The Editor-in-Chief
THE
Le Nuage
MUSES
47
ddressing
envelopes as a
temporary job in
Vogue’s circulation
department led to much
more for one woman in
1895. Edna Woolman Chase,
the woman who, along with
Condé Nast, made Vogue
what it is today. In 1901,
Chase found herself assistant
editor to Marie Harrison,
the sister-in-law of Vogue’s
founder and then owner,
Arthur Baldwin Turnure; and
by 1914, she was the editorin-chief under Condé Nast.
Nast once said of Chase:
“ There are few women, I
think, whose character and
tastes are more essentially
feminine; and yet there are
few men who bring to the
solving of business problems
keener insight, broader
vision or clearer thinking,”
Together, Chase and Nast
built Vogue from the bottom
up and revolutionised
the fashion industry. It
was Chase and Nast who
brought aboutThe Protective
Association of French
Dressmakers, which made it
illegal for the reproduction
of a dressmaker’s dresswithout their consentinpoor quality material, sold
for pittance and labelled with
their name.
At the time, America’s
women wore French fashion,
and that was what Vogue
published. However, when
World War One threatened
Chase’s Vogue of having
A
blank pages, she
had a brilliant idea
that is still being
used today. Chase
gathered all of the
best American
dressmakers and
all of the smartest
American women
and held a benefit
showcasing the
dressmakers’ works.
The contributions
going to French
women widowed
and children
ophaned in the war.
This was not an idea
that was particularly
shoes were not allowed, as,
in her opinion, they were a
“horror”. Her articles were
equally sten, telling the
Vogue audience that “The
cloche is preeminently a
hat for the youthful face,”
and “Vogue does insist that,
before buying a frock, one
should look oneself squarely
in the legs and temper the
length of one’s costume to
the shape one sees.”
Relationships with her
employees were dealt with in
much the same manner. For
instance, when a member
of her staff tried to commit
suicide by throwing herself
under a subway train, Chase
said to her afterwards,
“We at Vogue don’t throw
ourselves under subway
trains, my dear. If we must,
we take sleeping pills.” When
British Vogue was set up
and failing, Chase was sent
easy to execute
to London to sort it out. She
for Mrs Chase as
hired Alison Settle as editor
women in those
and insisted on making her
daysdidn’t divulge into the correct image of a
the secret of their
Vogue editor. Forcing Settle
dressmaker, it took to move house twice, as it
a lot of persuasion “wasn’t good enough” .
to get the most
However stern Chase was,
important women
she was an absolutely
to attend. Once they
brilliant editor who picked
attended, others
up American, British and
followed.
French Vogue back up off
With a fine-tuned
their feet numerous times in
eye for style, Chase
her editorship of thirty seven
insisted her staff
years, which still makes her
wear black silk
the longest in the job to date.
stockings, white
An icon to all aspiring Vogue
glovesand hats to
editors. †
work. Open toed
48