Two books I look forward to reading are memoirs by two powerhouses in the fashion world. The first, which comes out today, Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership and Success on Our Own Terms is by Maureen Chiquet, the global chief executive at Chanel for over nine years until she was fired last year. Sadly, there are fewer women in key executive fashion roles than there should be and I am keen to learn about Maureen’s experience and the take-aways she has to offer other women. Vanessa Friedman of the NY Times, wrote a good article on Maureen over the weekend that is worth checking out.
The second which I just started delving into is Joan Juliet Buck’s The Price of Illusion. Joan was the editor-in-chief of French Vogue for many years and a contributing writer for American Vogue for several until her contract was terminated for her piece on Asma al-Assad, the First Lady of Syria. (I and many others find her termination ridiculous, Vogue is ultimately responsible for its content, not a freelance writer, even one of Joan’s stature.) But I digress. I actually had the privilege of editing (or more akin to shepherding) a couple of pieces Joan wrote for Bazaar. Joan is an astute and meticulous writer; she has also lived a rather dishy life. (She was BFF’s with Angelica Houston for years). I imagine it will be a highly entertaining read that might expand my vocabulary a bit too.
(As always I’ve put links for the books here, but would encourage you to support your local bookstore whenever possible.)
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