Grace Coddington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grace Coddington
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| Born |
Pamela Rosalind Grace Coddington
20 April 1941 Anglesey, Wales
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| Occupation |
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| Title | Creative Director for US Vogue |
| Spouse(s) |
Michael Chow
(m. 1968; div. 1969)Willie Christie
(m. 1976; div. 1980) |
| Partner(s) | Didier Malige (1986–present) |
Pamela Rosalind Grace Coddington (born April 20, 1941) is a famous Welsh fashion expert. She used to be a model and later became a creative director for the American Vogue magazine. Grace Coddington is well-known for creating big, detailed, and exciting photoshoots. One newspaper, The Guardian, said that she "has produced some of fashion's most memorable imagery." Her pictures can be fun and fancy, or deep and mysterious.
Contents
Grace Coddington's Early Life
Grace Coddington was born on Anglesey, an island in Wales. Her parents owned a hotel. She became interested in fashion when she was a teenager. She would eagerly wait for the newest Vogue magazine to arrive. It often took at least three months to get to her because she had to order it specially.
Since Grace lived far from any fancy clothing stores, Vogue was her only way to connect with the fashion world. She said she loved the stylish feel of Vogue. It was very different from her own life. As a teenager, she had pale skin, went to a convent school, and never went on holidays. So, she spent her time looking at Vogue magazine.
Grace Coddington's Career
Becoming a Model
In 1959, when Grace was 18, Vogue held a model competition. Someone sent in her pictures, and she won the "Young Model" section. She was featured in the October issue in a photo taken by Norman Parkinson. This is how she started her modeling career with Vogue.
In 1967, at age 26, Grace was in a car accident. She had head injuries and her eyelid was damaged. Doctors later fixed her eyelid with plastic surgery. This was a very difficult time for her.
Working as an Editor
In 1969, when Grace was 28, she had an interview with the editor of British Vogue, Beatrix Miller. She was hired as a Junior Editor. Grace worked as a Photo Editor for British Vogue for 19 years.
In 1988, she moved to New York City to work for the fashion designer Calvin Klein. In July 1988, at age 47, she joined Anna Wintour at American Vogue. There, she became the magazine's creative director.
In January 2016, when she was 75, Grace announced she would be leaving her full-time role as creative director at Vogue. She wanted to work on other projects. On May 9, 2016, it was announced that Grace would be working with Tiffany & Co., a famous jewelry company.
Later that year, Grace's new campaign for Tiffany & Co. for Autumn/Winter 2016 was launched. It featured actress Elle Fanning. This campaign was different because it didn't show many product shots or traditional models. Instead, Grace chose to feature celebrities and close-up pictures of the jewelry styled on the body.
In 2018, Grace also worked with Louis Vuitton on a special collection of items. Many of the designs in this collection featured her cats.
The September Issue Film
Grace Coddington became more widely known in 2009. This was when a documentary called The September Issue was released. This film showed what it was like behind the scenes when making the September 2007 issue of Vogue.
Grace played a big part in the movie. She was very involved in choosing the styles and creating the photoshoots for the magazine. The film also showed her relationship with editor Anna Wintour, which was sometimes a bit tense.
Grace Coddington's Personal Life
Grace Coddington married Michael Chow, a restaurant owner, in 1968. They divorced a year later. She later married the photographer Willie Christie. They divorced in 1980.
Grace also helped raise her nephew after her sister Rosemary passed away.
In 1986, she moved to New York City. Since then, she has lived with her partner, hair stylist Didier Malige. They also share their home with several cats.
In 2010, Grace shared her plans to write a book about her life. She had worked with Jay Fielden before on a photo book called Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue in 2002. This book was re-released by Phaidon in 2015. After Jay Fielden took a new job, Grace decided to write her memoir with Michael Roberts in 2011. Her book, called Grace, was published in November 2012. In 2015, a film company called A24 bought the rights to make a movie based on Grace's memoir.
See also
In Spanish: Grace Coddington para niños
