Glenda Bailey At Coach In Chicago For “Harper’s Bazaar Greatest Hits” Book Signing
Glenda Bailey’s latest book represents the past decade of high fashion and its reflection on society and pop culture, and she was here in Chicago this past Saturday. Bailey’s second stop of a five-city tour brought her to the Coach store (the tour sponsor) on Michigan Avenue. The first stop of the book tour was New York, after Chicago she will make an appearance in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. The book is also featured in an exhibition at the International Center of Photography in New York now through January 8, 2012.
The Coach store was the perfect place for such a reception. We had the opportunity to shop the latest handbags, shoes and accessories just in time for the holidays, as well as a chance to meet Glenda Bailey and purchase her book! Bailey has been awarded multiple fashion awards as Editor of the Year, her knowledge and experience makes her the epitome of fashion. Second City Style Managing Editor Carol Calacci and I were so excited to ask Glenda questions that we barely knew where to begin. She was extremely energetic, warm and lovely. We could have chatted with her all day!
SCS: How did publishing this book that chronicles the last ten years of Harper’s Bazaar come about?
Glenda: The book was an opportunity to look back at my work, along with Bazaar’s Creative Director Stephen Gan, when we debuted their first issue of Harper’s Bazaar on September 12, 2001, the day after Sept. 11. I realized that people love fashion and wanted some joy. It was a terrible event and the world changed because of the tragedy. I just took over the world’s first fashion magazine and had to make it successful while trying to lessen all of the sorrow and loss. Fashion makes us feel good. The last ten years reflect on changes in times. Fashion is a reflection of popular culture in our society.
SCS: How does a magazine cover come together? What comes first? Is it the celebrity, the designer piece that you want to present, or the photographer’s idea?
Glenda: It depends on the cover. It could be the model, the outfit chosen at a fashion show or the scouted location. On one of my favorite covers, the August 2009 issue, Kate Winslet wore an elegant white dress which was pulled straight from the Ralph Lauren runway. The creativity for this spread began with this exquisite dress. In the spread, Kate Winslet appears to be hanging from scaffolding on a building in Manhattan, risking life and limb, but she is actually only three feet from the ground. That is what you want from a fashion magazine – you want to dream. The photo is uplifting (literally)!
SCS: Do you have any favorite memories that stand out from the last decade?
Glenda: The April 2010 issue which featured Demi Moore in a surrealist landscape on a spiral staircase in platform shoes – feeding a giraffe really stood out. Demi Moore was really taking her life into her hands on the high ladder with platform shoes on the giraffe photo shoot and her only comment was, “the giraffe had terrible breath.” And it was fitting that she wore an Alexander McQueen dress as a tribute McQueen’s death that year.
SCS: Who comes up with the concept for magazine shoot?
Glenda: It is team work …equally the editor and special projects director!
SCS: What do you predict for the next ten years of fashion?
Glenda: Fashion is a direct reflection on society. Predictions and cycles with fashion are reflected in the economy. Lately we are dressing in menswear, we have to get to work – we wear broader shoulders. (She pointed to the shoulders on her own Lanvin dress). We need to emulate strong women, we need to feel physically bigger and more confident.
We certainly look forward to what Glenda Bailey has in store for the next the next ten years!
– Cindy Burns
Photos: Second City Style, Magazine Cover photos, Harpers Bazaar