FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Vogue Australia has been helmed by an impressive coterie of women who were all determined to make their mark, both in fashion and beyond.
Vogue Australia has been helmed by an impressive coterie of women, beginning with British journalist Rosemary Cooper, who turned what was originally designed as a supplement to British Vogue into a stand-alone magazine in 1959. The editors who followed were all determined to make their mark, both in fashion and beyond. Interviews by Natasha Inchley.
SHEILA SCOTTER EDITOR 1962
A brilliant and imposing editor, Scotter AM MBE was a force. Known for her sharp wit and impeccable eye, she championed Australian designers, challenged sartorial codes and was exceptionally dedicated to her team – albeit with a fiery admonishment here and there. Born in India and educated in England, she believed Vogue Australia could hold its own in the international arena and set about stamping the magazine’s authority. Her hard work earnt her respect from heavyweights such as US Vogue’s Diana Vreeland, who affectionately called her the “kangaroo editor’”. Scotter passed away in her grand apartment in Albert Park, Melbourne, at the age of 91 in 2012.
EVE HARMAN EDITOR 1971
Harman began her Vogue career in a supporting role, quickly rising through the ranks to become a trusted ally to the inimitable Scotter. After a stint in New York, where Harman worked with luminaries such as Irving Penn, she returned to Australia and was soon called on to make her mark as editor.
ON STARTING OUT:
“More than anything, I wanted an exciting career. I finished school as soon as I was legally allowed – all I wanted was to enrol in business college. My father was terribly disappointed and threw me out of home, but my mother insisted on having me back. I began work at Channel Seven, which was all shorthand and typing, but I thought it was quite glamorous.
“I then applied for a job as secretary to the editor of Vogue, and it was great but certainly not as glamorous as I thought it would be. I don’t think Vogue became glamorous until Sheila arrived. I remember that day clearly; you could see her coming from a mile away in this wild yellow Courrèges outfit. It signalled a new era. Sheila was a whirlwind; she knew what she wanted and she was terrifying, but amazing.
“We were asked to visit the designers and beauty houses and to take notes on the collections then report back to Sheila. Carla [Zampatti] was starting out and I remember she had just arrived from Italy and would present to us in a tiny apartment – it really was the beginning of an exciting time.
“When my husband was posted overseas, Sheila was terribly encouraging. She connected me to Diana Vreeland, who was a real force at US Vogue, and I was fortunate to work for her and attend the shows. I put my hand up for everything, and I think Australians were really recognised for that kind of work ethic. I became an assistant to Carol Phillips, who went on to start Clinique, and worked with Irving Penn and Bert Stern. It was a magical time to be in New York.”
ON THE MAKING OF AN EDITOR:
“My husband died as I was being appointed editor. It was an incredibly difficult time; in fact, I find it very hard to recall those days. I immediately knew I had to get the best people around me because I was not a writer, nor a fashion or beauty person. I am an organiser and I could guide people. I guess, too, I had learned from Sheila how not to do things; we got on terribly well, but that was because I was the worker, keen to learn. So perhaps I had a kinder approach; I understood that my team was the life of the magazine.”
ON WHAT SHE IS MOST PROUD OF:
“The people I worked with. Most are still friends. We would often stay back until eight o’clock at night meeting deadlines, there was real camaraderie. I made it clear to my team that they were each to manage their job the way it suited them, so long as they got the work done. Everybody had children and I let them work the hours that suited them. I had a daughter myself, so I understood the juggle.”
JUNE McCALLUM EDITOR 1976
Although born in Ireland, McCallum felt an immediate affinity with Australia. She spent her early career in Melbourne, working for an advertising agency and with photographers such as Helmut Newton and Patrick Russell, before moving to London, where she transitioned into media. McCallum introduced a patriotic spirit to the magazine, and served as editor for 17 years.
ON THE IMAGE THAT DEFINES HER EDITORSHIP:
“The October 1989 issue has a terrific cover, with Elle Macpherson in the blue waters of Broome, shot by Graham Shearer. It has a spirit and sense of vitality that only Australians seemed to capture back then. The stories and profiles in that issue were also quite forward-thinking; empowerment was a strong thread that ran through the magazine and it anticipated a lot of topics that are relevant today.
“It was always my goal to feature a variety of women in the magazine: women of different ages, including artists, writers, actresses, athletes and others at the top of their game. Everything was geared towards career, confidence and efficiency, which was strategically made possible by good grooming, discipline and ambition. Women had been thrust into the world of business and were expected to be astute, clear-headed and unemotional, so I think we were on the right track championing the strengths of women in different fields. There was an energy to this particular edition that I still look back on and enjoy.”
ON CREATING A CULTURAL SHIFT:
“That was certainly what we set out to do. I had the most amazing team and we really wanted to change the perception of the magazine in a sense that it was Vogue, yes, but it was an authority on more than just fashion. It was about a woman’s life and how we could make her stronger.”
ON THE MAKING OF AN EDITOR:
“I remember feeling as if we were running all the time. We had a very small team with moderate budgets, and everyone was responsible for their own role and more. We didn’t always have formal meetings as you might have today; the process was perhaps a little more haphazard but the magazine still came together beautifully.
“It was an exciting time for Australian fashion. A lot of the young designers were not very mature in a business sense. We worked with them quite sympathetically, let’s say that, and I think we were respected for how we encouraged the industry. I was also very conscious of expanding the Vogue brand. We pioneered events such as financial seminars for women, which were extremely successful. We also staged a show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and were one of the first teams to photograph in China. I think we were trailblazers but most of all we were passionate – incredibly passionate – about the job.”
NANCY PILCHER EDITOR 1989
Born in Pittsburgh, Pilcher began her Vogue career as secretary to the marketing director in 1973. Her hard work, flair and determination paid off and she went on to become fashion editor, Vogue editor then vice-president of Condé Nast Asia Pacific. In 2015, Pilcher was named Australian Fashion Laureate and has been lauded for successfully launching five Condé Nast titles, as well as championing the industry’s rising talents.
ON ADVENTURES HOME AND ABROAD:
“There was real magic working with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin on the 1994 issue. It was a kind of cinematic journey, which the couple guest-edited, and was truly a oncein-a-lifetime experience for me. Every moment was filled with creativity and wonderment. We had the freedom to think outside the box and to take readers to places that would enrich their world. As for the process, when I first met with Baz and CM, I told them that we didn’t have much money to spend but they just managed to make it happen. They would come to the office each day with a bigger idea – it was extraordinary.
“I also have so many favourite images from my time working as a fashion editor for Vogue. One story that really stands out is from a 1981 issue photographed in China by Patrick Russell. Every aspect of that shoot was a challenge, but being part of the adventure made the obstacles worthwhile. It was hard work, not glamorous by any means, but we supported each other to ensure the pictures showed nothing of the raw elements we were working with.
“I look at those images now and I still have a running movie in my head. We were the second magazine to photograph in China and there was only one hotel, the Friendship Hotel, which was an ex-military base. We had a Chinese team travelling with us because they wanted to learn how to create a fashion shoot, and we had to have a banquet every night with Chinese officials. There were no restaurants and no cars, only bicycles, yet we created an iconic issue. No matter how fabulous the location, the most important aspect was working with a talented team that aims for perfection, against all odds.”
ON COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY:
“I think my strength has always been fashion, so when I became editor I made a point of surrounding myself with great people in the job. At the time, brands such as Chanel were only just starting to enter the [local] market, so we worked closely with Australian designers such as Prue Acton, Peter Weiss and Trent Nathan, and it was a real collaboration.
“Judith Cook [then fashion editor] was a vital member of the team and together we would spend hours at the designers’ studios, working out what we needed from them. Equally, if the designers were having problems, we tried to find solutions. There was a sense of community. We also had wonderful relationships with the photographers; we worked as a team to ensure that when that camera clicked, everything was perfect – not a hair out of place. We were honestly like one big family.”
MARION HUME EDITOR 1997
Before arriving in Sydney, British-born Hume worked as a contributing editor to US Vogue. Her tenure was, in her own words: “As short as I am not, yet full of friendship forged in the fire. As for fire, I was fired. Let’s call it as it was. After that happened, Anna Wintour summoned me back to New York to be acting fashion news director.”
ON THE IMAGE THAT DEFINES HER EDITORSHIP:
“The Naomi Campbell cover for June 1997 continues to earn attention. Putting Naomi on the cover never struck me as the radical act, which it has subsequently been remembered as. I also love the October 1997 ‘Get set for summer’ cover with Sarah O’Hare [now Murdoch], photographed by Darren Keith. What we were daring to say was: ‘This is not British Vogue, this is not US Vogue, this is Australia: sporty, fit and fabulous.’”
ON CREATING A CULTURAL SHIFT:
“When I arrived, we didn’t even have the internet in the office. I still have long faxes from Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace and Tom Ford. By the time I left, we had one dial-up connection. Social media and the wide use of camera phones were still years away. In every way, it was a time of transition. Australian actors were conquering Hollywood. I wanted Cate Blanchett on a cover but management overruled me with: ‘Her? What makes you think she’ll make it?’ International luxury brands were marching into Australia, giving those who loved fashion and luxury choices like never before. It was truly the time when the whole fashion and cultural world became connected. And yes, those who had built businesses based on old-fashioned isolation had to up their game. Which made me very popular with ambitious designers. And equally unpopular with some others.”
ON THE MAKING OF AN EDITOR:
“I know I am an unusual former Vogue editor. Yet how lucky was I to forge a fearless team who were so restless to make Vogue more. What we achieved in the 18 months I was editor we did together. Fashion editors got to create what they had yearned to create. Did I like every image? Of course not. But I defended the ambition to create a brave new Vogue. Writers pitched me everything from fun to thorny issues. Was some of it too hard-hitting? Anyone who says tough talk doesn’t belong in Vogue forgets its finest hour, the phenomenal photojournalism of Lee Miller, the former Vogue cover girl turned war correspondent.
“Vogue is of its times and ours was of openness and ‘can do’ even though our budgets were tiny. I traded down five-star hotels for three-star so more of us could go to Paris and we also travelled all over Australia together, from Hobart to Darwin, talking with women about their lives and aspirations. Because it reflects the ‘now’ every month, past issues of Vogue are an invaluable snapshot of ‘then’. I look back on what our team did together in a short time and I am thrilled we gave it our all.”
JULIET ASHWORTH EDITOR 1998
When British journalist Ashworth was appointed editor, she faced a changing tide in the media landscape, not to mention an increasingly noisy market. Resilient, thanks to her formal training on the news desk, she introduced a glittering celebrity culture to the magazine.
ON THE INJECTION OF AUSTRALIAN ENERGY:
“I became editor at a time of turmoil for the magazine. It wasn’t the easiest period in Vogue’s history, with new titles launching in the marketplace and figures in decline. To be honest, we were very much in survival mode.
“I didn’t come from a fashion background; I began my career in newspapers, where I took on everything from crimereporting to feature-editing on a major UK newspaper. [At Vogue] I focussed on giving the magazine a vitality – a sort of upbeat approach, if you like. Magazines at the time were all about celebrities and while we didn’t have the huge celebrity base they have in America, we had Kylie Minogue and Elle Macpherson, who we featured in the September 1999 issue, an important month for the magazine around the world.
“It was also a celebration of 40 years of Vogue Australia, another reason I chose such a truly Australian cover. The two were pictured hugging and laughing, and their chemistry, obvious friendship and dynamic was wonderful. There was an energy to the images and a sense of fun, which is what we were hoping to achieve. I had inherited an art director who came from Spain and didn’t speak a word of English, which was tricky to say the least, but we struggled through. I think it was all about trying to bring back some punch to the issues.”
ON THE MAKING OF AN EDITOR:
“I had come from producing daily newspapers – a very fastpaced environment – and I had that discipline and formal journalism training where I would report on court cases and phone copy down the line to the news desk. In those days, it was a bit like being in the army. So when I became editor at Vogue, I think I was perceived as being quite tough. Nevertheless, I felt confident that I could turn my hand to anything thanks to the training. I understood how to put out publications and I could tell good writing from bad, and also how to market.
“At the time, I felt that Australia and its fashion needed to be given more of a platform and that our designers could be a little more aspirational. I think things have now changed for the better; there are a lot more fresh, interesting ideas coming out of this country. I felt that was the revolution that needed to happen, and I knew Vogue could be instrumental in that.
“It was an interesting experience and I enjoyed being part of such an incredible title. When I look back now, I’m grateful it led to all sorts of different opportunities. It led me into a wonderful design career, which I have worked at for almost 20 years. I am a pragmatic person; it was all meant to be.”
KIRSTIE CLEMENTS EDITOR 1999
The Sydney-born writer and author began her career at Vogue in 1985, a rising talent who started out on the front desk before quickly moving up the ranks to take on the role of beauty director. After a stint in Paris, where she worked as a foreign correspondent, Clements returned to Vogue as editor in 1999. A champion of Australian modelling and designer talent, her passion for literature and pop culture was key to the magazine’s success.
ON THE IMAGE THAT DEFINES HER EDITORSHIP:
“I will always love the image of Cate Blanchett photographed by Karl Lagerfeld for the issue he guest-edited in 2003. You can see that it’s Cate, but it’s so French; it’s Karl’s vision, which came together in a cafe on Rue Cambon, and also at his salon and Mademoiselle Chanel’s apartment.
“It was always about having those sort of dreams – to secure the most influential designer of the time. To pull that history through the needle and collaborate with one of the most important actresses in the world – who was Australian – was incredible. To me, it was the perfect confluence of history, currency, tradition, fashion and drama. It’s a homage and celebration of Karl and Cate, who fully embraced the idea of portraying Coco. It was the quintessential Parisian shoot, but Cate made it Aussie and therefore ours.”
ON THE MAKING OF AN EDITOR:
“I suppose I always saw myself as more of a pop culturalist than a fashion person. I understood fashion in terms of its cultural significance, but I came from a journalism background and was also consumed by literature, film and culture as a whole. So we worked hard to create these big-concept issues and to tie everything together, whether it be a Karl or a Princess Mary issue.
“At the time, the cult of celebrity was big in America, but we did not have the budgets to cope and I wasn’t entirely convinced that those big-name celebrities would resonate with the Australian reader. Instead, we championed Aussie models and actresses, which the local market immediately responded to. It was about taking them on the journey with us.”
ON HER GREATEST STRENGTH:
“My curiosity. It was about constantly adapting to change – to the times and to the business. I think it was crucial to be able to keep moving forward while staying curious in the job. I loved the collaboration, the ins and outs of putting a magazine together, and I loved the camaraderie of the team. It was a very sophisticated world to move in and I learned a lot. It was a dream job because I met people at the top of their game, whether they were photographers, artists, designers or chefs. That was endlessly inspiring and to have those doors opened for you is a rare opportunity in life. Editing Vogue changed the scope of my world.”