The super eighties style cover.
Looking for inspiration for my thesis, I found the book Chic Savages. It was written by John Fairchild, of Fairchild Publications. He was the heir of the company started by his grandfather, Edmund Fairchild, where he worked since he was 13.
The book is a really funny memoir, telling parts of his life and how he created W magazine out of Women’s Wear Daily. He writes about designers and fashion people in a hilarious (and sometimes inappropriate) way. He has amazing quotes and incredible stories of being around people like Yves Saint Laurent and Bill Blass.
Mr. Fairchild talking to Vogue editor Diana Vreeland.
With YSL.
In 1997, when he was around 70, he retired as chairman and editorial director of Fairchild Publications, which is now owned by Condé Nast. He was a very controversial person in the fashion world, getting into feuds with designers and journalists alike. It is rumored he had a huge fight with my beloved André Leon Talley. Still, it really is a must read. I tried to choose my favorite quotes but there are too many and too good.
Of course, the book is super old... Almost as old as me. But for someone wanting to go into the magazine business is a must-read. It's entertaining and shows how things used to be. And maybe how they should be again. I keep thinking (hipsterly) that maybe fashion should go back to being not so mainstream. I hope I get a magazine job soon. And maybe I could have as much fun as Fairchild did in the eighties.
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