How did the Erin Wasson shoot come about for the April 2009 issue?
I’ve known Erin since she started modeling, and when I saw what she was doing with Alex Wang I was intrigued. When I got to
Elle, we wanted to celebrate personal style. So I thought,
Who has better style than Erin? If you look at her, it harps back to the time when a lot of models became editors. They know how it works better than anyone. They know the clothes, they know the desires, they know what a good picture is, they know how to translate that picture. For me, Erin was that logical next step for
Elle, the model turned editor.
What do models bring to the magazine?
Someone like Erin or any of these models, they have worked with the best photographers, editors, worn the best designers… There’s no better training than that. There’s no better school you could go to. If you’re sitting in front of Steven Meisel on a shoot for
Vogue Italia, that is the best training you’re ever going to get. If you have a great sense of style, you can be an incredible editor. Some of the best editors today are former models like Grace Coddington and Tonne Goodman.
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