Grace Coddington: A Continued Inspiration

Beautiful, direct and humorous, Grace: A Memoir  is a not-to-be-missed fashion bible. These pages take you down a road of childhood tales beginning on the north coast of Wales, to her leaving for a modeling career in London.  From her days as an Fashion Editor at  British Vogue and finally to her many years as Creative Director of US Vogue.  She talks in-depth of the people she met and worked with including photographers, David Bailey and Norman Parkinson to editors turned friends, Liz Tilberis and Anna Wintour.  Grace spins us through her relationships, marriages and 30 year romance with Didier Malige, which continues to bloom.  The book is chock full of quirky sketches and photographs of her childhood through her modeling days, as well as her iconic photo series which were (and still are!) Grace’s trademark work style.

I have been reading Vogue since the late 80’s and was in awe of how many memorable editorials were styled by Grace.  Here are a few of my all-time favs:

A group shot of THE supermodels embodying “Biker Chic”. Shot by Peter Lindbergh, styled by Grace for US Vogue, 1991.

Linda Evangelista (!!) in tartan plaids attempting to kick a bag piper aka “A Shot of Scotch”. Shot by Arthur Elgort, styled by Grace for US Vogue, 1991. Reading through, I was amazed at how clearly these images were imprinted in my mind. Bringing back so many memories, I began to realize the visual power that Vogue (and Grace) has had in shaping and inspiring my fashion career.  Grace Coddington’s 40 years in fashion spans decades of trends, art, culture and style. Grab a copy and enjoy the stories of this incredibly talented and visual woman.