What It's Really Like to Be Fired from Vogue
Not all dreams are dreamy.
The original version of this article appeared on Levo.
Though being an editor at Vogue was pretty much what every heroine in the '90s and early aughts romcoms aspired to do, it may not be all it is cracked up to be. In a new very revealing interview with British Vogue's longtime fashion director Lucinda Chambers, she spoke about her recent firing with annual academic fashion journal Vestoj. And she didn't hold back--so much so, in fact, that the interview had to be temporarily removed from Vestoj's website.
But Chambers should really be commended for being so forthright about what it is like to be suddenly as well as shockingly fired when you are at the top of your career. Though it was announced in May that was she stepping down from her role after 30 years, she told Vestoj that she was in fact fired by British Vogue's new editor in chief, Edward Enninful.
"A month and a half ago I was fired from Vogue. I phoned my lawyer; she asked me what I wanted to do about it. I told her I wanted to write a letter to my colleagues to tell them that Edward [Enninful] decided to let me go. And to say how proud I am to have worked at Vogue for as long as I did, to thank them for being such brilliant colleagues. My lawyer said sure, but don’t tell HR. They wouldn’t have wanted me to send it."
She also got super real about what its like working on editorials that you have absolutely no passion about and very little respect for as they are purely for advertisers.
"You’re not allowed to fail in fashion – especially in this age of social media, when everything is about leading a successful, amazing life. Nobody today is allowed to fail, instead the prospect causes anxiety and terror. But why can’t we celebrate failure? After all, it helps us grow and develop. I’m not ashamed of what happened to me. If my shoots were really crappy… Oh I know they weren’t all good – some were crappy. The June cover with Alexa Chung in a stupid Michael Kors T-shirt is crap. He’s a big advertiser so I knew why I had to do it. I knew it was cheesy when I was doing it, and I did it anyway. Ok, whatever. But there were others… There were others that were great."
While Condé Nast wasn't impressed--the media company released a statement claiming it's "usual for an incoming editor to make some changes to the team"--others took to Twitter to commend Chambers' honesty
As for Chambers, she has a vision for "useful and aspirational" fashion magazines of the future:
"[I]n fashion we are always trying to make people buy something they don’t need. We don’t need any more bags, shirts or shoes. So we cajole, bully or encourage people into continue buying. I know glossy magazines are meant to be aspirational, but why not be both useful and aspirational? That’s the kind of fashion magazine I’d like to see."
Honesty, failure, and useful. Now that would make for an interesting magazine.
photo credit: Puma/Smith House Photography
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How One Vogue-Approved Stylist Became a Shaman
From high-heels to hearing voices.
Photo: Alli Parfenov
What is it like to be the well-dressed girl at a cocktail party that also hears voices...and NO they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
My name is Colleen McCann. I am a Shaman, who also happens to wear fake eye-lashes and high-heels to work. Seven years ago amidst a successful 15-year career in fashion I got a ping from the universe to make a huge life shift. I started hearing voices...having premonition dreams....seeing ghosts...and being told by street randos that I was a healer. A what? I said the same thing. This school of thought did not lineup with my mid-west Irish Catholic upbringing. So what was a girl to do? I went full-on Shaman! What’s my street-cred now? I study three lineages of Shamanism (Nordic, Mexican and Peruvian). I am a Reiki Master, Intuitive Medium, Crystals Expert, Feng Shui student and teach Shaman School.
WHY I SWITCHED:
My initial intention when jumping into the crystal-laden rabbit hole was to “silence” the voices or at the very least deal with my inner-freak. Then it turned into a greater path for wellness, connection with myself, and how I was showing up in the world. Even though I looked good from the outside I wasn’t exactly happy with my job, I didn’t feel fulfilled in my relationships and felt like something was missing. As I started tapping into my intuition I had more faith in the road I was being led down. The treasure hunt was on!
HOW I SWITCHED:
So exactly where does one turn in a situation like this? I was fucking scared, embarrassed, and uneducated on all subjects of mystical matters. I listened to the “spiritual bricks” that were hurled at my head and skeptically started on a path of my own personal healing and awakening. After a pit-stop at my friendly neighborhood psychic’s office and finding a spiritual mentor, I did what any brazen New York girl would have done: I traded my high-heels for hiking boots and decided to get educated on all things mystical in the wilds of South America. To be clear, this wasn’t an overnight process. I worked full-time on set in NYC and basically put myself through esoteric college (again!). PS. I also didn’t tell anyone in my life about my metamorphosis. It’s not exactly a casual happy hour conversation.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU START ADDING “HEARING VOICES” TO YOUR REPERTOIRE?
After going through the mystical wringer, I had manifested a whole new calling out of this adventure to reclaim my sanity. I decided to break the sound barrier on the “slashie mold” and started Style Rituals. I use my fashionista roots AND my spiritual know-how to realign the energetic body with the physical body. I may still revamp someone’s closet, but now the vamping includes: removal of low vibrational clothing, doing an energy healing, Intuitive Crystal Readings, a heart-to-heart with the clients spirit guides and a good ol’ fashion Shamanic bonfire with your ex-boyfriends t-shirt. As I fling the doors open I look at someone’s closet as a window to their soul as well as a giant Tarot card reading waiting to happen. I started seeing clients in my already existing tribe of stylists, designers, models, editors, beauty execs, photographers, lady boss VPs, fashion houses and PR teams.
I address the underlying issues in my well-dressed community-- who better than me to truly understand the unique brand of pressure and stress they experience day-to-day? While my clientele has since expanded I started with who and what I knew.
"I am honored to help women remember what makes their heart beat faster."
Tweet this.
WHAT DOES MY AVERAGE DAY LOOK LIKE:
I have been called racy, outspoken and untraditional in both the fashion and spiritual community, as I compare crystals to black skinny jeans, colonics and Xanax. Well, I say hell-yes and thank-you to being the black sheep in the room! All of my out-of the box thinking around business has allowed me to do what I love everyday and serve my community. Besides seeing private clients I lead workshops and guest lectures on my favorite subjects: Spiritual Hygiene, Flexing Your Intuitive Muscle, and Crystals. Fashion and beauty brands hire me to do Intuitive Crystal Readings at their press events…don’t worry I always bring mystical gift bags for the attendees. I am the House Shaman for GOOP and as such collaborate with them on mystically-minded products, and work as a Spiritual Influencer with many other industry outlets. PS. I am “Vogue-approved.”
WHAT’S MY JOY:
I am honored to help women re-gain their sovereignty, harness their personal power and remember what makes their heart beat faster. AND just because the universe has a sense of humor, I also work with women who are spiritually blasting wide open just like I did. I help them iron out the “kinks” shall we say.
To be in touch with Colleen click here.
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