model competition and they asked for some pictures. I had some pictures of me in a leotard and they sent them off. I ended up winning the Vogue model competition of 1959(1). It was pretty fun, but I can’t say that I got work every day. I carried on in the coffee bar and slowly started getting more work. Then I started meeting all these cool young people like Vidal Sassoon(2), David Bailey(3) and Norman Parkinson(4) and it grew from there. I hung around the King’s Road, which was the place to hang out then. I would walk around barefoot in the street like the Chelsea girls you see in the black and white movies. I was one of them, with a beehive.
I wasn’t a big model but I had good hair. If you ask the general public, ‘Who’s Twiggy?’ I think anyone could tell you who Twiggy(5) is, but if you ask them who Grace Coddington is they wouldn’t have a clue. I wasn’t worldwide big; I was just in London during the 1960s, which was a fun time to be a model, particularly in England, when all these new designers were emerging at the same time as The Beatles and The Stones. It was a cool time to be around that group of people. I enjoyed my life so much, and I brought that into the pictures when I joined British Vogue(6) because I wanted to help show everyone what fun it was.
I joined Vogue after I had a bad car crash. It’s hard for a girl to be smashed in the face, but if that is your career then it’s very difficult to deal with. I covered up my scars with make-up. Somehow I managed – I had very supportive friends. I got on with life. The people at Vogue offered me a job and I kept putting it off, but then one year, I finally said yes.
People would come over in the summer, but summer only lasted about three weeks, so I had to make my own entertainment. I retreated into a dream world. That was fun, just sitting on the rocks, watching the ocean and imagining new things. I dreamed about adventures, love, growing up and having a family, doing things that I thought were unattainable, but that would maybe one day happen to me. I wasn’t really daydreaming about fashion, although I could make a pretty dress. I used to make my own clothes from Vogue patterns because that was the only way to get anything that looked remotely like the Paris fashions in Anglesey – although it was quite difficult to get material! But fashion was just one of many things I wanted to do. I wanted to be a singer, but unfortunately I’m tone-deaf. I also wanted to do theatrical design. I saw myself doing lots of things; fashion was really only one small thing that, in the end, just happened. But I’m very grateful.
All birds jump out of the nest eventually and I ended up in London. Someone said to me, ‘Why don’t you model?’ so I did a modelling course, but it didn’t get me very far. They didn’t think I was very good, because I wasn’t blonde and classic, which was the requirement at that time. Then, while I was working in a coffee bar, someone came in and said I should enter a Vogue model competition and they asked for some pictures. I had some pictures of me in a leotard and they sent them off. I ended up winning the Vogue model competition of 1959(1). It was pretty fun, but I can’t say that I got work every day. I carried on in the coffee bar and slowly started getting more work. Then I started meeting all these cool young people like Vidal Sassoon(2), David Bailey(3) and Norman Parkinson(4) and it grew from there. I hung around the King’s Road, which was the place to hang out then. I would walk around barefoot in the street like the Chelsea girls you see in the black and white movies. I was one of them, with a beehive.
I wasn’t a big model but I had good hair. If you ask the general public, ‘Who’s Twiggy?’ I think anyone could tell you who Twiggy(5) is, but if you ask them who Grace Coddington is they wouldn’t have a clue. I wasn’t worldwide big; I was just in London during the 1960s, which was a fun time to be a model, particularly in England, when all these new designers were emerging at the same time as The Beatles and The Stones. It was a cool time to be around that group of people. I enjoyed my life so much, and I brought that into the pictures when I joined British Vogue(6) because I wanted to help show everyone what fun it was.
It was a big shock to be on the other side. A lot more goes into being a fashion editor than just turning up with a load of clothes. When I actually had to put something together, I realised it wasn’t so easy. Then it became intriguing and fun, and I worked with a broad range of people. Every shoot is different. I still love that.
Beatrix(7) basically taught me everything about working with photographers – that was a big learning curve for me. You’re very lucky if you get someone who allows you to experiment as a young editor. It can’t happen so much these days because there is so much money involved. Today, every minute costs money, but back then people worked for free. It’s very difficult for young stylists to break into the big time of styling – it’s very cliquey. Fortunately, I have stayed on the right side.
When Beatrix retired, I briefly left Vogue and moved to Calvin Klein. I moved to NYC for various reasons, I had a boyfriend who lived there and so on. It’s always attributed to the fact that I hated Anna(8) but that wasn’t true. While I adored Calvin, I missed working on a magazine. When I heard that Anna had moved to American Vogue(9) I called her up to see if she had an opening for me and she said, “Yeah, I start on Monday, why don’t you start with me?” so I said, “Okay!” It was amazing and exciting to be at the rebirth of a magazine. I was happy to be part of the whole new regime.
Anna’s reputation is intimidating, but I have known her for a very long time, so I’m not intimidated. In the movie(10) you see me shouting, but she respects me, and I really respect her. She does what she thinks is right for the magazine. I say I don’t thrive off the tension between us, but I probably do. If you have to fight to get something through, it’s probably stronger than if it just goes through anyway, and if it doesn’t survive, it probably means it wasn’t meant to be. It’s very hard to stay detached. I’m not detached at all. I will fight for as
long as I can. I don’t lose every time, and the great thing about Anna is she will sometimes reconsider. She may come back with the same answer of, ‘No, it’s no good,’ but at least she will reconsider and that’s one of the reasons why I respect her. She allowed me to go in my own direction and has always encouraged me.
Some people criticise the perfect images the fashion industry creates, but I think you have to look beyond the picture. I’m still not comfortable with the amount of Photoshop that gets used – it goes against the grain. I guess you have to move with the times, but what you see and what you get are two different things now. Photoshop is a lie, they carve away a waist or a breast, and I think it’s sad – you miss the happy accident. It’s a shame that everything has to be so perfect, just because it can be. Maybe it’s because I’m not a blonde beauty that I like people who are a little bit different, I don’t mind if they have a scar or are a little bit fat. People don’t come in the same mould and I find that interesting.
I think I’ve survived for so long in this industry because I genuinely love what I do. When people call me the most influential stylist in the world, I think it’s bullshit. I’m not. I have a good time and am really privileged to do all the things I do – I wouldn’t still be doing it if I thought any differently. I’m way past retiring anyway. I’m a Vogue girl, and once you’re a Vogue girl, you’re always a Vogue girl.”
Beatrix(7) basically taught me everything about working with photographers – that was a big learning curve for me. You’re very lucky if you get someone who allows you to experiment as a young editor. It can’t happen so much these days because there is so much money involved. Today, every minute costs money, but back then people worked for free. It’s very difficult for young stylists to break into the big time of styling – it’s very cliquey. Fortunately, I have stayed on the right side.
When Beatrix retired, I briefly left Vogue and moved to Calvin Klein. I moved to NYC for various reasons, I had a boyfriend who lived there and so on. It’s always attributed to the fact that I hated Anna(8) but that wasn’t true. While I adored Calvin, I missed working on a magazine. When I heard that Anna had moved to American Vogue(9) I called her up to see if she had an opening for me and she said, “Yeah, I start on Monday, why don’t you start with me?” so I said, “Okay!” It was amazing and exciting to be at the rebirth of a magazine. I was happy to be part of the whole new regime.
long as I can. I don’t lose every time, and the great thing about Anna is she will sometimes reconsider. She may come back with the same answer of, ‘No, it’s no good,’ but at least she will reconsider and that’s one of the reasons why I respect her. She allowed me to go in my own direction and has always encouraged me.
Some people criticise the perfect images the fashion industry creates, but I think you have to look beyond the picture. I’m still not comfortable with the amount of Photoshop that gets used – it goes against the grain. I guess you have to move with the times, but what you see and what you get are two different things now. Photoshop is a lie, they carve away a waist or a breast, and I think it’s sad – you miss the happy accident. It’s a shame that everything has to be so perfect, just because it can be. Maybe it’s because I’m not a blonde beauty that I like people who are a little bit different, I don’t mind if they have a scar or are a little bit fat. People don’t come in the same mould and I find that interesting.
I think I’ve survived for so long in this industry because I genuinely love what I do. When people call me the most influential stylist in the world, I think it’s bullshit. I’m not. I have a good time and am really privileged to do all the things I do – I wouldn’t still be doing it if I thought any differently. I’m way past retiring anyway. I’m a Vogue girl, and once you’re a Vogue girl, you’re always a Vogue girl.”
Interview © Tim Noakes 2009
FOOTNOTES ON GRACE CODDINGTON
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1.“She is a radiant girl with sparkling looks,” enthused Vogue after 18-year-old Grace won the 1959 “Young Idea” model contest. “She lives in Putney; is a waitress and parttime model. We think she’ll do more modelling than waiting.”
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2.In 1963, geometric hairdresser Vidal Sassoon created a short, angular hairstyle cut on a horizontal plane that recreated the classic “bob cut”. He was awarded a CBE in 2009.
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3.David Bailey became a fashion photographer for Vogue in 1960. Along with Terence Donovan he helped to create the glam, swinging image of London throughout the decade.
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4.From 1945 to 1960, Norman Parkinson was one of the main photographers at Vogue. He wore a Kashmiri wedding hat while shooting and invented the Porkinson Banger – which, after being served on Concorde, was known as the world’s first supersonic sausage.
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5.In 1966, aged just 16 and weighing 6.5 stone, model Twiggy became a fashion icon, in part thanks to her androgynous looks and Mary Quant mod-inspired fashion shoots.
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6.The British edition of Vogue has been published since 1916. Grace joined as fashion editor and pioneered the use of romantic narratives in her fashion shoots.
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7.Beatrix Miller was the editor of British Vogue between 1965 and 1983.
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8.Anna Wintour has been editor-in-chief of American Vogue since 1988. She has drawn both praise and criticism for her willingness to use Vogue’s cachet to shape the industry as a whole. She pioneered the use of celebrities and society figures in fashion stories.
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9.Vogue was founded by Arthur Baldwin Turnure in 1892.
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10.For The September Issue director RJ Cutler shot over 300 hours of footage of Grace and Anna as they created the September 2007 issue of American Vogue.