British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon (Hardback) - Julie Summers

A glittering official history of British Vogue, telling the magazine's story from the first issue in 1916 right up to the present day, written with exclusive access to the Vogue archives.

A glittering official history of British Vogue, telling the magazine's story from the first issue in 1916 right up to the present day, written with exclusive access to the Vogue archives.

British Vogue has always been far more than just a fashion magazine. For more than a century it has defined the tastes and style of successive generations, playing a leading role in the continuing story of Britain's national identity, and covering the arts, politics, health, travel and much more in addition to the fashion pages. It is an institution and a character in its own right. Now, for the very first time, the fascinating and glamorous history of British Vogue is told in full.

Founded in 1916, British Vogue has forged its own path from the very start. From the trauma and austerity of two world wars through to the freedom of the swinging Sixties, the rise of the supermodel to the groundbreaking editorial direction of Edward Enninful: the magazine's chameleonic ability to move with the times has ensured its perennial status at the vanguard of British cool.

Beautifully illustrated with exclusive images from the Vogue photographic collections, the book draws on hitherto unseen archives and behind-the-scenes interviews with Vogue insiders including stylist Grace Coddington, editor Alexandra Shulman and fashion editor Lucinda Chambers. This is the story of a legend and the individuals who created (and curated) it, told against the backdrop of an extraordinary century of change, upheaval and beauty.

About the Author

Julie Summers is the author of 14 works of non-fiction including Fashion on the Ration and Dressed for War, the biography of the wartime editor of Vogue. Born and brought up in the North West, she studied at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art. From 1984 she worked at the Royal Academy of Arts and the Henry Moore Foundation as a curator and became head of exhibitions at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford before becoming a full-time writer.