Author: Grace Mirabella (with Judith Warner)
In and Out of Vogue is an autobiography by Grace Mirabella, a legendary editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Mirabella succeeded Diana Vreeland, another big figure in American fashion journalism. Vreeland edited Vogue from 1963 to 1971, and Mirabella was the editor from 1971 to 1988, when Anna Wintour took over as the current editor of Vogue.
Mirabella is known for her working woman style approach to editing Vogue, which transformed the magazine from glossy and eccentric approach to fashion promoted by Vreeland to a practical magazine catering to a modern American woman of the 1970s who joined the workforce in large numbers, and needed practical clothes that would make her look stylish, but also keep her comfortable. That was Mirabella’s approach to fashion, which is well-known, and she explains this approach to fashion in her autobiography. I knew all of this, but what I did not know is that Mirabella’s approach to fashion also links to her background. She was a child of working-class parents, Italian immigrants who settled in New Jersey, a stigma that followed her in her career because, while Vogue moved away from being a society newspaper, the staff was still from American society. Mirabella explains this well, particularly focusing on manners, communication style, and a way of thinking, which I enjoyed reading due to the immense sociological value this writing provides. I also did not know that her Italian father was a gambler who bankrupted their family, then once they finally recovered a bit, he died and left a huge debt, which nearly prevented Mirabella from going to college. It was fascinating to read this life story, and Mirabella’s struggle to navigate the posh environment of Vogue, a career she was not prepared for, as she admits herself. Her story is a true American Dream story, and I love the fact that her working-class background influenced her view and approach to fashion.
Mirabella also writes extensively about her career in Vogue, and various roles she had in the magazine, including being assistant editor to Diana Vreeland and trying to put into practice Vreeland’s dreamy visions of fashion. This was also excellently explained, and I understood Vreeland more. Interestingly, I am now reading Vreeland’s autobiography, which is written in the same all-over-the-place way as her editorship style was, as described by Mirabella. While Mirabella’s writing is subjective and driven by her perception and experience, I have no doubt it is true because of the way Vreeland wrote her autobiography.
In and Out of Vogue also touches upon the arrival of Anna Wintour, very briefly, but enough to cast a negative light on Wintour and her ambition, and the negative impact she had on Mirabella while working with Wintour breathing down her neck for her job. This was interesting to read, particularly concerning how Mirabella took over from Vreeland, by being offered the role and then feeling embarrassed for taking it, so she never spoke with Vreeland about it, and they parted ways after Vreeland left Vogue, despite Vreeland’s mentorship of Mirabella. I appreciated the candidness of Mirabella’s account on how the takeover happened and how she lost touch with Vreeland out of embarrassment. I was surprised, though, with Mirabella treating both Vreeland and Wintour as foreigners and making comments about that since both Vreeland and Wintour had American mothers, who were also members of American society. So, Wintour is hardly a British import (a term Mirabella uses for her and also, Tina Brown of Vanity Fair for some reason, despite not working with her), and Vreeland grew up in Paris but was not French because, like Wintour’s father, Vreeland’s father was also English, and both Wintour and Vreeland had American mothers.
In summary, In and Out of Vogue is not just an autobiography of Grace Mirabella but also a history of American Vogue and its editorial policies. The book can be of interest to fans of Mirabella and American Vogue, as well as those interested in the history of American society of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Mirabella writes about societal changes very skillfully, including fashion changes, and how the fashion of the 1980s ultimately drove her out of Vogue because she could not stand it. I could not agree more about the 1980s fashion, and if I worked with Mirabella, I would have gotten along with her because we share the same vision on style and fashion. Well, I, being a foreign import and in love with haute couture, aside. But in our views of style, admiration for American designers and their working woman style approach to fashion, as well as focusing on more content, yes. What is also interesting is that the same stubbornness to accept changes that got Vreeland sacked also got Mirabella sacked. In retrospect, Mirabella admits she should have seen it, but admits she simply did not, thus again candidly holding herself to account and realizing what went wrong. Mirabella died in 2021, at the age of 92 (read the obituary by Vogue or by The Guardian).
In and Out of Vogue is an excellent book and a testament to the turbulent societal changes in American (fashion) history. A highly recommended book.
Thank you for reading!