College Fashions in Vogue, August 1937

Cover Vogue, Inccorpoating Vanity Fair August 15, 1937

Fashion magazines have used the back to school theme as inspiration for their August issues for many years. I recently found an issue of Vogue dated August 15, 1937 with College Fashions as the theme. 1937 was a turbulent year in history with the Spanish Civil War, the Hindenburg disaster, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and the rise of Stalin. In spite of the unrest, all was rosy on the fashion front.

Published twice a month, there were three Vogue magazines at the time- American, French and British. Edna Woolman Chase was Editor-in-Chief of all three. 

The August 15, 1937 issue of the magazine was 166 pages and features a model wearing a green and red plaid wool dress that is "reminiscent in style of the Grossman jersey dress, adopted by the emanticipated woman of 1918", but with the "casual chic of youth in its pleated skirt and white pique collar." 

The magazine features college themed advertisements as well as editorials on topics like: 

Voted most popular

College endowment

Compulsory for campus

Cut out for college

School directory

Autumn landscape colours

Puzzle parties

Most likely to succeed

Professor Shop-hound

Anne Hathaway in Vogue

Anne Hathaway by Mario Testino from Vogue November 2010 issue

I don't usually write two posts in one day but I'm bored out of my mind after too many days of being sick! This gorgeous photo of Anne Hathaway was taken by Mario Testino in Paris for the upcoming November issue of Vogue magazine. In this particular photo styled by Tonne Goodman, she seems to be channeling Audrey Hepburn. You can read the interview with Anne Hathaway here and watch clips of the photo shoot here.

Fashion is my Muse.

Since I was a little girl, I have been intruiged and fascinated by fashion. I started making clothes for my dolls and later made clothes for myself. Inspiration came to me from Vogue magazine and I saved babysitting money for fabric purchases. I can still recall my mother once adding up the cost of the huge stack of Vogue magazines in my bedroom and harshly criticizing me for "wasting" my money. I did my own fashion "illustrations" including the one above (scratched out at age 12).

To some people (like my mother), fashion is a frivilous affair. But to me, it is a tool allowing me to dress for the role I chose to play on any particular day (ie., goth princess, boho artist, glamourous socialite, plain vanilla mom, sexy secretary....). The whimsy and fragility of fashion is to me endlessly fascinating.

Fashion is my muse.