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Grace: A Memoir

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 1,218 ratings · 231 reviews

Beautiful. Willful. Charming. Blunt. Grace Coddington’s extraordinary talent and fierce dedication to her work as creative director of Vogue have made her an international icon. Known through much of her career only to those behind the scenes, she might have remained fashion’s best-kept secret were it not for The September Issue, the acclaimed 2009 documentary that turned...more Beautiful. Willful. Charming. Blunt. Grace Coddington’s extraordinary talent and fierce dedication to her work as creative director of Vogue have made her an international icon. Known through much of her career only to those behind the scenes, she might have remained fashion’s best-kept secret were it not for The September Issue, the acclaimed 2009 documentary that turned publicity-averse Grace into a sudden, reluctant celebrity. Grace’s palpable engagement with her work brought a rare insight into the passion that produces many of the magazine’s most memorable shoots.

With the witty, forthright voice that has endeared her to her colleagues and peers for more than forty years, Grace now creatively directs the reader through the storied narrative of her life so far. Evoking the time when models had to tote their own bags and props to shoots, Grace describes her early career as a model, working with such world-class photographers as David Bailey and Norman Parkinson, before she stepped behind the camera to become a fashion editor at British Vogue in the late 1960s. Here she began creating the fantasy “travelogues” that would become her trademark. In 1988 she joined American Vogue, where her breathtakingly romantic and imaginative fashion features, a sampling of which appear in this book, have become instant classics.

Delightfully underscored by Grace’s pen-and-ink illustrations, Grace will introduce readers to the colorful designers, hairstylists, makeup artists, photographers, models, and celebrities with whom Grace has created her signature images. Grace reveals her private world with equal candor—the car accident that almost derailed her modeling career, her two marriages, the untimely death of her sister, Rosemary, her friendship with Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis, and her thirty-year romance with Didier Malige. Finally, Grace describes her abiding relationship with Anna Wintour, and the evolving mastery by which she has come to define the height of fashion.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY FINANCIAL TIMES

“If Wintour is the Pope . . . Coddington is Michelangelo, trying to paint a fresh version of the Sistine Chapel twelve times a year.”—Time(less)

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published November 20th 2012 by Random House (first published October 16th 2012)

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Feb 04, 2013 J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: jlb-book-club

Book club is nearing and I haven’t been able to get this book from the library (d’oh!), so I went out and bought it. An unusual practice for me. It was $35! When did books start costing that much?!

I was prepared to dislike the book after buying it, but charged ahead because I had to get it read this week. Opening the book to find large print, wide margins and frequent drawings/photographs was a breath of fresh air. Despite myself, I was charmed with Grace’s recounting of her childhood.

However,...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Bayneeta rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, memoir, nonfiction

I believe this was in a Woodridge "Bookletters Daily" email. Liked the movie September Issue; figured this would be interesting. Lots and lots of names dropped. I recognized only a very small percentage of the hundreds mentioned: big name designers, a handful of models, and a few photographers. All pretty superficial. A miscarriage suffered when 7 months pregnant and said to be the most devastating event of her life gets three lines; her love of cats gets a chapter. Audio read by the author.

02/2...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Christine Rebbert rated it 4 of 5 stars

In my earlier years, I also was a reader of "Vogue" (the "also" refers to the review I just wrote about the compilation from "New York" magazine). So when the movie "The September Issue" came out, about Anna Wintour and getting the huge Sept. issue on the stands, I saw and enjoyed it very much, and that was my first introduction to Vogue second-in-command Grace Coddington. This book was great fun, particularly when relating stories of her early years as a model in London during the mid- to late-...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Kat at Book Thingo marked it as blog-review

Shelves: non-fiction

This is an excerpt from Wandergurl's review. Click here for the unabridged version at Book Thingo.

You don't have to be a fashionista to appreciate this book. Grace Coddington is a woman who loves life and what's she's made of it, and that comes through very clearly on the pages.

The book provides insight into the fashion industry, and while it is littered with famous names, it's more than just a gossipy chat-fest. Coddington's authentic and thoughtful voice guides the reader through the world of...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Robert Slaven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

The standard disclaimer applies. I received this book as a promotional copy from GoodReads and what I can only assume was an overzealous use of the 'request this book' button.

In all the technical ways that a book can be so this one was completely adequate. The author is a sufficiently skilled one and has many diverse stories to tell from her life and she shares them with openness and skill. Her career in the fashion industry for several decades is clearly one worth writing about as she seems to...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Elsie Kassis rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you watched the 2009 documentary film ‘The September Issue’ about Vogue Magazine’s Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, the most revered – and feared – woman in fashion, then you would have definitely taken notice of a certain flame-haired Creative Director by the name of Grace Coddington.

Introduced to the mainstream due to the behind-the-scenes look at the magazine’s staff and how they put together the 4 pound September 2007 issue, Coddington has been involved in the industry – first as a model, th...more If you watched the 2009 documentary film ‘The September Issue’ about Vogue Magazine’s Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, the most revered – and feared – woman in fashion, then you would have definitely taken notice of a certain flame-haired Creative Director by the name of Grace Coddington.

Introduced to the mainstream due to the behind-the-scenes look at the magazine’s staff and how they put together the 4 pound September 2007 issue, Coddington has been involved in the industry – first as a model, then as the magazine doyenne we all know about and love today – for an admirable half a century and her highly anticipated memoir chronicles all those years in an industry which has dramatically changed from a small, niche business into a global phenomenon and is filled with her own insider stories, vintage photographs and hand-drawn illustrations, cataloguing a lifetimes worth of work.

Although not as feared as the elusive Wintour herself, Grace Coddington is just as revered in fashion circles around the globe due to her unwavering passion as well as her belief that fashion itself should be both transporting and provocative and who refreshingly bemoans the dominance of celebrities in fashion photography. Comparing the fashion world then and now, she takes us on an incredibly juicy journey first as a model, then as a fashion editor for British Vogue and finally as creative director for American Vogue confiding in the reader a host of colourful stories behind many of the fashion shoots she has styled as well as also opening up about her private life including details about failed marriages and the tragic death of her sister.

After winning a modeling competition in British Vogue as a teen, Coddington became an overnight success, quickly becoming a sort of ‘it’ girl who ‘ran with a fast crowd’ that included Jane Birkin and the Rolling Stones. Famed hair stylist Vidal Sassoon even made her his muse by creating his famous five-point cut on her and she was constantly snapped for the society pages as well as for the covers of magazines (one of which was, incidentally, Vogue). Her modeling career however was horribly derailed not long after by a serious car accident which left her scarred.

Later, moving from in front of the cameras to behind the scenes she became editor of British Vogue then followed Wintour to American Vogue in 1988 where she has – as Creative Director – effectively become the heart and soul of a magazine with Wintour calling her ‘the jewel in the crown’ of Vogue itself.

A must read book for anyone interested or involved in the fashion industry, it gives you a great insight into the minds of one of this century’s truly fascinating figures as well as a sneak peek into a world accessible to the very few.

My review first appeared on Alchemy.com: http://alchemymag.com/?portfolio=book...(less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like most viewers, I was captivated by Grace Coddington in the movie The September Issue. The movie prompted her to write her memoirs despite initially eschewing the new-found publicity. This book is a description of Grace's life to date accompanied by beautiful, quirky line drawings sketched by her of people and places. I think they are clever and endearing. There are lots of rich and famous names used in the book, but in the right context and definitely not 'name dropping' as these people are...more

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Dec 16, 2012 JZ NJ rated it 1 of 5 stars

dear Grace,
Like many others I enjoyed you in the movie The September Issue! You broke the mold- feisty, opinionated oozing with style and artistic vision!
So I was excited to download the e book from the library, and am glad I didn't pay for this book,
Where was the Grace Coddington I discovered in The movie?
Sorry to say after reading the first half, enjoying your life's journey from small English town to London fashionista, but skimmed the second half, which became a slog of minutia about your da...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you have not seen the documentary, The September Issue, rent it or Netflix it now. It's beautifully filmed and no matter what your interest in fashion, I don't think you can help but be intrigued by the personalities of Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington. I came away with a real appreciation for the art that is the Grace Coddington fashion spread shoot despite having no interest in Vogue myself prior. I of course thought I was so clever in cheering for Grace in the documentary - the anti-Anna...more If you have not seen the documentary, The September Issue, rent it or Netflix it now. It's beautifully filmed and no matter what your interest in fashion, I don't think you can help but be intrigued by the personalities of Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington. I came away with a real appreciation for the art that is the Grace Coddington fashion spread shoot despite having no interest in Vogue myself prior. I of course thought I was so clever in cheering for Grace in the documentary - the anti-Anna in so many ways. She is bohemian in dress, lack of makeup, and her wild mass of red hair. She argues with Anna and fights for what she wants professionally while everyone else kowtows to Anna. They are contemporaries who clearly respect each other and the dynamic is fascinating.

All of this to say that the movie sparked my interest in reading this memoir to learn more about Grace Coddington. The first revelation is how The September Issue made her a bit of a celebrity - now recognized wherever she goes in her adopted hometown of New York City. I am not sure why I was so surprised that it was not just me who came to love her in that film. So my expectations were high for this book I think and perhaps I was a bit disappointed. The second was that it seems like she still considers herself to be quite fashionable from her modeling days. I expected her to spend more time talking about the contrast between her seemingly non-fashionable self presentation with her keen eye for fashion for the magazines. In the movie, this contrast was definitely part of the intrigue for me.

She sails through descriptions of various major life events in a sentence or two - particularly as it relates to relationships. So you never feel like you're really getting to see behind the self-described shy exterior. In contrast, pages and pages and pages are devoted to the cool people she hung out with in her youth, her modeling career and particularly the photo shoots she has styled for fashion magazines. I recognized maybe 1/3 of the names dropped - seemingly hundreds of photographers, models, hairstylists, fashion executives, designers, and restaurants. Then there's an entire chapter about her love of her cats. Ok - I don't like cats but I can understand the connection and maybe I would have been more interested in this if I felt like she gave any human the same amount of time or reflection.

The one person other than one ex-husband and her current longtime love - a hairstylist of all things which was fascinating to me given her hair in The September Issue - whom she does talk about at some length is her best friend, another contemporary in the fashion world. I was a bit turned off by this chapter because it seemed clear that she still holds a grudge against her and I did not think it was a flattering or kind portrayal. For instance, I don't want anyone to contrast me to them by saying that I am shorter and chubbier....

So all in all, a light look behind the scenes of the world of fashion modeling and fashion magazine photo shoots. She clearly found her passion early in life and loves and excels in what she does. She has lived a full and fabulous life. But it just never goes far enough into the person of Grace Coddington vs. the professional for me and left me slogging through page after page of fashion detail hoping for more. (less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Mary Holland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before reading this book, see the documentary "The September Issue". The film started as a documentary on Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue and as a rebuttal to "The Devil Wears Prada". Unfortunately for Anna Wintour, she is so controlled and expressionless that the director uses Grace Coddington, the creative director of Vogue, as her foil. Grace steals the picture, and it ends up being far more interesting watching Grace manage photo shoots, argue with Anna, and in general live a far more vibr...more

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Apr 08, 2013 JC rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, celebrity, fashion, friendship, london, memoir, new-york, non-fiction, paris, popular-culture, united-kingdom, united-states

Anyone looking for salacious gossip and the grubby inside story to working on Vogue will be sorely disappointed - Coddington lives up to her name and is incredibly gracious about everyone she has worked with, even those she doesn't like very much. And Anna Wintour is not numbered amongst the latter. Coddington makes numerous references throughout the book to the wonderful RJ Cutler documentary, The September Issue, and the subsequent public fascination with her relationship with Wintour. I felt...more Anyone looking for salacious gossip and the grubby inside story to working on Vogue will be sorely disappointed - Coddington lives up to her name and is incredibly gracious about everyone she has worked with, even those she doesn't like very much. And Anna Wintour is not numbered amongst the latter. Coddington makes numerous references throughout the book to the wonderful RJ Cutler documentary, The September Issue, and the subsequent public fascination with her relationship with Wintour. I felt it was clear from the film - and further explicitly underscored by Coddington herself in her memoir - that these women respect each other immensely, and it is the creative tension between the two of them that has made American Vogue into the style bible it is today. What Coddington does reveal here, with subtle references and also the indignation with which she discusses the inferred depiction of Anna in The Devil Wears Prada, is that there may also be a genuine (albeit not necessarily close) friendship between the women as well - and this is one of the many things that Coddington keeps quite private even as she opens up in her reflections.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Coddington's style of writing is simple, elegant and conversational. She reveals enough details of her life to keep you fairly satisfied - sometimes with devastating casualness (view spoiler) - but somehow manages to do this while maintaining a sense of polite distance. I must say that I admire her very much for this. I think the way in which she deals with sad and traumatic events in her life with but a few brief lines (with the exception of the chapter devoted to her late friend Liz) is quite pointed - she draws clear boundaries in this memoir and expects them to be respected.

What was unexpected (to me) and what I found utterly charming were her line drawings that illustrate the book (alongside a great collection of photographs, including some of Coddington's favourite spreads). These humourous little sketches wryly depict a range of scenarios, and perhaps make Coddington's ironic sense of humour all the more evident. It is fascinating that Coddington's preferred mode of remembering is visual - she prefers to sketch in shows rather than take notes - and perhaps says much about how and why she is able to create such visually rich shoots.

It should go without saying that this is a must-read for lovers of fashion.(less)

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Feb 12, 2013 AdultNonFiction Teton County Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fashion, great-gift, memoir

TCL Call Number: Bio Coddington G

For somebody who has had such a glamorous career and befriended so many famous designers, photographers, and models, it took the documentary "The September Issue" about the inner workings at Vogue magazine to make icon Grace Coddington famous outside her fashion circles. This engagingly written memoir takes the reader from a country British upbringing, through a London modeling career, and to British and American Vogue, where she works today as creative director,...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Grace Coddington is the American Vogue creative editor who came to the public’s attention with the release of the film “The September Issue.” Coddington is a reluctant celebrity who makes clear from the opening of her memoir that “people should concentrate on their jobs and not on all this fashionable ‘I want to be a celebrity’ shit.” Although she expresses surprise at writing her memoirs (she claims to have read only two books), the public should be delighted that she did because she tells a fa...more Grace Coddington is the American Vogue creative editor who came to the public’s attention with the release of the film “The September Issue.” Coddington is a reluctant celebrity who makes clear from the opening of her memoir that “people should concentrate on their jobs and not on all this fashionable ‘I want to be a celebrity’ shit.” Although she expresses surprise at writing her memoirs (she claims to have read only two books), the public should be delighted that she did because she tells a fascinating tale with cheeky aplomb punctuated with charming sketches.

Coddington grew up on the thinly-populated, damp, hard-scrabble island of Anglesey off the northern coast of Wales. Her parents ran a hotel that was only open for a few months a year and only saw one hundred percent occupancy in the month of August. She was a sickly and solitary child who missed a least half of term in every school year, lacked television, but saw movies weekly at the local cinema which informed her fashion sense as she attempted to sew the sophisticated looks worn by actresses on the screen. Even as a child living on an isolated island, she was a fan of Vogue. When she was 18, Coddington departed for London with the idea of modeling as an escape into a world of wealth, excitement, and travel.

Coddington took a modeling course while working as a waitress, and quickly got a break when a boyfriend introduced her to the fashion photographer Norman Parkinson who took pictures of her running naked through the woods. Her career as “a ‘character’ rather than a pretty model,” was launched. Coddington describes the modeling industry in the 1960's (at that time, there were no stylists; models had to bring their own accessories to a shoot) and the celebrities at the time (Vidal Sassoon, Lesley Hornby), but dishes equally about the models she currently works with, such as Daria Werbowy (who “hates modeling”), Naomi Campbell (“difficult sometimes but unique”), Kristen McMenamy (“a model who has sustained remarkable longevity”), and Christy Turlington (“the most beautiful model I have ever seen”).

As Coddington reached her late twenties, she began to dread the peripatetic lifestyle of a model, and a friend suggested that she should become a fashion editor. She joined British Vogue as a junior fashion editor shortly before became engaged to Michael Chow, the soon-to-be-famous restauranteur, and the two were one of London’s “most happening couples.” Coddington details her relationships with a number of high wattage men while raising her late sister’s son. She also tells good tales – Polly Mellon mistaking her for an assistant and giving her a bag of clothes to return to a designer, Helmut Newton’s continuing invitation to photograph her nude “before it’s too late,” and then saying “You remember how I always wanted to do that nude before it was too late? Well, now it is.”

Coddington arrived in America to work for Calvin Klein as a design director, and she stayed because she had fallen in love with the French hairdresser, Didier, with whom she has had a 30-year relationship. Recognizing that her English style did not mesh with Klein’s clean, modern aesthetic, Coddington joined American Vogue as creative director under the steely Anna Wintour. While she shows appreciation for “the creative push and pull of the way Anna and I work together” and voices contempt for “The Devil Wears Prada,” Coddington expresses “nostalgia for the days when fashion came first doesn’t do any harm.” As she remarks wistfully, “Today, I find myself at the collections, asking, ‘Who are all these people’' Sometimes I think I'm the last remaining person who comes to the shows for the pleasure of seeing the clothes.”(less)

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Feb 22, 2013 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is a random collection of stories from the creative director at Vogue. Coddington says she has only read 2 books in her life and maybe that's why she has written such a terrible book. Actually I hesitate to give her credit for writing it, I really think that she was interviewed and then her answers were transcribed and assembled into this book. The first part of the book when she describes her childhood is organized and has some sense of narrative but as soon as she leaves to go to London t...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, memoir

This book has been super hyped up. I’ve read glowing reviews in all manner of places. And while Grace Coddington seems like a fun, lively gal most of this book fits squarely in the “I don’t give a crap” category. It’s written in a very rambling fashion and although I love clothes I’m not deep into the fashion world so 80% of the names she drops (designers, photographers, models) meant nothing to me. Speaking of rambling, there is a long windbag of a chapter about her cats. I like cats and all bu...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-autobiography

She has a cat psychic. 'Nuf said.

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Dec 03, 2012 Everyday eBook rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Everyday by: Rachel Jacobs

In 2007, documentary filmmaker R. J. Cutler set out to capture the world between the covers of American Vogue. His aim was to shadow legendary editor-in-chief Anna Wintour -- which he did -- but while doing so he found an additional subject worth his attention: the delightfully outspoken and equally passionate Grace Coddington, who thus stepped out from behind Wintour and into the spotlight. As the story goes, and this is corroborated by Ms. Coddington in her memoir, Grace, the feisty creative d...more In 2007, documentary filmmaker R. J. Cutler set out to capture the world between the covers of American Vogue. His aim was to shadow legendary editor-in-chief Anna Wintour -- which he did -- but while doing so he found an additional subject worth his attention: the delightfully outspoken and equally passionate Grace Coddington, who thus stepped out from behind Wintour and into the spotlight. As the story goes, and this is corroborated by Ms. Coddington in her memoir, Grace, the feisty creative director had no desire or intention to take part in Cutler's production, but the camera loves her. (It always has.)

“The September Issue,” Grace admits, “[is] the only reason anyone has ever heard of me.” The documentary may be the reason she's now penned a memoir, but it isn't the thing that made her. No, Coddington has had an enduring and thrilling career. She grew up on the northwest coast of Anglesey in Wales. Her family owned the modest Trearddur Bay Hotel, where she spent the first eighteen years of her life. From there she moved to London, which is where it all began. Coddington recalls the "model bag" she toted around with her on shoots and go-sees at the start of her career. Models, she explains, carried their own makeup, pushup bras, wigs, and hairpieces, "and heated hair rollers. You had these if you were madly up-to-date and avant-garde, which I was."

Though the references and figures she invokes are of course appreciated by the fashion minded, her memoir has a broader appeal. Ms. Coddington speaks with such candor, such honesty, we forget we don't actually know her. But of course we don't, because Coddington ran with London's most fashionable elite. She married Michael Chow -- as in Mr. -- and had "a quick fling with Mick Jagger." She had confidantes in Manolo Blahnik and photographer Norman Parkinson. And that was only in London; she met their American counterparts once she found her way to New York City. Coddington knew everybody. And for a moment, while reading her memoir, it's like we do, too.

But it was always Vogue Coddington had her eye on. Even as a young girl, it was her magazine of choice. So we read on, knowing where she'll ultimately end up, but there are countless twists and turns along the way. Coddington cites affairs and infidelities, tragedies and miscarriages, a car accident that nearly ended her career. But her life is something of a marvel. Her clothes may have always been fashion-forward and a marker of the time, but it's the woman inside the couture that's worth reading about.

Grace is adorned with whimsical pen-and-ink sketches, drawn bewitchingly by Coddington. She confesses she's “barely read two books in my life that aren’t picture books,” but, even still, what's she's offered us is a winning, delightful memoir ... with pictures. Ms. Coddington does not have R. J. Cutler to thank for her career; no, we have R. J. Cutler to thank for the introduction.

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Jan 24, 2013 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Light but enjoyable. I know some critics have complained that Grace glosses over certain major life events but I took the book for what it was. It is true that I would have liked a little more depth and feeling but Grace's story is interesting nonetheless and she has a good "voice."

Although she is a very visual-oriented person and even professes to "not being a reader" she does not seem like a complete idiot. She seemed quite bright in passages. Also, it was interesting to learn a few things abo...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like most people I fell in love with Grace Coddington after seeing her in the Vogue documentary The September Issue. Though she plays down the fanfare she received for being so optimistic, down-to-earth and real when compared to the cold and calculating Anna Wintour, I still count her among one of my biggest female inspirations.

Her memoirs are a quick and entertaining read that touch upon various aspects of her personal life and career from her childhood in Wales to her modeling career in Londo...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Mariana Martinez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Grace Coddington, was first introduced as the Creative Director of Vogue in the documentary, "The September Issue". Since then Grace has become a leading figure in the fashion world along side Editor-in-Chief Anne Wintour. In this memoir Grace takes on a journey through her childhood from how she belong her modeling career and how she came to be in American Vogue. Grace is probably one of my greatest inspiration in the fashion world. As someone who wants to pursue working in the fashion industry...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Teresa Leveille rated it 4 of 5 stars

A breezy, fun read for those interested in Grace and her rise to the top of the fashion elite. Plus, it looks great on you shelf/coffee table. A nice selection of her work, highlighted by her charming sketches, it was a perfect read for my short trip.

I have to add, after reading other reviews, that while reading I never got the impression Grace even imagined writing a memoir that would go into vivid detail about her private life. She is English, in every since of the word, and in the era she gre...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Grace is an in-depth, eye opening memoir of Grace Coddington, Creative Director at Vogue. The movie, The September Issue, launched Grace into the public consciousness and began the idea of writing a memoir. It seems the stubborn back and forth between Grace and Anna Wintour was intriguing to the watching population. They wanted to know more about this woman who dared argue her point to the Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour.

Grace grew up in Wales, with dreams of one day experiencing magical scenes, l...more

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Jan 26, 2013 SheilaRaeO rated it 3 of 5 stars

Grace Coddington has given us a wonderful insider’s perspective of the fast changing world of fashion publishing along with a fascinating account of her salad days as a model through her rise to the position of creative director at Vogue, working side by side with Anna Wintour. The tale is a veritable “Who’s Who” of fashion photography in particular, and fashion publishing in general. It can sometimes be a bit like reading the liner notes and the detailed thank you’s on an album cover. Definitel...more

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May 08, 2013 Lois Tucker rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-m-not-going-to-finish, non-fiction

I put books on reserve at the library as I read book reviews that interest me. Upon picking this book up at the library, I discovered it was necessary to understand something of the fashion world to make sense of this woman, who became known after the documentary "The September Issue," the real-life counter-argument to "The Devil Wears Prada," considered a humorous if thinly veiled commentary on Vogue's editor in chief Anna Wintour.

So I watched "The September Issue." I am outraged/disgusted to...more

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May 12, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, nonfiction, fashion

I was attracted by this cover in a bookshop and upon closer inspection, realized that it was a memoir written by Grace Coddington, the talented and outspoken visionary behind many of VOGUE magazine's most gorgeous and iconic fashion shoots. Like other readers, I fell in love with Coddington in the documentary The September Issue. And, I watched the film a second time while reading this book and fell in love with her again. While this is not a work of literary genius (Coddington even admits that...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: plebians who dress well and want a glimpse into the looking glass

Shelves: 2013

After seeing The September Issue, I was intrigued to read more about Grace Coddington. She definitely lives and breathes fashion with an interesting artistic eye. To read her memoir is to get a glimpse into the 1960s modeling scene and well, the British scene in general. That alone makes this book worth reading. Unfortunately, I do not keep up enough with fashion or the history of it to grasp all that she is telling us in the book. The names, and there are scores, from makeup artists, fashion ed...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Lane rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a subscriber to Vogue magazine for most of my life, a sometimes reader of the many other magazines mentioned in this book, and a true believer that the world of fashion, photography, and design offer commentary on our world, I really enjoyed this book. I welcomed the chance to find out a bit more about the behind the scenes workings of the fashion industry and the people involved. I agree that many names are dropped but these were the players. Grace Coddington's casual writing style and charm...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is best read with a glass of wine, some cheese and crackers... OR... a pot of excellent tea and crumpets. It reads as if you were spending an afternoon with Grace as she reminisces about her childhood, entry into the modeling business and then her rise through the fashion ranks at Vogue. It is not a "tell all" but she does highlight chapters on certain individuals in the business that have remained long-time friends. Grace is an artist as well and has peppered the book with her whimsic...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was fascinating. I love The September Issue and remember being captivated by Grace Coddington, so this was just the icing on the cake for me. What a long and storied career! I love that the book followed a linear time line, but each chapter was split up like little vignettes; it kept it fresh. I will admit, Coddington's (somewhat) callous description of (view spoiler)...more

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May 11, 2013 Sharon Watts rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people interested in the evolution of fashion before it became a celebrity gag-fest

I haven't seen "The September Issue" (yet) but I wanted to read this because I was lucky enough to work with Grace and Liz Tilberus in the early 1980s, as a fashion illustrator, on two issues of British Vogue. I had no idea at the time what her back-story was, and so this book certainly filled me in! If you are not interested in fashion and/or the time she professionally came of age, this tome might not entrance you. There were a lot of names dropped that I didn't know, but it still held interes...more

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