The Glossy Years: Magazines, Museums and Selective Memoirs - Softcover

Coleridge, Nicholas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241342899 ISBN 13: 9780241342893

Publisher: Penguin, 2020

Synopsis

'The most entertaining book of the year' Sunday Times

'The autobiography of magazine kingpin Nicholas Coleridge is a Waugh-like whirlwind of eccentric characters, lavish parties and even a spell in a Sri Lankan jail. It was funny enough to excuse all the name-dropping' Evening Standard, Books of the Year

'A ludicrously well-connected magazine impresario. Whimsical tales of Bob Geldof, William Hague, Princess Diana and George Osborne jostle with recollections of glitzy parties at castles and producing the Eton magazine with Craig Brown. It's gossipy good fun' Sunday Times

'A deliciously moreish memoir of the author's glittering career in magazine publishing. Like having a really good gossip over a glass of fizz with Evelyn Waugh' Sunday Telegraph

'Sparkling. Witty, nimble and engaging, it is wonderfully entertaining and a marvellous slice of social history' Jane Ridley, Spectator

'Brilliant. I laughed almost continuously' Charles Moore, Spectator

'An irresistible read, hilarious, honest and insightful. I adored it' Tina Brown

'Forthright, witty and gossipy. A passion for glossy magazines shines through this effervescent memoir' Sunday Express

About this title

About the Author

Nicholas Coleridge has been Managing Director of British Condé Nast and President of Condé Nast International, publisher of 130 magazines around the world, including Vogue and Vanity Fair. Journalist, editor, magazine executive, author, environmental campaigner, and Chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum and British Fashion Council, he has for three decades been a prevalent figure in the publishing and fashion industries. Nicholas Coleridge and his wife live in London and Worcestershire. They have four children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Within a week of my appointment as Managing Director, the
Editor of Vogue, Liz Tilberis, resigned to take a job in New York
as Editor of Harper’s Bazaar, working for Hearst. Whether it
was my confirmation as her new boss, or the lure of the bumper
American pay packet which decided her, was never spelt out,
but it was certainly helpful. We spent the days following her
departure ensuring that all the Vogue photographers remained
onside, and wouldn’t defect with Liz to Bazaar, and this largely
worked. Condé Nast’s not- so- secret USP was the ability to
have first dibs on photographers, models and stylists, and this
privilege was fiercely enforced.
You were either a Vogue photographer or you were not a
Vogue photographer, you couldn’t hawk your talent from title
to title. Similarly, if you wanted to be a Vogue cover model,
there was no point queering your pitch by fronting Elle, Bazaar
or Cosmopolitan. Photographer’s agents and model agencies had
always understood this nuance, which very nearly but didn’t
quite qualify as restraint of trade. Nowhere was it written
down, it was simply understood. An Editor murmured, ‘Obviously
it’s entirely your choice where you want to work. It’s a
free world and up to you. It would just be very sad for Vogue,
never being able to work with you again. Or any of the other
international Vogues. But don’t let me try and influence you. It’s
your call.’
Alexandra Shulman was doing a great job on GQ, and it was
tempting to switch her to Vogue. She still looked slightly too
hippy- chick to be a Central Casting shoo- in for Vogue Editor in-
Chief, but she was clever and understood the magazine. An
interesting phenomenon about Vogue is that you receive fewer
external applicants for Editor than for other titles. So revered is
it, it deters most chancers from throwing their hats into the
ring; they self- edit themselves from the running. This is the
exact opposite of, say, Tatler or House & Garden where you might
get ninety or more applicants for Editor. Anyone who has ever
been to a party or bought a cushion or made a pair of curtains,
sees themselves as a credible candidate.
Seeking an Editor for Tatler in the late nineties, I received an
application from the ex- wife of a world- famous banker. She
wrote, ‘I have attended many of Europe’s grandest parties and
balls, and am experienced at dealing with staff. We had more
than forty staff in our houses around the world.'

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241342899
• ISBN 13: 9780241342893
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400