British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon

by Julie Summers

More than just a fashion magazine, more than a brand, Vogue is an institution, a major business and a character in its own right. It is also part of an intensely private empire that for almost all of its existence has remained a self-sufficient, sealed microcosm. For the first time, the full, glamorous and tempestuous history of British Vogue will be told, from its very beginnings in 1916 right up to the present day.

From the trauma of two world wars, when Vogue faced paper rationing and its staff had to shelter in the basement of its bombed-out offices, to the relief of the post-war period, when 'Paris was putting two inches on the brim of its hats in anticipation of the peace to come', the swinging Sixties when models such as Jean Shrimpton dominated the covers, to power dressing in the eighties and the rise of the supermodels in the 1990s right up to the unique challenges faced during the Coronavirus pandemic and the positive changes made by the most recent editor Edward Enninful, this is the story of a magazine and the individuals who created it, told against the backdrop of an extraordinary century of change, upheaval and beauty.

Beautifully illustrated with images from the Vogue archive, and including exclusive interviews with Vogue-insiders such as stylist Grace Coddington, Editor Alexandra Shulman and Fashion Editor Lucinda Chambers this is the perfect gift for Vogue fans and anyone who enjoys social history with a little sparkle.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2024

About the author

I was born near Liverpool and grew up first on the Wirral and then in Cheshire. Although the greater part of my childhood was spent outside pursuing any number of outdoor activities, I have always wanted to be a writer.

I am passionate about writing and unembarrassed to be so. I love researching my books, especially when they involve meeting people and finding out about their lives. I have a little study in the attic of our house with one of the best views in Oxford – the dreaming spires seen from Iffley. I write in the mornings after the children have gone to school and find the problem is not sticking to the routine but tearing myself away from writing at the end of the day. I describe myself as a biographer and historian but the most important thing for me is to be a story teller.

Reviews

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, purposeful biography of a century at British Vogue (or "Brogue" as one character refers to it), this is a real pleasure to read. We trace the beginnings of the magazine at the turn of the century, throughout the wild-horrors of two world wars, and then into the tempestuous rises and falls of more recent decades, and throughout all of this Summers maintains a firm respect for her subject and what it does. I welcomed this a lot; the book does not minimise the achievements of a popular magazine and its relevance towards its readership - each copy often being read by dozens, if not more, of people - and how it sought to speak both for and to the women of Britain.

There's a noticeable strength here when Summers writes about the war years and in particular, the editorship of Audrey Withers. I was not surprised to see that she has written a book about Withers (Dressed For War: The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue editor extraordinaire from the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties) and have added that to my list of things to read. I was also rather delighted by her work around iconic figures such as Cecil Beaton and Lee Miller and their remarkable work for the magazine.

What Summers does well is recognise that little frisson of excitement that comes with archival material; that when you are looking through something and forming connections with it in order to create a story, a narrative. It's exciting because you start to trace the bigger pictures, the ones which move across years and you start to find patterns and echoes. I was particularly interested in the treatment of royalty; from the accidental scoop of Princess Diana's engagement through to the Duchess of Wales' editorship and cover photo, the purple covers on mourning and the genuinely joyful coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

It's a thoughtful, comprehensive and well-made thing this. Summers manages to delicately point out some of the problematic aspects of the magazine and although I'd have welcomed some more of this (and in fact, I've heard the author speak thoughtfully about some of these issues in an event), I think it does what it can considering its context. For me, the greater strengths of the book come in those early years because we have that distance between author and subject and so some of the digging can happen a little clearer, a little cleaner.

I liked this a lot, I really did. There's something so delicious about it. And that cover!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I have never taken any interest in the magazine, but this comprehensive history of the British edition is really more of a social history, explaining why some topics were featured at certain times, how journalists (mostly women, even before the war), photographers and other contributors were recruited, and the effect of worldwide events on editorial policy. Editors like the redoubtable Audrey Withers were hugely influential and coped with enormous pressures as well as having to handle office politics. The book is very well-written and an easy read (unless you keep breaking off to tell other people about all the fascinating little titbits you come across).

[Mads · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was fabulous. british vogue forever!!

[Lily Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable account of the history of the 20th and early 21st century through the eyes of British Vogue. Summers writes incredibly engaging non-fiction, it's astonishingly well-researched and yet she manages to keep a fast pace and a huge amount of anecdotes in just over 300 pages.