Editor's Letter: March Vogue

By Alexandra Shulman -

British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman introduces the February 2013 issue:

       The March issue of Vogue is 
one of the most relevant of the year. Although the September issue has attained a higher level of fame (in great part due to the terrific documentary about American Vogue), the March issue is the spring equivalent and it's always an important one for those of 
us who work on it.

As a fashion showcase, we know that it will be scanned by designers, photographers, stylists and retailers, as well as by our faithful non-industry readers, to see what is happening in the fashion world, and 
this year we won't disappoint. Apart from anything else, the breadth of photography and styling emphasises the versatility and originality of the creative side of fashion. 
Mario Testino and Lucinda Chambers's homage to the exoticism of the East contrasts with Craig McDean and Jane How's demonstration of minimal chic, while Josh Olins and Clare Richardson have put together a glorious tribute to grunge, inspired by Dries Van Noten's very beautiful show last autumn. There are 
so many terrific images in the mix and it's been a privilege to see them come about.

It's an exciting moment in the fashion industry with change all around, and 
by the time this magazine is on the newsstand, there will no doubt be more, and confirmation of some moves that are still rumours at this moment.

The news, last November, that Nicolas Ghesquière was leaving the house of Balenciaga was depressing for many of us who admired his astonishing ability to create inspiring collections season after season - and I hope that one of the pieces of news that will break soon is what he 
will be doing next. However, in this issue, we look at his successor, Alexander Wang, who is stepping into those big shoes but will no doubt inject a lively dose of his own New York street cool into the Parisian scene. 

Another new name on the block is 
our cover girl, Cara Delevingne, shot by Mario for her first British Vogue cover. Cara is one of those girls who combines energy, wit, enthusiasm and the kind of edgy beauty that marks her out from the general pool of beautiful models. Emily Sheffield has interviewed her for this issue, and "Chasing Cara" vividly and accurately portrays what it is like to meet the girl who is currently, unquestionably the model of the moment.

Last season, while I was waiting for Roksanda Ilincic's show to start, I decided to 
run a story on the relationship between women and their handbags. I was looking at 
all the different bags on the floor at the feet of the fashion editors, what was inside them and how they related to their owners. Most women have an emotional attachment to their bags. Speaking for myself, although 
I love the freedom of leaving home with only a key and a phone in my pocket, 
my bag is a kind of security blanket that 
I find hard to do without, even without the practical side of what I can carry (see left). In "To Have and To Hold", Christa D'Souza talks to other women about this, and looks at the fashion retail phenomenon that is the handbag. 

Finally I am very pleased that we are publishing "Beyond the Veil", by Kathleen Baird-Murray. This is a story that I am very interested in, as it shows 
not only how fashion is influenced by external forces, but also how what we 
wear and buy is so central to the different worlds we live in. Kathleen's piece looks 
at the huge power of Islamic currency and how it has been a tremendous driver in 
the way that all the major Western fashion houses have run their businesses in recent years, and how all the indications are that this will continue to be the direction of movement. It's entertaining and packed with information - just the kind of story that makes Vogue the magazine I love.

from www.vogue.co.uk