Anna Wintour has never been known for her excessive charm – but an appointment by the US Government might change all that…
She’s not perhaps known for her charm or friendliness.
Nevertheless, Anna Wintour, director of Vogue US, is the centre of rumours she might be offered some kind of diplomatic posting in the UK by the American government.
The news isn’t entirely without basis, though. Wintour is one of President Barack Obama’s main fundraisers. She holds exclusive dinners, events and parties in support of his campaigns and charges a hefty price tag for guests to circulate among the highest of high fashionistas – and the profits all go to the Obama campaign’s Victory Fund.
Word on the street is that the Obama administration is so pleased with this reputable talent, they’re wanting to put her to work in other ways.
Wintour is British by birth, which may place a slight spanner in the works – Brits can come on board the American edition of the world’s biggest magazine, but it might be a harder sell to make them the US Ambassador to London.
However, Wintour (who is, somewhat amazingly, 62) may be liable to ruffle diplomatic feathers with her famous, and infamous, temperament. As documented in The September Issue, she’s a demanding perfectionist and a ruthless driving force. Grace Coddington, another Brit import, was always having her feathers ruffled by Wintour’s determination – and the British capital might, too.
The fashion crowd is notoriously difficult to lure into politics. Celebrities are fair game, but fashionistas are often centrally focussed on bigger human rights issues (like the HIV/AIDS campaign over at MAC) or whether trade laws will allow designers to flourish.
Maybe if Wintour goes, everybody else will follow…
Image: Anna Wintour.
Rescu. is a home for shoe fanatics, and we’re bringing you an update on all things fabulous in new footwear.
The first bit of news is an eminently practical one – the advent of three-hour delivery times from the Australian website StyleTread. Yes, you read that right.
You can order shoes from Australian designers and have them at your door at the same speed it would take to order flowers or fast food. We live in an amazingly convenient age – and 7-10 days shipping time might be a thing of the past.
StyleTread’s success has been phenomenal, allowing them to introduce the 3-hour shipping window all across Sydney’s major metropolitan areas – and we love that their range focusses on Aussie designers, from PeepToe to Jason Brundson.
It also has a one-year free returns policy, and up to 40% of customers buy another pair. Their customers are, as it were, voting with their feet – and Rescu. is loving it.
Buying shoes remotely has always been a risky business, since fit, arch size and foot width are so individual – but with such a short turnaround, the discerning customer can search and find her perfect pair without any wait or fuss. It’s almost like visiting a department store in person.
We’re excited to see what StyleTread does next.
And speaking of the problems of finding individual shoes to fit, news comes from the UK this week that one day in the next few years it will be possible to ‘print’ your own heels at home.
The news is thanks to the increasing popularity of 3D printers, a technology favoured by designers and architects to ‘build’ miniature designs, slice by slice, using layers of plastic which harden.
3D printers are currently an expensive technology and hard to manage, but it looks as if they’ll soon be in every home. And with that widespread popularity will come the possibility to make solid fashion items of your own – particularly shoes.
A UK fashion trends company has announced that it believes designing and printing your own shoes – perhaps according to templates sold by shoe designers, with the possibility of customising – is the way forward for shoe-lovers.
The key problem will be scanning your own foot into the printer to make a perfect fit – and currently the technology only allows for plastic shoes, which may not suit some more luxury-minded fashionistas.
However, it’s one small step for mankind…
Image: StyleTread.
