How British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman changed the rules of fashion
The 59-year-old shocked industry insiders and fashion fans when she announced would be stepping down after 25 years
BRITISH Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman shocked industry insiders and fashion fans when she announced last week she will be stepping down after 25 years in the post in June.
After becoming the longest-serving editor at the fashion bible Shulman has said she wants to “experience a different life”.
But the 59-year-old made sure she will go out with a bang having packed her final year with trailblazing events, including the Duchess of Cambridge’s first ever cover shoot, opening the doors of the mag for a BBC documentary and leading the way for the title’s centenary birthday celebrations.
When she bagged the top job at Vogue, critics were less than complimentary about her appearance yet the mum-of-one remained undeterred, and joked about her bedhead hair and love of croissants.
So here we look back at the woman who has been quietly running the show and her impact on the UK’s fashion scene.
1. Tackling the plus-size debate
Glossy mags are often blamed for the prevalence of stick-thin models but Shulman has criticised fashion designers — and asked them to take responsibility over clothes sizes.
In 2009 she wrote a letter to some of the world’s biggest fashion houses, including Prada and Versace, calling them out for their minuscule clothing samples which meant that magazines were bound to book smaller models and promote unhealthy body images.
2. Praising Great Britain
Hugely patriotic, Shulman has been outspoken when it comes to home-grown talent.
Constantly championing London Fashion Week, she has condemned designers for leaving the capital, saying: “I wish all the British designers would show in London — Stella McCartney, Sarah Burton, McQueen and Victoria Beckham.
“It would be so fantastic and I don’t understand why they don’t.”
We don’t, either.
3. Ditching the fad diets
Shulman has refused to tell women how to live their lives.
She said in an interview: “The one thing I’m really proud of, even though we’re often held up as the demons [in the skinny model debate], is that we never publish diets.
“We’ve never published things on cosmetic surgery.”
4. Celebrating "real women"
In a first for British Vogue, the November 2016 issue was model free.
Dubbed “the real issue” Shulman showcased the many styles and talents of women using normal people in editorials alongside celebrities.
5. Keeping it real
When she turned 50, Shulman wrote in Vogue: “It is a huge help to have been nice looking but never very beautiful, for those whose identities are bound up in their good looks, the diminution is terrifying.”
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6. Never shying away from controversy
The fashion world has been obsessed with a rivalry between Shulman and her US counterpart, Anna Wintour.
But she is not afraid to “coup” the Vogue sisterhood.
She discovered both mags had scheduled singer Rihanna to appear on their covers in the same month, so Shulman nabbed her from under Wintour’s nose by running Rihanna a month early.
7. The mossy effect
Supermodel Kate Moss has Alexandra Shulman to thank for much of her career.
She has been on the cover a record-37 times and after backing her as a model, Shulman made her a contributing editor.
8. Allowing readers to become the cover star
Shulman bravely chose to run Vogue’s millennium issue without a celebrity or model on the cover.
In a clever twist She chose to have a reflective surface allowing every reader who looked into it to become the cover star themselves.
9. Fashion quirks
Heels in the workplace are a must for the fashion mogul.
Manolo Blahnik makes custom-height heels just for her.
Alexandra won’t wear flat shoes, thanks to memories of being the shortest girl in her class.
Her favourite heel height is between 3.34in-3.54in, très spécifique.
10. Having her own style
She has a nostalgic weakness for tie-dye, saying the hippie pattern takes her “back to when I started going out with boys and the world seemed a more exciting place”.
With a big life change ahead, the world is about to become exciting for Alexandra Shulman again.