When Grace Coddington was first pitched the idea of Face to Grace, a talk show-inspired series with the Vogue contributing editor as host, she categorically said no. “The whole idea of interviewing someone was too scary for me,” she tells Vogue ahead of the latest episode – a tête-à-tête with Nicolas Ghesquière – airing.
Eventually she relented to the requests of IMG’s streaming channel M2M, and decided upon a niche for the first six episodes. “I wanted to have a connection with all of the people so that I would feel comfortable,” she continues.
The all-star line-up of acquaintances – conversations with Ansel Elgort, Sofia Coppola and now Ghesquière have already gone live on the platform, and interviews with Michael Chow and Anna Wintour are up next – were chosen for their broad spectrum of backgrounds. “I like that it’s very personal and that I don’t ask questions that anyone might ask,” Coddington expands. “I see them when they are not in their working hats, so it’s very relaxed.”
Eventually she relented to the requests of IMG’s streaming channel M2M, and decided upon a niche for the first six episodes. “I wanted to have a connection with all of the people so that I would feel comfortable,” she continues.
The all-star line-up of acquaintances – conversations with Ansel Elgort, Sofia Coppola and now Ghesquière have already gone live on the platform, and interviews with Michael Chow and Anna Wintour are up next – were chosen for their broad spectrum of backgrounds. “I like that it’s very personal and that I don’t ask questions that anyone might ask,” Coddington expands. “I see them when they are not in their working hats, so it’s very relaxed.”
Though there’s no question list or prompt card as such – “I like that [the dialogue] wanders and it’s not too strict” – the formula itself is always the same. The team captures the moment at Mr Chow's at 11am when the restaurant is quiet and Coddington can get in the zone. “I tell everyone, ‘please don’t bother me with annoying questions about anything that’s going on tomorrow, or the next day, or the week after’, because I like to stay very focused on the person that I am about to talk to,” she shares.
The reception has been encouraging. “Most people think it’s charming and I like charming,” she muses, before admitting that series two is already on her mind. “I hope it happens because there’s a lot more people I would like to talk to and a lot of people I have lined up, so it will be embarrassing if it doesn’t happen!”
For now, though, there’s her juicy exchange with Ghesquière to satiate the people who keep making suggestions for her next interviewees. The pair discuss their 20-year friendship, how they originally bonded over a “crazy shoot” with Annie Leibovitz where "good guy" Ghesquière solved a “high-fashion crisis”, and how it is really very fortunate that Coddington likes her friend’s designs. “I’m so happy I like your clothes, because I like you and if I didn’t like your clothes it would be really awful,” she laughs. As Coddington, herself, says, it’s absolutely charming.
No comments:
Post a Comment