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I had the pleasure ofattending the Ruby Connection Luncheon on Monday 3 December 2012, at the wonderful Aria Restaurant with guest speaker Edwina McCann, editor-in-chief Vogue Australia.

It was a foggy, misty, rainy day but all was forgotten as Larke Riemer, Head of Womens Markets Westpac, introduced Matt Moran and our only focus was the great company, delicious food & entertaining speaker.

Edwina decided she was going to dispel some myths, not about her controversial appointment but about the life of a Vogue Editor.  Super interesting, here are some of her comments:

• Fashion reporting has changed– readers want information that is up to date, as it happens (my comment; this is indicative of today’s consumer)
• Fashion focus changes cyclicly – in the 80s the spotlight was on supermodels then to designers and more recently to editors, thanks to the ‘Bloggeratsi’ photographing editors not fashion at the shows (my comment here is that this is what the customer today wants, a behind-the-scenes look at the brands & people they like, it connects them to the brand)
• Focus will now move to ‘new’ supermodels & the fashion
• Vogue is an edit; it has always recorded the life of the Vogue reader of the time, it scours the world to bring the best of it back to readers
• Reflects and drives popular fashion – worldwide and for decades, Vogue is seen as THE authority in the latest fashion and style
• Each issue is a ‘Periodical of Record‘ – a time capsule
• Vogue survives ‘The long haul test‘ – it is not a magazine that is quickly flicked through and disguarded.  Readers pour over every page and word more than once
• Vogue is investigating its role in The Digital Era – and refutes that Print Is Dead
• Vogue recognises what a lot of us have known for a while; ‘Data is the new oil‘ & boy does Vogue have data!
• Edwina was the 1st editor to use a horse in a cover in the history of Voguw, not just any horse either but Black Caviar (read about it here). A risky move but one that paid off, it sold 1 every 8 minutes in a Mosman newsagency the day it was released. (see image below)
• Vogue evolves as its reader does, the next editor will speak Mandarin (my comment – I have started to learn it too, sign of the times!)
• Vogue on Weibo (China’s facebook) in Mandarin, view the page here
• Vogue.com.au and the magazine now have the same editor, this has resulted in a drop in bounce rates and more cohesive information (my comment; I used to see the disconnect wtih reporting & found the site to be far more informative and contemporary)
• Vogue.com.au runs like a newspaper with daily updates etc
• Imagery separates Vogue from competitors – this is so true, Vogue is responsible for so many iconic images
• In Vogue – we see things from the editor’s eye, which sees soooo much!  Just about to be releaseed documentary ‘In Vogue, The Editor’s Eye‘, click here for the trailer.
• Ah yes, the sample cupboard is AM-A-ZING even if the sizes are a little inaccessible to most!!