By the Grace of Vogue

Again, I am late with the news here, but I only recently saw The September Issue - the documentary following the production of - yes - the September issue of Vogue being put together. I loved every single second - and what I loved most of all were the two British women at its heart.

Firstly, the ice-queen/edna from The Incredibles herself, Anna Wintour.

Since watching the film, I've taken in times of crisis to asking myself 'what would Wintour do?' - here is a woman who would never cry at work, never care if someone didn't like her, and would certainly not worry a jot about being seen as cold or uncaring - as long as the job got done. I am just sad she chooses to wear so much fur. It's unappealing. However, I don't doubt she could catch, slaughter and skin the animal herself, so she probably isn't scared of the animal rights brigade.

The other star of the show is Grace Coddington, the ex-model who's been the creative pulse of Vogue for 20 years. Anna describes her as a creative genius - and watching her style a fashion shoot at Versailles is breathtaking - she has an incredible feel for every detail. Plus, she is a hilarious woman. I would love have afternoon tea with her, or visit her house in the Hamptons and meet all her cats.

As a Brit in New York myself, I am fascinated by their success - but not surprised. Their Britishness makes them seem more assertive and decisive somehow, compared with the airy fairy attitude of some of their colleagues. People in New York always say how 'smart' they think Brits are because of the accent. Team that with a no-bullshit attitude and some glowering, and you've got a killer combination ready to dominate fashion publishing.

A friend of mine said she rushed out to buy British Vogue as soon as she had seen The September Issue - only to be bitterly disappointed by its contents. I have to say I think American Vogue has the edge - there are even articles in there with words and everything - real journalism in between the pretty pictures. I love love love fashion and people like Grace Coddington who inhabit it so completely and purely and with a sense of humor inspire me no end.

Liberty Targets Me

I am a complete sucker for collaborations between high end brands and high street stores. Way back in the olden days (just checked - it was about 5 years ago), I went faint over Bella Freud for Miss Selfridge, and my heart raced for Luella at New Look. Since then, I fell in love with Celia Birtwell all over again - and her dreamy dresses for Topshop. I've even swallowed the hype by dabbling in Kate Moss for that same store. So I didn't surprise myself by joining the hordes in Bryant Park, New York city for the launch of Liberty of London for Target.

As soon as I heard those two brands in one sentence, I got palpitations. I could never afford a Liberty pencil case at their normal prices - so the idea that some of those fabrics could end up in my wardrobe had my heart beating faster. For a home sick English rose, the shop itself was a slice of everything that's good about Spring in the mother country - daffodils, hydrangeas and tea pots were the right side of twee - and created a sense of nostalgia akin to a Lula magazine photo shoot. Despite the empty shelves (well, I am always late so of course I missed the queues, the stampede and consequently a lot of the good stuff) it was still a beautiful space as you can see from these pictures.

The clothes were lovely - though I could have told Target that five changing rooms wouldn't suffice. Being broke, I left with nothing for myself - but clutching a present for a friend (baby clothes). It doesn't actually matter to me that I didn't buy anything for me, I think the anticipation of seeing the collection and knowing I could afford it if I wanted it is enough.