Few names in the history of global fashion carry the enduring weight, creative vision, and unmistakable signature of Grace Coddington. Beginning her illustrious career as a fashion editor at British Vogue in 1968 before crossing the Atlantic to spend nearly three decades shaping the pages of US Vogue, Coddington has long been recognized as a master storyteller through imagery. Now in her 80s, the legendary creative director recently stepped into The Run-Through’s studio with host Chloe for an expansive conversation about her remarkable journey, the changing landscape of the fashion industry, and her latest publishing endeavor: a massive, striking yellow tome titled Grace: Now.
The new book serves as a comprehensive visual compendium, gathering her most beloved and striking fashion shoots from the past decade. Bringing the project to life was a meticulous, tactile labor of love. As Coddington recalled during her studio appearance, narrowing down her vast selection of work required an old-school editorial approach. She printed out hundreds of individual images, carefully laid them out across physical boards, and constructed a hand-assembled dummy book. It was a process identical to the one Vogue’s dedicated art department traditionally creates for every single issue. Remarking on her enduring dedication to the craft and the publishing traditions she spent decades refining, she noted with a characteristic touch of humility, “I learned from the best.” When Chloe posed the inevitable question of whether her favorite stories tend to shift over time, Coddington offered a characteristically sage and timeless reply: “One always loves the last one one did.”
The creation of Grace: Now also marked a deeply emotional milestone for the editor. Tucked into the opening pages of the book is a handwritten tribute dedicated to her late, cherished friend and frequent collaborator, Michael Roberts. The project stands as the very first major creative endeavor Coddington has undertaken without his partnership in decades. Reflecting on Roberts, who passed away and left a profound void in the industry, Coddington shared the intimacy of their decades-long bond.
“Michael was someone who could complete my sentences,” Coddington told Chloe, capturing the depth of their professional and personal synergy. “I’d known him since the early ’70s, so he knew my life very well. He could write and he was a visual person too. I wanted to do it in my handwriting because I felt that I was talking to him. I adored him.”
The conversation inevitably drifted toward how much the broader fashion ecosystem has shifted over the years. The changes have been particularly pronounced since the release of R. J. Cutler’s celebrated 2009 documentary The September Issue, a cinematic project in which Coddington emerged as the undeniable breakout star, captivating audiences worldwide with her fiery red hair, uncompromising artistic vision, and gentle yet fierce dedication to fantasy.
Looking back at the trajectory of the industry since that era, Coddington observed how runway presentations transformed. “Fashion shows were getting bigger and bigger and what you saw was grander and grander. Clothes got much bigger,” she noted, highlighting an era defined by maximalism and spectacle. Chloe observed that while everything surrounding fashion seemed to grow exponentially grander, the physical magazines themselves did not follow the same path. This prompted a deeper philosophical reflection from Coddington about the current cultural mood and the appetite for excess.
“I don’t feel it’s about more anymore,” Coddington reflected, offering a candid critique of modern consumerism and industry scale. “It seems obscene to be excessive, with all the things happening in the world.”
This shift in perspective is visibly mirrored in the pages of Grace Now. When Chloe observed that, unlike her earlier, heavily stylized anthologies, the photography featured in this collection leans noticeably closer to reportage than pure fantasy, Coddington confirmed that the change was entirely intentional. The departure from the hyper-imaginative narratives of the past marks a distinct stylistic turning point for the legendary editor.
“It’s interesting to see the turn from complete fantasy, like Alice in Wonderland and all those stories I did with Annie,” Coddington said, referencing her iconic collaborations with renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. Moving away from surrealist storytelling was a deliberate creative choice rooted in the realities of the modern era. “I’m not interested in the [clothes] you can’t actually wear. Maybe we’re not about fantasy anymore, sadly. Life is very real at the moment.”
Despite her pivot away from the escapism that defined much of her career, Coddington remains deeply connected to the pulse of contemporary fashion, finding continued inspiration in the work of select designers. While she attends far fewer runway shows these days, choosing to bypass the exhaustion of the global fashion circuit, she maintains a close eye on the collections. Among them, the work of Prada holds a special place in her estimation, as she feels the brand consistently manages to hit the right creative note every single time.
Through Grace: Now and her reflections on The Run-Through, Coddington demonstrates that while the world around her—and the industry she helped define—has transformed, her sharp editorial eye, profound appreciation for genuine craftsmanship, and unwavering honesty remain entirely undiminished.