Fashion is much more than product. It's about entertainment and people feeling a part of something.
Life's too short not to enjoy what you're working on.
Alexey Brodovitch used to say, "Astonish me." We as the team at Bazaar hear that everyday because we want to surprise people.
To me, I always listen to what my instincts tell me. The biggest mistakes I've ever made is when I've ignored what I know to be true in my heart.
Knowing when you're not good at something and knowing when you are good at something is an art-form.
I worked in fashion forecasting and I think that helps in being an editor because I love to know what's next, and I like to predict. I like to predict the trends going into the shows and normally I've organized all of our stories before we go. Fashion is my second language.
It's so difficult to even suggest to me that I can't always achieve what I want right now; sometimes that is the reality. Time has taught me to be patient and flexible and I have to realize that maybe it wasn't meant to be right now but that doesn't mean it can't be next month or next year. It's inevitable, you get there in the end.
Nobody wants to be the same as anybody else.
I think it's a very shallow thought to think creative people can't do business. I am as proud of the fact that our magazine has a commercial success as I am that we're a critical success. I want people to realize that I'm very strategic in how I run Bazaar.
I want technology to work for me, and my readers. People get confused that technology comes first. The ideas come first. You need to use the medium.
I'm looking at celebrities who are relevant or who want to participate in some of our more adventurous ideas. I've often said we're not just about hemlines, we're about headlines. I love the idea that as a monthly magazine, we can break news stories.
I'm active on Facebook and Twitter professionally, then personally I have my own Facebook account, but nobody knows my name or anything. I don't use it to connect with my friends, but I love to play on it.
I was always a great believer in starting at the top. I really think that focusing on a career and working your way up is way way way overestimated.
When you put an image on the newsstand, you have literally two seconds to get somebody's attention. Often, with many of the subscriber covers, they're far away and the thing that catches your attention more than anything on the newsstand is eye contact.Because you've got a smaller image, and sometimes a darker image, often it doesn't stand out, as much as a traditional newsstand cover, which is why we continue to do right for newsstand.
You have to deal with fast reaction of the news and putting it out in a very fast format, but that doesn't mean it can only mean that. I'm personally really looking forward to the opportunity of mini-movies, and taking that idea of moving fashion into different areas, and really bringing it to life.
I firmly believe that Harper's Bazaar is the star. I am there to make it the best it possibly can be, but there should be no confusion. I want to put Harper's Bazaar front and center.
I'm all about talent. I love talent and I want to work with as much great talent as possible. My job as editor in chief is making the most of everybody's talent and pulling that together into a format that's even better than an individual.
As I look back at the last 15 years, one of the things that I'm most proud of is creating the cover. When I first did it, the first couple of years, people really criticized it and didn't think it would work at all. Now, you see it everywhere.
It's just as important to let go and let somebody do what they're best at and other times, I'm very determined to get exactly what I know we need. It's that balance.
Here's the thing: celebrities understand the power of original ideas because often that's why they act. They want to be in movies that tell a story. They know the power of iconic imagery. Often, you find that people really want to participate.
There are traditionalists, and there are people in the middle, which is where I am. I still get my newspaper delivered. I love the ritual of it. But I also jump into the cab when I leave home and I look at some BBC on my iPad.
I love the return of sweetness and lace. Ladylike dressing is back and it's beautiful.
