The other day I nipped out to grab a coffee in London’s Hanover Square. As I was waiting, who should walk in but Alexandra Shulman, the Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue. There was no entourage or chauffeur or huge sunglasses. Rather, she very normally ordered her skinny cappuccino (without assistance and without attitude) and waited like the rest of us to be served.

It got me to thinking that (thankfully) some people in the fashion industry are completely normal (despite the caricatures that may be painted of them in the Press), and it also got me thinking about the business of magazines — fashion magazines in particular. It turns out Ms. Shulman has been quite the business woman during her respected editorship of the magazine.

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Two articles this week gave an inside look into two of the women who are changing the face of fashion. And unlike the mysterious, impenetrable images that helped to create previous fashion icons, these women seem to be comfortable just being themselves, even if it is politically incorrect. Is authenticity the new must-have?

The Anti-Anna (New York Magazine)
In an unabashedly honest look into one one most important women in fashion, the editor of Paris Vogue, Carine Roitfeld makes no apologies for who she is. Comparison to Anna Wintour aside, we were most intrigued by Ms. Roitfeld’s comments on the fashion business, saying

“Right now, I think that fashion in the world becomes a bit boring. There is so much money, and I feel a bit when you go to shows they want to sell so many handbags, and for me, well, I do not like handbags. I do not wear handbags. It is not a nice look, to carry a handbag…I’m not a business girl. I will never be a business girl.”

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Two Italian fashion moguls known for their fiery personalities have been making news this week.

Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of Prada announced his company’s intention to go public in 2008. The industry has heard a similar announcement from Prada at least three times in the last decade, only to see the IPOs get called off due to unfavourable market conditions.

Mr. Bertelli has become known for his astute product eye and his challenging personal style.  He is thought to have control over the leather goods businesses while Mrs. Prada focuses on the creative ready-to-wear businesses. Each has their own domain, as it were, and Bertelli’s success with leather goods speaks for itself. However, some have questioned how he will cope with answering to the public markets, when he has been answerable to noone up until now — not even his wife Miuccia, in some cases.

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Three different men, three different strategies for conquering the fashion business. They couldn’t be more different from each other (French "cult" fashion designer, legendary American couturier, and rapper entrepreneur), but they are each at the top of their game.

Oscar: Why Is This Man Still Fashionable? (Wall Street Journal)
75 year old Oscar de la Renta gives a candid interview on his longevity in the "family" business. CEO Alex Bolen, whom we met at the last Oscar show, chimes in towards the end with some business commentary.

JayZ: JayZ Expands Fashion Portfolio (BlackEnterprise)
JayZ continues to prove himself as a savvy businessman. The latest news is his acquisition of the Artful Dodger brand.

Roland: Moon Over Manhattan (New York Post)
Roland Mouret’s moon dress is out today at Bergdorf Goodman in NY and apparently half of the inventory was pre-sold before it hit the floor. A pop-up shopt at Selfridges was also stormed by Mouret-lovers.

P.S. We finally got around to securing a URL in sync with the Business of Fashion – welcome to www.businessoffashion.net. To all our friends, linkers and supporters, it would be great if you could update your links and bookmarks.

What drives me crazy about most fashion industry coverage is that it is often limited to soundbites, tainted with marketing spin, and driven by editorial objectives. This perpetuates the notion of the superficial designer and undervalues the contributions made by truly innovative creative geniuses like Karl Lagerfeld.

It is rare to have an unedited, in-depth conversation with anyone influential in this business– let alone Karl Lagerfeld. But, not only did PBS interviewer Charlie Rose have this rare opportunity, he seized it with gusto in this clip I recently found on YouTube.

Together with Harriet-Mays-Powell, Fashion Editor of New York Magazine, he deftly takes Mr. Lagerfeld through a wide ranging one hour conversation (no easy task!) which goes from his design process to the role of celebrity in fashion to the relevance of haute couture to how fashion reflects the modern zeitgeist. Lagerfeld also declares that second lines are “condescending,” “bridge lines are for the dentists,” and that fashion today is about mixing.

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