April 13, 2003
Wintour of her Discontent
Kate Betts, late of Harper's Bazaar, tackles and reviews the eagerly awaited (eagerly awaited by a small but influential cartel of media and fashion types) book, The Devil Wears Prada. The Devil being Anna Wintour, Vogue editor, the author being Lauren Weisberger, a former Anna assistant.
From what Gothamist can gather, Weisberger suffers from young-New-Yorker's-syndrome: thinking she's the first person to have a shitty boss. We applaud her ability to parlay that into cash money, but Gothamist (nor Kate Betts) cannot forgive Weisberger for this: "She...gives us a caustic stuttering travel editor who is a cheap shot at the food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, whom she should have been studying for lessons in how to write." You can vilify underfed fashion editors, but stay away from wonderfully crazy and passionate food writers!
Maria Bustillos of Vintage Voice wonders "Is Anna Wintour Satan?" Anna outraged Paris when she asked for the fashion shows to be scheduled according to her availability. Choice Anna Wintour coverage, courtesy Hint Magazine. The fashion world wonders if French Vogue editor Carine Rotfeld is the new Anna. And PETA has an anti-Vogue site: www.voguesucks.com, complete with Anna-clone.
Another super scary brilliant boss: Movie producer Scott Rudin. Kim Masters of Esquire profiles him this month. His habit of eviscerating his assistants was gleefully shown in Swimming with Sharks, with a then-less-shticky Kevin Spacey as the tormentor/employer producer Buddy Ackermann: "You are nothing! If you were in my toilet I wouldn't bother flushing it. My bathmat means more to me than you!"
NEW Gothamist on Lauren Weisberger's April 17 Today Show appearance
Other: Gothamist Hates Lauren Weisberger
| 
If there's one thing I love about anti-Anna stories, it's the coinage of "Wintour of Our Discontent," brought to my attention in an Newsweek article years ago. I should really read more Shakespeare.
[1] Posted by: Jen | April 13, 2003 2:04 AM
So what's Weisberger's next move? Who would hire her? I'll bet she marries some rich guy and has a designer baby and decorates her apartment and their summer house and then gets divorced and writes another tell-all book. Whew! What a great life!
[2] Posted by: Katherine | April 14, 2003 12:18 PM
damn, kelsey grammer got fat....
[3] Posted by: j0sh | April 14, 2003 6:30 PM
She may find a guy to marry, but she certainly has no taste to decorate an apartment or summer home of aspiration. I know, I knew what she looked like before Vogue.
[4] Posted by: glw | April 15, 2003 5:02 PM
Yeah, Scott Rudin looks jolly but is apparently extremely abusive. Much like my experience with unassuming looking people who are just out and out nuts.
[5] Posted by: Jen | April 15, 2003 5:27 PM
I liked the book quite a lot. It was quite accurate, and pretty obvious about who it's about!
There are some who don't believe such bosses exist...oh yes they do, and I had one like that when I worked at an upscale retail store. This manager made made Miranda Priestly looked, well, preistly. The harridan I worked for would call us manager trainees over the phone and harangue us for anything you can think of. I put up with it for six months before I finally transferred to another department. I quit the store but it was nearly a year before I could even walk past that mall without getting the shakes! Worst part about it! The Wicked witch actually got promoted! Argh. Never take a manager trainee position is my advice...it's cross referenced with slave!
I liked the book quite a lot. It was quite accurate, and pretty obvious about who its about!
[6] Posted by: thelobbygoddess | April 21, 2003 7:47 PM
What did she look like before she got to Vogue? Pray tell..
[7] Posted by: Tara | May 6, 2003 4:26 PM
The book was great!!!! I would stay up all nite to read it. I know that Anna has too much money to actually give a care about the way people view her, but I would have a hard time looking at myself everyday. I have to say that I'm waiting for Luaren's next book!!
[8] Posted by: Monica | June 8, 2003 9:34 AM