EXCLUSIVE: Grace Coddington Reflects On Her Career at 'Vogue' & New Show 'Face To Grace'
In the latest episode, she interviews Michael Chow owner of NYC’s infamous Mr. Chow restaurant.
Grace Coddington is a titan within the fashion industry. Two years ago, it was announced that she would be stepping down from her role as creative director at Vogue. Since then she has moved into the role of creative director-at-large, which was followed by well-received collaborations including one with Louis Vuitton and another with COMME des GARÇONS. Now, the luminary is just about finished with her six-episode talk show Face To Grace produced by Made to Measure (M2M).
The series which is set at one of New York City’s favorite restaurants, Mr. Chow 57, features Coddington in conversation with close friends. So far, the show has profiled Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière, Ansel Elgort, Sofia Coppola and Luca Guadagnino. For the latest installment of her series, Coddington interviews Michael Chow owner of the aforementioned staple NYC restaurant. Throughout the full-length video, the two who were formerly married discuss their former romance, Chow’s culinary career and more.
Ahead of the premiere of episode five of Face To Grace, we got to chat with Grace about her fondest career memories and how it’s been transitioning from her past role. In the gallery above, check out the trailer for the episode. Head over to M2M.tv to watch episode five. Below, you’ll find additional clips from the episode.
M2M
How do you feel about the current landscape of the fashion industry?
I’m fine with it. I’m just touching the edges and I’m [also] fully immersed because I have so many other projects that are beyond fashion. Anything that I have to do with it, I feel it’s going pretty well.
When you look back on your career what are some of your most fondest moments?
Gosh, there are so many. I’ve been in the business for 50 years, really really a lot. Going to the collections is really a high point because that’s when all the ideas for stories start to begin. I always find that very inspiring and exciting. A lot of stories are done with Steven Meisel. I’ve enjoyed a lot of stories I’ve done with Annie Leibovitz. I’ve done a lot of stories with Steven Klein, that’s a very modern narrative that he does. [Also] David Sims. Recently I’ve been working a lot with Craig McDean and I like that very much.
How did you come up with the concept of Face To Grace?
Basically [M2M] approached me because before there was a program that Glenn O’Brien hosted called Tea At The Beatrice and sadly he died. So I guess there was a spot there, and they asked me if I would be interested to do a similar program and I said ‘yes’ and that I wanted it to be my own. So I didn’t have Tea At The Beatrice, I have lunch at Mr. Chow’s restaurant. And then because I’m very new at this interviewing game, I chose people that I know rather than just who’s in town, and you know who’s now or who was just in a movie like so many of the other talk shows do. I just chose to speak to people I’ve known a very long time.
How has it been transitioning from your role at Vogue to your current role as a host of your own show?
Well you know I haven’t shut the door on being a fashion editor, I’m still doing shoots. The M2M thing, I’m hoping they invite me back next year for another series. I enjoyed it and I like having a whole different job. At my age, I’m lucky that I’ve been given that opportunity. Not that many people have a new added career at the age of 77, I have.
What do you feel is the best advice for individuals who are interested in working professionally as a creative?
It depends what their interest is in. They’d take a different approach depending on what their interest is.
Do you think it takes more than just making sure that you have the right contacts? Is it also about creating a happy medium of working very diligently at the craft?
I don’t like the phrase happy medium, because that suggests [a] compromise. I think you have to go into it with very strong ideas and ideals and hope that you can do something different than everybody else. Because everything [has] been done before. It’s about doing something that has a different approach. That’s what I’ve tried to do and it worked for me and yes you need contacts.
