In high times

Last week, I saw a screening of "The September Issue," R.J. Cutler's upcoming documentary film about Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue magazine and the most feared and revered figure in fashion. He follows Wintour and the Vogue staff as they put together the September 2007 issue, which at 4 pounds and 100 pages more than the previous year's, was the most ad-laden "book" in the magazine's history. Two things struck me about the film: that it is a time capsule of the $300-billion fashion industry at its height, before the economic bubble burst, and that it is Vogue's creative director Grace Coddington, not Wintour, who is the star.

With magazine circulation and ad dollars down, and the luxury industry Wintour controls with an iron fist in a tailspin, it's almost quaint to watch the staff traveling here and there in chauffeured cars, talking about "a wardrobe of jackets." Then there's Wintour demanding an 11th-hour reshoot of a story on color-block fashions and smirking at designers who haven't finished their samples in time to give her a sneak peek before their runway shows.

In one particularly eerie scene, at Vogue's retailer breakfast in Paris, Neiman Marcus President and Chief Executive Burton Tansky urges Wintour to pressure designers to deliver on time because the demand is growing faster than they even know. If only retailers had that problem now, instead of bulging racks on sale. There is also a lingering shot of the fashion house of Christian Lacroix, now in bankruptcy.

The film, which opens in September, showcases Wintour's influence inside the office and out.

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The low-key approach

With all the highly publicized designer collaborations in retail right now (Matthew Williamson for H&M, Kate Moss for TopShop, Tracy Feith for Target and on and on), it's been interesting to watch Anthropologie's quieter approach to the trend. In the past, the retailer has worked with Anna Sui and Rachel Comey, among others, but always without fanfare, with most designers creating lines under different names.

Now L.A. seems to be on Anthropologie's radar as never before. Jeweler Sonia Boyajian has designed a few pieces, including the adorable $98 "Flutter Fly" necklace. And when I stopped by Koi Suwannagate's studio last week, she told me she will be launching a collection of knits for the retailer this fall.