Grace

A Memoir

By: Grace Coddington

Narrated by: Grace Coddington

Beautiful. Willful. Charming. Blunt. Grace Coddington’s extraordinary talent and fierce dedication to her work as creative director of Vogue have made her an international icon. Known through much of her career only to those behind the scenes, she might have remained fashion’s best-kept secret were it not for The September Issue, the acclaimed 2009 documentary that turned publicity-averse Grace into a sudden, reluctant celebrity. Grace’s palpable engagement with her work brought a rare insight into the passion that produces many of the magazine’s most memorable shoots.

With the witty, forthright voice that has endeared her to her colleagues and peers for more than forty years, Grace now creatively directs the listener through the storied narrative of her life so far. Evoking the time when models had to tote their own bags and props to shoots, Grace describes her early career as a model, working with such world-class photographers as David Bailey and Norman Parkinson, before she stepped behind the camera to become a fashion editor at British Vogue in the late 1960s. Here she began creating the fantasy “travelogues” that would become her trademark. In 1988 she joined American Vogue, where her breathtakingly romantic and imaginative fashion features, a sampling of which appear in this book, have become instant classics.

Grace will introduce listeners to the colorful designers, hairstylists, makeup artists, photographers, models, and celebrities with whom Grace has created her signature images. Grace reveals her private world with equal candor—the car accident that almost derailed her modeling career, her two marriages, the untimely death of her sister, Rosemary, her friendship with Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis, and her thirty-year romance with Didier Malige. Finally, Grace describes her abiding relationship with Anna Wintour, and the evolving mastery by which she has come to define the height of fashion.

Includes a bonus PDF of photos from the book.

“If Wintour is the Pope . . . Coddington is Michelangelo, trying to paint a fresh version of the Sistine Chapel twelve times a year.”—Time

Timeless Grace.

How can you NOT like Grace Coddington? Like many, I fell in love with her after seeing The September Issue. What I loved about this book was her candor, honesty and no-nonsense talk about the fashion world. She is the hardest working woman in fashion and she takes us through her start as a model, her transition to behind the scenes, and her eventual arrival at American Vogue. This was a fascinating listen and I loved her narration. If you enjoy fashion biographies...this is a must.

Grace a Memoir

If you enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada you will like Grace. Her road to the fashion industry and Anna Wintour is interesting and personal. She is funny, insightful and tells her story with both humor and honesty.

Highly entertaining and endearing

Educating for fashion friends, warm hearted and graceful in every way. Absolutely loved it. Well read!

Loved every chapter!

I had heard of Grace Coddington and her creative talent for many years- myself being involved in the creative side of retail as a fashion illustrator. I found her memoir fascinating from start to finish and was so sorry to reach the last chapter! Her recollections of the famous names in fashion are interesting and well rounded. She brings these people into clear focus as she does her own personality. I found myself thinking that I wished I had known her or worked with her. She is unique and colorful while still being grounded and very balanced . She tells the story of the fashion world both in Britain and the United States over the last half century with depth and exciting detail. As a reader I felt that I was experiencing those heady days right along with her! This is a memoir that I will read again - with relish!. Bravo Grace!

Grace the great!

Beautiful perspective of an industry so often fluffed by shallow tales. Grace is so humble and humbling to hear. Now if only I can figure out how to view the PDF...