Many times, people ask me why September is such an important month in fashion, and why the edition you now have in your hands is the issue that matters the most in our editorial calendar. Though the answer is technical, it also has a more creative meaning attached to it. In September you can find all the new winter collections in store, so it’s a crucial period for retail. As was mentioned in the celebrated 2009 documentary The September Issue, shot in the offices of American Vogue, “September is the January in fashion.”
Editor-in-chief Manuel Arnaut with cover star Claudia Schiffer. Photo: Kayt Jones
But – and this is the part I love the most – this month is also the time for limitless imagination, when the new ideas proposed by our favorite designers can become part of our lives, allowing us to literally wrap ourselves in their creativity, to be shaped by their latest looks. This fall, will you be a futuristic cyborg? Will you go pink and coquette? Or will you be all about visual illusions, carrying Chanel’s faux popcorn minaudière, featured on our Last Look page? September is the time to decide, to play, maybe even to make some mistakes. However, one key principle applies to every month: The spirit of novelty doesn’t justify ruthless consumption, and the rule of “buy less, but better” still holds.
Due to the symbolic weight of the issue, in the Vogue Arabia offices we worked hard to compile very special fashion portfolios, but also substantial reads. We always care for fantastic individuals who have something to say, and whose voices impact the culture of the Middle East in some way. Three of my favorite stories have, by coincidence, Egypt as a backdrop and a touch of nostalgia. While traveling around the country, we recreated the work of Mahmoud Saïd just as an exhibition is being held at the Aisha Fahmy Palace to mark the 60th anniversary of the artist’s death. Also in Cairo, we orchestrated the comeback of the iconic actor and singer Anouskha, who looks fearless wearing leopard, a key trend of the season. And we visited Salon Lucy, one of the oldest beauty spaces in Egypt. Still managed by 88-year-old Mrs Lucy, it has been frequented in the past by celebrities such as Naguib Mahfouz and Faten Hamama.
As you already know by now, we had the pleasure of featuring Claudia Schiffer on this month’s cover. This is an achievement that fills me with pride, as it is a testament to the importance of Vogue Arabia across the global fashion scene. One of the most beloved supermodels of our time, Schiffer is never in a rush, doing everything the right way, and not believing in overexposure. Which means you won’t see her in several publications annually. Born in the 80s, I watched Schiffer’s meteoric rise to fame as she became the muse to designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace, and fronted more than 1,000 magazine covers (65 of them belonging to Vogue titles). When doing research in preparation for this shoot, I found gorgeous images of the star on the Saint Laurent runway, wearing Le Smoking. I believe the year was 1996. For Fall 2024 the tuxedo is back, so having Schiffer wearing the look again – now reimagined by many a designer – was a fashion fantasy I truly loved working on. On set, she was glorious, generous, and super fast. She gave us a modeling masterclass.
In the conversation I had the pleasure to conduct, the supermodel opened up about her family, how modeling has evolved, jet-setting across the globe in the 90s, and her future projects in areas as distinct as homeware and video production. Oh, and that special night in Vienna, when Karl Lagerfeld danced the waltz in front of her and her photography crew. It all sounds like true fashion magic. Just as September should feel…
Originally published in the September 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia
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