NEW FACE: Vogue World, a variety show that took place Thursday night in London, garnered mixed reviews in the British press, and has now been eclipsed by talk of who the new editor of Vogue’s U.K. edition might be.
The title is set to reveal the successor to Edward Enninful, who is taking on two new roles at Condé Nast. But his successor at British Vogue won’t really be stepping into Enninful’s shoes as such since he or she will not be editor in chief but instead will be head of editorial content looking after the day-to-day running of the magazine, mirroring the situation at all of Condé Nast’s titles as they increasingly share the same content. The overall editorial direction of Vogue is instead set by Condé Nast global chief content officer and Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, who has solidified her complete dominance over the company’s editorial operations over the last few years.
Enninful has already said his final issue as editor in chief of British Vogue will be March 2024.
Chioma Nnadi is widely said to be the front-runner. Nnadi was born and raised in London and her parents are Nigerian and Swiss German. She is the editor of the Vogue website in the U.S. and is based at the title’s headquarters in New York.
Other candidates are said to include Sarah Harris, the European deputy editor; Mark Holgate, the fashion news director of American Vogue, and Mark Guiducci, creative editorial director, who oversaw Vogue World: London.
The British press panned Vogue World, with The Telegraph giving it two stars and calling it “the most random event you’ll see all year.” The Times said that despite all of the celebrities who appeared on the red carpet and on stage, “the biggest cheers of the night went to a passing bin lorry,” or garbage truck.
Vogue World: London was held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and featured a reenactment of “Romeo & Juliet” by actors including Tom Sturridge and Taylor Zakhar Perez, as well as a performance by Annie Lennox, singing “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart).”
But the event fell flat on more than a few fronts. Members of the public, who’d paid at least 150 pounds for seats, were relegated to the upper circles of the theater. They spent the night looking down on VIP tables on the ground floor, where Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie sat with the likes of Kate Winslet, Jared Leto and Jodie Turner-Smith.
Cush Jumbo, Sienna Miller, James McAvoy and James Corden onstage during Vogue World: London.
Getty Images for Vogue
Then there was a moment when Damian Lewis, Cush Jumbo, Sienna Miller, James McAvoy and James Corden appeared in red tartan uniforms, dressed like theater ushers and spending their time roasting the VIPs and other guests.
Vogue World: London followed the launch of the event in New York last September and is another revenue-generating concept from Wintour and Condé Nast as its core print titles see their advertising dwindle. It mirrors Wintour’s previous idea of Fashion’s Night Out in New York, London and Milan, where designers and retailers held numerous events in an attempt to generate sales. But that idea fizzled out after a few seasons as companies grew increasingly frustrated over the fact that consumers came out for the freebies and Champagne but rarely shopped.
Evidence of the importance of Vogue World to Wintour and Condé Nast is seen in the fact that she controversially was nowhere to be seen during New York Fashion Week earlier this month to, first, attend the U.S. Open tennis tournament and, second, leave for London early in order to oversee the organization of the festival.