Should Emmanuelle Alt Leave Vogue Paris?

[Creative]

Her tenure at the magazine has been so incredibly boring and stale; do you think she should leave the magazine?

 

[Chanelcouture09]

I think that's a strong title.

And No, she shouldn't.

People have moaned about Alexandra Shulman & Anna Wintour not being stylists and not truly understanding Fashion from that point of view and now finally a stylist is at the helm of the Magazine, I know Carine was, but they have continued the same route to employ another Stylist for EIC.

I'm sick and tired of the comparison with Carine and Emmanuelle too, it's like comparing chalk and cheese.

Something people need to remember regarding Carine's path at VP, not only was she fired for dodgy things she indulged in, but also a majority of the most memorable covers and editorials were actually styled by...... oh yes... Emmanuelle Alt.

Emmanuelle also employed a strong DNA previously as EIC at 20 ans, where she was previously before she was employed as Fashion Director at VP.

 

[Chanelcouture09]

Her entire string of covers :


*Fashiongonerogue.com, VogueParis/Twitter, Vogue.fr & Vogueparis/Tumblr

 

[ohmycolin]

I 100% agree with Chanelcouture09. I don't think Alt should step down at all, and I definitely agree with everything he's said above.

Carine's tenure at the magazine was rife with controversy, and whilst controversy sells, it's not exactly an ideal way to sell a magazine. By making VP that little bit more relatable, Alt has increased the interest in the magazine, as well as the circulation, if I recall those figures correctly.

Whilst I agree that her choice of covers has been on/off or up/down with each month, one must admire the way she's approached the magazine - especially considering that NOTHING has changed in terms of content. In fact, Alt has increased the features as she begins to further settle in to her role. She needs what I call 'teething time' - like a child growing it's first few teeth, Alt needs to experiment to find out what's successful under HER control of the magazine's content.

So I stand by my statement - Alt should definitely not step down. I think TFS members are a little too critical of her - she has a far different vision than Carine's, and Carine doesn't work there any more. It's a new era, and people need to get used to the fact that she's doing a good job for Condé Nast's sales of the magazine, especially considering she hasn't pissed off advertisers to the degree than Carine did...yet

 

[Miss Dalloway]

If it was up to me, i would have never given her the position in the first place, never! She lacks the eye for stunning, striking editorial images which make the magazine.

Its so dull these days, i dont give it a second look, and that is sad really, even when i love the cover, and i have enjoyed almost all of her covers, the content is always so lacking to me.

So yes i would prefer someone with a more clear vision at VP, it truly is in a need of the new fresh outlook. Imho...

 

[Les_Sucettes]

Of course Alt should not step down. People in this forums seem to have a strong case of selective memory. I loved Carine's work in general, i think she was a great editor, but she was not perfect, she created some seriously bad covers and content while in VP. Why are people pretending that everything she did was flawless? This type of revisionism baffles me , particularly when we have loads of VP threads when the world and it's sister always had a bad word to say about Carine.

Plus the magazine is still basically the same just softer, the style Carine became known for as an editor is clearly the result of her work with Alt, that's exactly why Alt was chosen to direct Vogue Paris, who else? No one in Conde Naste was interested in a truly radical departure.

 

[MON]

This is a very strong poll that you`ve created, Creative.

I do feel that it is unfair for Emmanuelle to be given such high expectations at such early age of her EIC career. She was a fashion editor yes, but she didn`t handle the whole magazine. Expecting her to give us something at par with Carine (which she`s been doing for a decade) is quite unfair really. When you take a look at Carine`s first few years in VP, her tenure back then weren`t that so great too. It took her 2-3 years to hone the magazine into her own vision cover wise and content wise.

I do agree with Les Sucettes that some people in this forum have selective memory. When you look back again at Carine`s era, she wasn`t giving 100% stunning on her covers or contents. Not everything under her was perfect. Striking but not perfect.

 

[HeatherAnne]

My problem with Alt is that while she keeps the consistent look of Vogue Paris from Rotifeld's tenure, she doesn't have the complete eye that Carine had. So while the covers are good/decent, when I flip through a complete issue I find it ho-hum and lacking.

That said, I'm not ready to see Alt run off yet. ChanelCouture makes a great point:

...regarding Carine's path at VP... a majority of the most memorable covers and editorials were actually styled by...... oh yes... Emmanuelle Alt.

That's what's unfortunate for Alt, she is being accused of not bringing anything new to the table from what Roitfeld did, but really it was she herself who was largely responsible for creating the Vogue Paris aesthetic that we are familiar with: the models, the styling, etc.

Therefore, I think her best strategy would be to start taking some new risks and expand her vision in order to break out of Roitfeld's shadow completely. It's not going to be an easy thing to navigate, but the fact of the matter is if she can't do it than she isn't the right person for the job.

 

[Creative]

People in this forums seem to have a strong case of selective memory. I loved Carine's work in general, i think she was a great editor, but she was not perfect, she created some seriously bad covers and content while in VP. Why are people pretending that everything she did was flawless? This type of revisionism baffles me , particularly when we have loads of VP threads when the world and it's sister always had a bad word to say about Carine.

Plus the magazine is still basically the same just softer, the style Carine became known for as an editor is clearly the result of her work with Alt, that's exactly why Alt was chosen to direct Vogue Paris, who else? No one in Conde Naste was interested in a truly radical departure.

No one is comparing Alt to Carine. But now that you do, flipping through Carine's issues was usually exciting, she created a very personal vocabulary, she had identity and it was funny sometimes...

Alt's Vogue Paris lacks all of that. Everything she does looks washed-out. The only thing she has brought in is mediocrity. Vogue Paris is wandering under her leadership. It was becoming so annoying I had to stop buying it...

 

[Creative]

That's what's unfortunate for Alt, she is being accused of not bringing anything new to the table from what Roitfeld did, but really it was she herself who was largely responsible for creating the Vogue Paris aesthetic that we are familiar with: the models, the styling, etc.

She's not the fashion director anymore, she has a new role now... She's the editor-in-chief, and she clearly cannot deal with that. Carine's first years as editor-in-chief were really refreshing; I guess most of you didn't buy Joan's Vogue Paris...

 

[ChrissyM]

^^I think lots of people are comparing Alt to Carine. The comparisons are inevitable. Carine was her predecessor and set the tone for the magazine.

I think ohmycolin makes a great argument, it takes time to overhaul a magazine and establish a new vision/identity. Alt is still getting her feet wet in many ways and a lot of the changes are going to be gradual

 

[HeatherAnne]

She's not the fashion director anymore, she has a new role now... She's the editor-in-chief, and she clearly cannot deal with that. Carine's first years as editor-in-chief were really refreshing; I guess most of you didn't buy Joan's Vogue Paris...

I think I acknowledged that fact, and that she needs to step up in this new role. But she faces quite a different task than Roitfeld did, as Carine stepped into the role from an outside position. She wasn't there already contributing to the magazine's vision like Alt was. Comparing their first year is unfair, apples and oranges.

 

[Chanelcouture09]

Has anyone else ever thought that the overall appeal of the magazine may not be Emmanuelle's fault ? I've found with UK Vogue since they employed a new Art Director that the magazine has regained some of its appeal and I think it's only been since Emmanuelle has been EIC that Olivier Lalanne has been Art Director, non ? if not slightly before Carine was fired.

I loved his touch on Vogue Homme International, but I feel it is lacking at VP.

 

[GERGIN]

But do the general reader of Vogue Paris critisize deeply about the content like we do? I feel a general readers aren't overlooking the magazine like we are, heck, they probably haven't even noticed that Carine's left. I bet you the only reason most readers of Vogue Paris unlike us just grab a Vogue Paris because a. It's French fashion b. It looks pretty on your living room table and c. if you're bilingual in french, the content is actually good.

And thanks to ChanelCouture09 for the cover shots by the way.

 

[justaguy]

I certainly do not think Emmanuelle should step down or leave VP, but I think it's now time for her to put her own mark on the magazine. She's been EIC for a year and a half and I'm still waiting.

I understand taking over a position can be daunting, especially a high profile one as EIC of such a well known brand, and it takes at least a year to really get your bearings, but it's been frustrating. I don't think it's her lack of creativity or vision, but a lack of confidence in pulling the trigger on a new direction. To me, the magazine has not really changed that much. Just with every other edition of Vogue, or any other magazine for that matter, there are stellar, good and mediocre issues. There are awesome covers with lackluster editorials, vice versa, etc.

I really want to believe that once EA comes into her own, we'll see some real magic in VP.

 

[Les_Sucettes]

No one is comparing Alt to Carine. But now that you do, flipping through Carine's issues was usually exciting, she created a very personal vocabulary, she had identity and it was funny sometimes...

Alt's Vogue Paris lacks all of that. Everything she does looks washed-out. The only thing she has brought in is mediocrity. Vogue Paris is wandering under her leadership. It was becoming so annoying I had to stop buying it...

Of course EVERYONE is comparing Alt to Carine. People haven't been doing anything else, since Alt became editor. This everything Carine did was usually exciting is revisionism. Looking back it really had the excitement of the new, but that didn't stop anyone from criticising the quality of Carine's output every single issue.

Some people are clearly tired of the VP aesthetic, and that's fair enough. That's type of criticism i can understand. But the vocabulary Carine was known for was created with Alt. Alt was chosen to become an editor because the VP aesthetic created in Carine's reign became a very successful VP trademark. Alt was the most obvious choice, that aesthetic is her doing also.
Reading all this comments i do not envy Alt's position to be honest, i think it's unfair to ask for her own vision, when her own vision is totally interlaced with Carine's vision. We've been seeing her own vision in numerous pages of VP for years. She will never be able to create something totally new again. Alt is indeed softer and less "old world" than Carine and that has been clear in her direction, but VP is basically the same. Maybe that's the real problem, if you like VP or not now will depend of how much you want VP to remain the same.

 

[ChrissyM]

It's not... You just have to have the vision. Stefano's YSL had nothing to do with Tom's YSL.

I don't think it's fair to compare designing a fashion collection to running a magazine... they're two completely different businesses.

and designers often need a a few seasons to find their footing within a brand as well.

 

[VogueParisLover]

^ Also, conditions in both businesses change notoriously rapidly...

I find the magazine has become very one-note. Emmanuelle hasn't done a very good job of reinventing herself as EIC vs. Fashion Director. The magazine needs more diversity in the overall style and vision. It's become quite singular and in turn alienated many readers.

I don't necessarily think she needs to leave, though, simply mix it up a bit. She's certainly not a terrible editor and there's a reason she got her job in the first place. IMO, she just needs to venture out and make a few unexpected decisions here and there.

 

[MyNameIs]

No. August cover aside, I think Alt has produced some great work. In my opinion, of the three big editions, Alt has the most refreshing magazine. She doesn't seem to take fashion so seriously and she's not looking to be pretentious. She almost has a wink or a sense of humor about it. Also, in time when everyone fire for big, loud, overindulgent, her magazine feels almost minimalist. She's not Carine and I couldn't be happier about it. Finally, she uses Snejana, if at least once in a while.
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[Marc10]

Yes, I do. Nothing that she did for this magazine excited me so far, NOTHING. Everything is dull, repetitive, uninspired, monotonous, one-dimensional... you name it. I was never a big fan of Alt during Carine's era, I don't think she's on the Top 10 best stylists in the world even. Love her personal style, think she's a nice person, but she's not doing a good job as EIC. The excitement, the innovation, the irreverence of VP is gone, and I don't exactly see what "fresh" or "new" she doing. I know it's hard to be the replacement of the great Carine Roitfeld, but it's just no working. I do think, however, that she deserves one more year, but I don't have high hopes. I say keep Marie-Amélie Sauvé on speed dial.