Harvard alumnus R.J. Cutler's new movie explores Anna Wintour's Vogue

A new documentary by R. J. Cutler '83 takes viewers behind the glamour of a fashion powerhouse.

The new documentary film The September Issue, directed by R. J. Cutler '83, takes viewers into the hallways, offices, and meetings behind Vogue magazine.  Cutler, who produced the documentary The War Room on Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign (it was nominated for a 1994 Academy Award), shot 300 hours of footage to record his portrait of Vogue and its famously icy editor, Anna Wintour, the model for Meryl Streep's imperious character in The Devil Wears Prada.  The nexus of The September Issue is the relationship between Wintour and Vogue's creative director, Grace Coddington, the Welsh fashion model of the 1960s who has spent more than 40 years working for the British and American Vogues. Coddington, far the more engaging character, becomes the real protagonist of a finely crafted documentary on a subject that everyone talks about, but next to no one understands.

The Boston Globe reviewed the film on September 11.

You might also like

The play Spare Parts is a contemporary fable about the quest to live forever.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum reunites for a 50th anniversary tour around France.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

Most popular

A former Harvard College writing tutor changes her mind on LLMs.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files.

Explore More From Current Issue

A busy classroom filled with students working at computers, colorful decor, and a bright atmosphere.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

A flooded office scene with computers, a woman working, and a pink sunset backdrop.

A College student’s attempt to recapture the romanticism of the workplace.

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026