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Podcast Episode Summary: The Run-Through with Vogue - "The 200 Covers of Tonne Goodman | PLUS Jack Schlossberg at the DNC"
Episode Overview In this celebratory episode of *The Run-Through with Vogue*, hosts Chloe Malle and Chioma Nnadi converse with legendary stylist Tonne Goodman in honor of her 200th Vogue cover. They explore her remarkable career, iconic cover shoots, and personal style. Additionally, the episode features Jack Schlossberg, Vogue's political correspondent, providing insights from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
Key Segments
Tonne Goodman - 200 Covers
- Introduction to Tonne Goodman: Esteemed stylist and sustainability editor at Vogue.
- Significant Milestone: Goodman celebrates her 200th cover with Vogue, emphasizing her long-standing influence in fashion.
Behind-the-Scenes of the September Issue
- Cover Features: The September issue includes Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, and Baz Luhrmann.
- Cinematic Approach: The cover shoot was heavily inspired by cinematic elements, echoing *To Catch a Thief*.
Notable Covers & Personal Style
- First Cover: Goodman's first Vogue cover was shot with Gisele Bündchen in 1999.
- Iconic Collaborations: Goodman has styled numerous celebrities including Rihanna and Michelle Obama.
- Fashion Philosophy: Goodman emphasizes how stylists contribute to the overall image beyond just clothing selection.
Jack Schlossberg at the DNC
- Schlossberg's Role: Recently appointed Vogue political correspondent and a delegate for New York.
- Convention Experience: Shares excitement from speaking at the DNC and the vibrant atmosphere at the event.
Fashion Observations
- Fashion at the DNC: Discusses unique styles observed, including the Wisconsin delegation's cheese hats and the fashionable accessories worn by delegates.
- Significance of Style: Highlights how fashion choices reflect individual identities and political themes during the convention.
Key Takeaways
- Stylists' Role: Tonne Goodman emphasizes the crucial role of stylists in shaping powerful visual narratives in fashion.
- Cinematic Influence: The integration of storytelling and film methodologies into fashion shoots can elevate the overall aesthetic and viewer engagement.
- Connection Between Politics and Fashion: The DNC segment illustrates the intersection of political identity and fashion, where personal expression becomes a significant aspect of the political discourse.
- Milestones Matter: Goodman's achievement of 200 covers reflects not only her personal journey but also the evolution of Vogue's brand and aesthetic over the years.
Concluding Thoughts The episode provides an enriching glimpse into the world of fashion through the eyes of a celebrated stylist and a political correspondent. Tonne Goodman's insights into her creative process and Jack Schlossberg's experiences at the DNC highlight the dynamic relationship between fashion, culture, and politics. The conversations foster a deeper appreciation for the artistry involved in both the fashion industry and the political landscape.
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*This episode was presented by eBay, and the production team included Susie Lechtenberg, Chelsea Daniel, Joanna Solitaroff, and others, ensuring a polished listening experience.*
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:29This is The Run Through. I'm Chloe Mao. brings you back and feels like a real human among the craziness. And I can't wait for you to hear her original uniform when she started working at Vogue. Very different than her current white Levi's and Charvet scarf. Oh my God. I just feel like she's got stories for days. So many stories and also so many good tips. No one does it better than Tawny. Yeah, no, I've been on sets with Tawny and honestly, she has always managed to calm my nerves. She's just an oasis of calm and elegance. I know, it's like the polar opposite of me, so there we go.
1:04But, Troma, I don't know what the vibe is across the pond, but I have been so delightedly surprised by the absolute thrill that the Democratic National Convention is causing for everyone here. It's like the Oscars meets the Super Bowl every night. It's funny, I just don't remember caring about a convention this much. We're recording on Wednesday, so we've only had two nights of it. But last night, I was up till 11.30 p.m. watching Obama, crying at Michelle Obama, loving DJ Cassidy, DJing all the roll call with specific songs for each state. It was just it felt like a really fun party to be a viewer on.
1:48I mean, like, what a summer to have this follow the Olympics. I mean, honestly, I've been waking up every morning looking for highlights. I just every time I see the Obamas, I just cry. If I hear them talk, if I see them hug, I mean, Michelle's speech just, she just nailed it. Michelle's speech was amazing in her Monse suit. And Margot just published a piece about the message behind her braid. The long braid. We love the long braid. It was one of the first times she's ever worn a braid for a political appearance, which I think is really interesting. And so her hairstylist spoke to us about that.
2:24But even more exciting for me, bestill my heart, is our amazing recently appointed political correspondent Jack Schlossberg, who is not only attending the Democratic National Convention, but he is a delegate for New York. And he spoke last night. Wow. And he had such a fantastic speech. It was so humble and thoughtful and rousing. And I thought he did such a wonderful job. And so he and Hannah Jackson, who is our fashion writer, but who majored in political science and has written some fantastic dispatches from on set, on scene at the convention. They are both joining us from Chicago right now.
3:05Hi, guys. Hi. How's it going? So happy to be joining you guys. Now, Jack, I know that you are in transit, but you spoke last night. What was that like to speak to then go to the delegate roll call? I feel like it was this incredible, it was like the Olympics opening ceremony all over again. It was an honor of a lifetime for me to be able to do that. I found a way to actually have a good time doing it and get over my nerves. So it was really special, a really special moment for me. And I'm very happy to say that between me and Hannah, Vogue has a large presence on the ground. Here at the DNC, we are representing and making sure that everybody's informed.
3:43But the energy in that room and the arena is just so overwhelmingly positive. and people are so excited. So I just, I was really lucky to be a part of it. I've been watching all of the clips online and I think there's obviously the excitement is jumping through the screen, but I'm wondering what it feels like to be there and what you don't see in those clips. Like what are we missing? You know, it's so hard to capture all of the actual energy in the arena. You can't get all of the frenetic, like energy in the hallways, people running around, staffers kind of grabbing their Congress people and running with them to the next engagement.
4:24It's also so interesting to see all of the different media boxes. You can see the networks filming in real time and having their guests on. You know, anytime any state is mentioned, like even in a neutral capacity, people have been like, oh, Kamala Harris is from California. And the entire delegation like absolutely loses their mind. Jack, I want to ask you about this amazing photo of Nancy Pelosi that you posted of her caressing your face lovingly. And then someone on Twitter found an incredible photo of her as a young lady with your grandfather. Have you seen that yet? Did you know that that photo existed?
5:04Yes, I actually know that. Well, first of all, let me just say Speaker Pelosi is truly one of my heroes. But yes, she told me that that picture, she wore her prom dress to meet my grandfather when she was 18 years old or something like that, which is so, so cute. And I know that she really admired him and the way that I admire her. So it was really great to see her. And I just walked into the convention center and turned my head and she happened to be staying there. So I got to say a quick hello and get closer to her than I have before. Well, yeah, she was whispering in your ear. Yes, I know we have secrets.
5:42We all want Speaker Pelosi secrets. I'd love to know about the fashion. I know there's been a lot of talk about the coconut brown suit that Carmela wore. I loved it. Very chic, if you ask me. Yeah, I thought so, too. Yeah, the fashion at the DNC has been, you know, very all over the map. But I think somewhere where it's been really fun to see people express themselves is in the accessories. Some of the delegations will wear different hats or shirts every night. Last night, the Wisconsin delegation all wore cheese hats. I think it was the Louisiana delegation or maybe Kentucky who wore sparkly cowboy hats.
6:24So that was really exciting to see. There have been a lot of interesting buttons. Pamela's brat is very prevalent at this convention. A lot of brat green. so yeah I think the most exciting fashion is yet to come for Harris's speech on Thursday night so we have a lot to look forward to there it's also been very exciting to see uh the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha which is one of the Divine Nine sororities that uh Harris was also a part of so they've been out repping their pink and green and pearls so it's just been very exciting to see how people are supporting her through their style. Jack, I want to know if you've ever been to a convention before.
7:06I believe you have. Yes. I went to the convention in 2004 in Boston. I was 11 years old. I went to the convention in 2008 when Barack Obama was nominated. I was in Denver. Everyone talks about the 2004 convention. It's memorable because then Senator Obama gave his famous speech that really launched his presidential campaign years later. But I missed it because I was getting a hot dog. And so I saw every other speech besides his. But I needed that hot dog. So I think everyone would understand. Thank you guys so much. You'll be seeing plenty more of me. So talk to you guys soon. Thank you. Okay.
7:45Bye, Jack. All right. Bye. Bye.
7:51Besides the DNC, one thing has captured my imagination in the past two weeks. And I'm sorry, but Doge, you killed it. You won September issues for me because Doge is life. And I've just never seen so much joy, so many people so happy, so many amazing celebrity dogs. I mean, the photos were incredible. We had a really fun time doing this. And I have to say, I feel like the art department wanted to fillet me alive by the end of it. Because we got into the situation where typically when you put out asks with celebrities, it's like 50 percent. Like there's a scheduling issue or someone just passes.
8:34With this, everyone said yes. OK, so can you talk about the elevator pitch for Doug and what exactly it is? The elevator pitch for Dog was that a few months ago, we were inspired by Dog's all over the place, high-fashion dogs. Pilaf Demi Moore's micro-chihuahua was at Cannes and all over the world. And Vuitton, Pharrell for Vuitton did a dandy dog walkers collection. It just felt like dogs were in the fashion ether. And I was like, okay, let's do a real Dog cover series. and so we photographed celebrity doggs and made them digital cover stars and did interviews with both the doggs and the owners a dogg I hear a dogg in the background yes my dogg is in the background today how many asks were there how many dogs were there oh my god 12 doggs okay name the doggs 16 16 if you count Anna's three and Mariah's three Wow.
9:38We had Ferg, whose dog Crash was disappeared for three years and was just found. Oh, my God. And someone sent that news story around right as we were doge-ing. And we were like, oh, we have to do that. You got the scoop. Well, our big scoop was that, like, the week before Doge launched, I put in—Tim Walz was announced. And immediately everyone else was, like, asking for interviews with Tim Walz and his wife. And I was like, we'd like Scout Walz. Thank you so much. And it came through and they answered the questionnaire. It was extremely charming. On the Vogue's Instagram account, one of the buttons under the homepage on the bio is for filters.
10:19And you can click on the Doeg filter and take a picture of your Doeg. Lloyd was thrilled to see it. Cat lovers everywhere are livid, but I think they've had... Oh, I know, but there was this... Grace Coddington made them a thing a long time ago. There was this robust Reddit thread about Doeg and a Spanish-speaking user suggested our next edition should be Vogato. Vogato. That's so cute. Oh my God, Vogato.
10:49The run-through will be back in just a moment.
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11:33And we're back. Tawny Goodman has styled some of the most iconic Vogue covers. She's worked with everyone from Rihanna to Emma Stone to the Supers like Linda Evangelista. one of my favorite covers, of course, was Christy Turlington's October 2002 cover where she is wearing the silver Calvin Klein slip dress and doing the bow pose. Oh, it's brilliant. It's genius. She's also worked with Michelle Obama multiple times. You'll have to listen to hear more, but as beloved Michelle Obama is on our minds, there's so many Tawny shoots that I just gasp over still when I re-look at them today. Yeah, I'm so jealous that you got to speak to her.
12:17I remember being on a shoot with her, actually, in Ibiza with Rihanna and Marcus were shooting her and Tani was styling. And, you know, Tani just kept my nerves calm because it's, as you know, when you interview Rihanna, it's always a little bit nail biting. You never know what's going to happen next. But she was just an oasis of calm and wonderful and lovely. And, you know, she's just seen, she just knows how to make an incredible picture. Often we think about stylists as just putting the outfits together, but they also see the picture and a great stylist helps guide photographers, particularly new photographers towards what can be a really great image.
12:59And I think Tani's done that so many times. Totally. This month's September cover, which obviously we're in August, but as people know, the September covers come out in August. And Blake Lively photographed by Baz Luhrmann as this sort of fantastical heist to catch a thief inspired scene or Fantasia with Hugh Jackman and a lot of cast of cameo characters. and Tani just took this, frankly, daunting assignment and challenging assignment and handled it with aplomb. And it was so much fun to talk to her about that, but also about her incredible career. I'm so excited to hear you chat with her.
13:53Tani, I want to know, in your estimation, it's like looking at a jar of jelly beans. Can you guess or estimate how many covers you've done? Well, I did a little homework in preparation for this podcast. And the September cover that we're talking about is the 200th cover I've done for Vogue magazine. So it's a bit of a landmark moment. It's a milestone on the podcast. Ah, thrilling. Yeah, it's 200. How did you do that homework? I looked in my book, which has got a big fold out of all the covers that I had done. up until the publication of the book, and then I added the rest. Your book is a beautiful coffee table book called Tawny Goodman, Point of View.
14:37Yeah. Wow, 200 covers. What was the first cover? The first cover I did actually was with Giselle, 1999. I joined the magazine September 1999 and shot the cover right away. It was with Annie Leibowitz. Wow, and where did you photograph Giselle? Was she just coming up or was she already a— Giselle was the next issue. I believe she was—it was Stephen Mizell and it was Carmen Cass, I believe, and Giselle, the two of them on the cover together. Okay. So first cover star 25 years ago. Mm-hmm. Giselle, this September cover is Blake Lively, a beloved friend of the magazine. it was not your first cover that you've shot with Blake.
15:28No, it was my fourth. Track us back to the first Blake cover. The first Blake cover was when she became kind of an international media star with Gossip Girl. And all of a sudden there was this great beauty that was on the scene who was so, you know, charismatic and had so much style that she was put on the cover by Anna. And we put her in a black Marc Jacobs dress, which is very unusual because Anna does not favor black generally for a cover. But it was the right choice. It was a very elegant dress for her to wear. Who photographed that first cover? Mario Testino. Okay. And I have done over 50 covers with Mario.
16:14Wow. And will you describe this September issue cover because it is unusual? This September cover, I would say, is unusual because, number one, it was produced by a director. Baz Luhrmann. Baz Luhrmann. And he is best known, you know, he's a director rather than just simply a photographer. And he filmed it as though it were a movie. In what way? We had a script that we were following. Wow, he wrote a script for the shoot. Just about. He did a storyboard that illustrated all the scenes that we were going to shoot, and they were very precise. And my job really at that point was to dress the scenes.
17:04In other circumstances for covers, the scene gets dressed by what I pick as the fashion. So this was the reverse of that. I was dressing the scene per what was required in the photograph in the scene. When you read the script, did you immediately envision what clothing was going to be included? Did you see it immediately? Did it take a lot of back and forth with Baz? Well, the script was not the first thing that we got our hands on. The script we saw was actually in his head and some of it being written down as a place to track what was going on. But really, it was a visual. It was a visual storyboard that was presented originally.
17:49Pulling images from like old Hitchcock films, like what were sort of some of the visuals? The visuals were really pulling from circumstances that he needed to have. So to catch a thief, yes. And then, of course, it's boss. So instead of Grace Kelly's face, he just popped in Blake's. And then you had a complete photograph. You know, he had a complete picture of what we needed to do. Hugh and Blake were just popped in there wherever they needed to be. Will you describe the shoot for people who haven't seen it? The shoot is loosely based on To Catch a Thief. The thief in To Catch a Thief is Cary Grant.
18:32And the thief in this story is Blake. So it's a reversal of roles. and she goes after a remarkable necklace, which we had on the set with many cards, may I say. So, I mean, I have to say, I've been on shoots where fine jewelry is present and it's not a small ask. I mean, there's scheduling involved. It's like an additional talent. There's security guard. I feel like they have their own representatives. And the major necklace was Cartier. Was Cartier, yeah. And the guards there were, I mean, they were amazing. I mean, nobody could touch that thing. And if you came near it without a pair of white gloves on, you were, like, banished.
19:19It was great. It was really fun. And where was this shot? Because it looks like it was shot on the Riviera. But it was not. It looks like it was shot on the Riviera because we were at Pier 59 that has a new system. It's a surround sound blue screen. Oh, wow. And it's remarkable because you put the very, very foreground in with literal props and then it goes into the background seamlessly. So it looks like you're actually in the room, the space, all the way down to— Looks like you're in the actual casino. Well, I was interested in what the day of a shoot is like. I know that this was a bit different because it was more cinematic than maybe it typically is.
20:04But walk us through sort of it's shoot day. What is Tani doing from the moment you wake up? The first thing that you do is the pre-production. And the pre-production is a very important day because it sets everything in place for the actual action of the next day. So what happens on pre-production is the photo team is working on the lighting, setting that up so it's in place. The wardrobe team, my team, the fashion team, is setting up racks, setting up hair and makeup stations, setting up all the accessories. So everything is ready to go and ready to dress. A shoot like this requires a fitting, and we had a number of fittings with Blake, and we had a number of fittings with Hugh.
20:48and one of the fittings that we did with Blake just to show her enormous generosity and involvement was at her house on Sunday morning before the shoot. We had one more dress that really needed to have a second fitting. So I came with my assistant and with Willow, Divine Willow, who's not present today, unfortunately. Willow Lindley, who is our market editor. She's more than the market editor. She's the, you know. We'll call her the market maestro. The market maestro, let's do that. I think that's much better for her. We and the tailor, and we descended on her house, her apartment, on a Sunday morning with all the children and the dogs and with her divine husband.
21:33Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds. They have four young children. They have four young children, a very new one, essentially. And they have two of these amazing dogs that are huge. Do you feel that she's really a fashion girl who's excited by the dresses that are coming in, the fashion that you're looking at? Is that part of a collaboration? Oh, no, no. Blake is fashion personified. She loves fashion. She loves vintage fashion. She's got a great collection of vintage. Oh, did you see it? Yeah. She's got a closet full of it. I mean, we should do a shoot just on that. It would be amazing because there are so many different characters that are represented by clothes through the decades.
22:20And it would be a wonderful shoot to do. In fact, I think I'll recommend it for a thought. Does Blake really style herself? That's sort of the lore. Yeah. Oh, yes. She doesn't need help. That's for sure. So, Tani, I want to know, you see these storyboards, you read this script. And, for example, there's one shot that I love of Blake and Hugh riding on a Vespa with a polka dot dress that's billowing in the wind. How does it start for you to go from seeing a storyboard and reading a script to actually getting to that polka dot dress? Well, you know, you have somebody on a Vespa. She's a glamorous girl.
23:00She's on the Riviera. You want something that has a graphic that is eye-catching. Polka dots are certainly eye-catching. Did you know the Vespa would be red before you chose the dress or vice versa? Did you choose a Vespa color based on the dress color? We did it together. Okay. It was a joint decision when, you know, Boz, first of all, is one of the most wonderful people to work with. Interesting. Okay. He is so at the ready to exchange ideas. He is, you know, there's no hierarchy at all. Everyone is the same. Everyone has something to contribute, and he listens to everything. And it's a collective decision that is made with Baz.
23:42I mean, he's fabulous. And CM is— CM is Catherine Martin, who's Baz's wife and who often does all the costumes for his films. Yes, and she's wonderful. And between the two of them, it was just a joy, really, to work with them and to figure things out. So the dress needed to have a point of view, which was movement. You know, they were zooming down the, what was that, that road in the Riviera that twists and turns around the mountainside. So the more volume I could get, the better. That would really blow. So when you think, I need volume, I need graphic, we decide together it's going to be a red Vespa.
24:26Do you then go to Willow and Co. and say, what do you think about this? Do you go on Vogue Runway yourself? Do you think back to some of the fashion shows you've seen last season and recall anything that stuck out? I think the most important thing to really acknowledge is that it's not about me. It's about us. It's all, you know, it's a very, very collective piece of work that we all do. I mean, Willow is a genius. She knows every single thing that's in the marketplace. So immediately I go to her and to Virginia and we start to brainstorm and, you know, which collections do we think would fit the bill the best.
25:03And it's really a decision that we all make together. And when you show them to Anna, can you describe a run-through and what that looks like and what it consists of? Before there's an actual run-through that involves having the clothes in the office with Anna, there is the paper one. And she goes through and she takes a look at it and she weighs in. And then based on that, we call in the clothes. And they go onto a rack and that rack gets wheeled into Anna's office. And then there is a presentation where you describe, you know, you show the dress, show whatever its asset is that you want to make a point of, and then go from there.
25:47Okay. The first shoot that I did for Anna was with a celebrity, and there was a dress on the rail, and Anna said, I really don't think you should bring that. So I didn't bring it. It turned out it was the kind of dress that I really needed for this particular celebrity because it had the kind of support that I needed for this celebrity. Can you share who the celebrity was? It was Heather Graham. So after that, I thought, you know what? I mean, as much as I respect Anna's opinion, which is flawless generally, if I have an instinct that I'm going to need something, I just say to Anna, I'll keep it in my back pocket.
26:24And more often than not, in fact, the dress that has appeared is that one that I kept in my back pocket. What's another example of that? Well, there was when we took Carly Closs to China and the rack sort of started to define itself with a overview of red and silver. And there was a dress that was gold from Stella McCartney, and it was like a tunic that looked like ancient Chinese something or other relic. And Anna said, do not take that, Tawny. Don't take that because it's gold and we're doing, you know. And I took it. And, of course, it is the opening photograph. She's on the Great Wall. I remember that.
27:14It was the right choice for that. So Tani, I want to know, I feel like there is so much interest and devotion to your personal wardrobe and uniform. And I feel like you don't love to talk about yourself, but I still have to ask, can you give us sort of credits for your daily uniform? Because no one is chicer than you and you're always in the same thing. That's true. I mean, it's true. When I started at Vogue, I had a uniform. This was, you know, quite a while ago. So my uniform was a pencil skirt, kitten heels, fishnet stockings, and a black turtleneck. Oh, my God. Tani, I'm shook. Yep. Wow. That was it.
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27:56And that was constant for quite a while. What were the brands that you gravitated for for those staples? Anything. Oh, my God. I love that. All black or different neutrals? Generally all black. Wow. And Elizabeth Holmes before Elizabeth Holmes. you know I mean and you know I got a lot of clothes actually at Club Monaco I mean wherever I could you know it wasn't a designer moment for me okay and then eventually you know by that time when I joined Vogue my kids were very young and you know your responsibilities as the fashion director at Vogue are a lot and there was travel and there was you know it was a time when I just had to kind of come up with a solution that would be every day, all days, day or night.
28:50And white Levi's, 501 Levi's, really can do that. They can go from day to night very easily. Okay, but wait, that's a big shift for me. From fishnets and black pencil skirt and kitten heels to white Levi's, was there any in between or you just went full 180? You know what? I don't remember what the actual evolution of it was, but it came very seamlessly. Okay. And once I realized that white Levi's 501s could do the trick, it was like, you know, why look any further? All right. And it really is easy because, first of all, you can throw them in the washing machine when you have two young children.
29:30You can add a little bleach and they become white again. And you can get a lot of pairs of them and just, you know, it's one of those. It's very versatile. Okay. So you have your white Levi's 501s and then what's on your feet? Loafers or, you know, sandals in the summertime. I feel like I see you in a lot of like Todd's driving loafers or Belgian loafers. Yes, yes. That's it. You've done your homework much better than I have. I mean, that's exactly what it is. And then on top, what's happening? On top, it's usually a dark shirt or a dark turtleneck or it's something dark generally. I mean, I have two different uniforms.
30:16The winter uniform is a dark shirt. Any specific brands you tend to craft? Well, Muji is my favorite brand. Okay. Muji, I'm a big Muji person. And I only shop Muji men's. Oh, wow. Because it's more my style. In the summertime, I switch over to a Marameco striped shirt. And their shirts are the best. Oh, interesting. Like a Breton stripe, like a Mariner? No, no. They have that. But the famous one, they have a name for it. Marameco has a name for it, which of course I forget. But it's a black and white stripe and it's a vertical stripe. and then they do it in different color ways and I collected hundreds.
31:01I mean not hundreds, but I have a lot of them. Then they stopped making it with the weight of the cotton and they changed it unfortunately and then they stopped doing it in colors. So what I have is, you know, it's it. And I can, you know, I look on eBay to see if one has cropped up someplace. Yeah, where do you shop? How do you shop? I shop, I don't shop online generally at all. I shop at Muji and at Levi's. It's easy. And what is – today you're wearing a very crisp, looks linen-esque – or no, maybe it's a twill sort of work jacket with pockets. Muji. Muji, really? Muji men's. Muji men's. And it's very handy because it has pockets and you need pockets.
31:45It's like why do they not put pockets in everything? I have to say I've styled a couple of political shoots with Annie. And the real takeaway I had from it was, if you're not wearing pockets, what are you doing? I had dog treats in one. I had safety pins in another. And it feels like you are actually on safari or something. I mean, you need to be whipping things out all the time. All the time. It's true. And I'll tell you what else is good. I mean, the only designer that I have really been, aside from Calvin Klein, of course, because I worked with Calvin, devoted to is Dries Van Noten. and I have a lot of his things and his jackets.
32:25I mean, sometimes I do his jackets that are for men and they have that inside pocket. Yes. And that inside pocket is really great for a passport. Yes. You know, you pop it in there. You don't have to worry that it's going to fall out, that somebody's going to take it out of a pocket. You know, it's the best. Were you sad to miss his last show? I was very sad to miss his last show, yeah. Tani, tell me about your neckerchief that you're always wearing. All right. So the story of the neckerchief. In the 70s, okay, so this is going way back, I was given a Charvet scarf by my then beau, Nicholas Breland.
33:07And the scarf that Nikki gave me was navy blue with white Cheerios. And when you look at my, and it's been... Cheerios meaning polka dots. Cheerios, little polka dots, yeah. And it just became an instant favorite, it and I collected in every color way that was available. Then they stopped making it. They stopped making that design. Years later, I joined Vogue magazine and I went to Charvet and I said to them, would you consider reissuing that design? And they did. Oh, wow. You know, the thing that happened when I was doing my book, which was very interesting, was that I realized that every point of view that I have came from an experience that I lived through.
33:55And it turns out that that Cheerio design was on my favorite dress as a child. Oh, wow. Where is that dress now? Who knows? I mean, it was one of those dresses. It was white with red Cheerios on it. And it's the first picture of me in the book, aside from a picture that's a nude, which is very appropriate. But it was, then I realized, you know, wait a second. So everything that I kind of fold into a visual that I'm creating actually does have a point from the past. And it's a really interesting, well, it was really fun to make the book, because there were all these little circumstances that would crop up and I'd think, oh, right, that's why I did that picture.
34:45I did it because of, you know, living on the boat or I did it, you know, when I was in the desert. When did you live on a boat? I lived on a boat before I dropped out of art school. And I went down for a vacation and we met, you know, a sailor and he said, would you like to stay? And I said, yes. So I stayed for four months and lived with him. Wow. On the boat. It was wonderful.
35:09Right now, in movies, in the opera, even in pop music, divinely inspired women are everywhere. This week on Critics at Large, we make our case. Saints are having a moment. Look, I can spout off any number of cliches, but they're all true. The world is moving faster and faster. Materialism is now reaching every single corner of the globe. It's very hard to say no and to say stop and to say I will do without. And I think that explains some of the modern cultural appeal. I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts on Critics at Large from The New Yorker. Find us every Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts.
35:52I want to know how different the approach to being an editor on a shoot is depending on a photographer. For example, when you were young and you worked with Helmut Newton, was that different from working with Peter Lindbergh later on? Because it's such an intimate relationship and process to really collaborate on a shoot, especially of the magnitude of a cover shoot. How do you navigate that? Well, you're making a very, very good point because depending on the photographer, it's a completely different story and situation. You know, the photographer's personalities, you know, dictate to a certain extent, you know, the whole timber of the shoot.
36:37Working with Helmut Newton, it was the first shoot I did as a young editor. So talk about hit the ground running. What was it? It was for the New York Times Magazine section. And we went down to Miami and we photographed a bathing suit story. and the thing that was so fascinating to me when I was working with Helmut was that I was, you know, of course it was film. This is way before digital but I kept thinking that if I had exactly his setup as close to him as possible exactly the same timing that the shutter was clicked at exactly the same moment it would be a totally different picture and it would.
37:21And it would because there is a kind of alchemy between a photographer and a subject. There just is. And I don't know. It's magic. I don't know what it is. But you do sense that the relationship – it's not even the relationship. There's something that happens to the person who is being photographed in film that is very different than what happens in digital. And that is something that I've had the privilege of experiencing in my career because I started with film and then now, of course, I'm in digital. So if you got to choose digital or film, is there – do you feel strongly that you wish everything was still film?
38:04Is it better digital because you can be part of the editing process? You know what? It completely depends on what it's for. Okay. If it's a portrait, the other thing is 810. You know, that's a whole other way of looking at film. Explain what that means. So 810 is an 8x10 camera, which is a large format camera. And then there's the 4x5, which is the smaller version of it. But it's a plate camera. You have to put in a plate. And that one is the concentration between the subject and the photographer is very intense. There's a very, very fine focus point, which has to be you have to take the time to do it.
38:45So the relationship between the subject and the photographer is based on a kind of trust and patience. And in digital, patience is not part of the equation at all because it's instant. The thing that happens very often with digital is they miss the photograph because the minute they turn away to look at the screen or to look at their camera is when the picture is there. And I get to see it all the time because I'm watching, you know, the subject. And the subject immediately becomes themselves when the camera is put down. And that doesn't happen with film because the intensity, the connection is already there.
39:29So you have a fleeting moment of intensity or connection on digital. And then the photographer either looks at the back of their camera or goes over to a monitor and they have missed the picture. I mean, I'm sure photographers would kill me for saying that, but it's true. Often. Are there any photographers who still only shoot film? There are quite a few. A lot of the younger photographers shoot film. And does that make a difference? Yeah, I think it does make a difference because I think that the process that is involved with creating an image has been abbreviated to an extent that a lot is missing.
40:10Right. And so I think the young photographers that are dealing with film realize that the process is very important. I want to just ask you about some of your most iconic covers, which one that I think of is that you photographed Michelle Obama more than once. Three times. Wow. What was the first one, the amazing J.Crew button? Wasn't it a cardigan? Yeah. How did that come about to decide to dress her that way? And I feel like that really launched the beginning of her as such a fashion icon. Well, once again, she had an incredible stylist that she worked with. Meredith Koop, who I believe still works with the former first lady.
40:54Well, it was a wonderful relationship. Yeah. You could tell from the get-go. And it was very important for her to focus on American fashion and also on available, you know, the fact that it was J.Crew and not Calvin Klein was important to her because it was, you know, for everyone. So it just, you know, it just evolved. I mean, we did a fitting. Meredith did a fitting there at the White House and shared the photographs with me. And then I shared them with Anna. And then, you know, that sort of unraveling process is applied. And then you settle on what you want to. I have a really good story about this, though.
41:33So the last picture that we did, of course, Annie Leibovitz is obsessed with a white shirt. As I think is well known. A crisp white button down. Chris Whitewood. So the last picture, she really wanted the first lady to get into a white shirt. And we went back into the dressing area. And there was one of the president's white shirts from Brooks Brothers. Oh, wow. And she put it on. And she went on to the set. And right before she went on to the set, I saw that there was a label. So I had my assistant take out the label really quickly. I didn't have my glasses on. So I didn't see what the label said.
42:09and the label said Brooks Brothers for President Obama or something. And I snatched that little label and I have it in a frame, a little silver frame on my desk. Oh, that is so cute. And, you know, I mean, and I met the president, President Obama, and the smile, you know, that famous smile is really a killer. So it was a great experience. What's the most common misconception about your work? Oh, the most common misconception is easily that it's, you know, glamour-ridden. It's not. It's good old work. It's, you know, I'm a worker bee. I've always been one. It's not about glamour. Tawny, this is such a treat for me.
42:54It was so fun to go back over all of my favorite Goodman goodies. Goodman goodies. Listen, it's been, you know, first of all, it's so nice to be with you because we never get a chance to hang out at all. I know. But also just to be able to reflect on the days that I've had with Vogue that have been really incredible.
43:19That's it for the show. Bye. Bye.
43:25The Run Through is produced by Susie Lechtenberg, Chelsea Daniel, and Joanna Solitaroff. It's engineered by Jake Loomis and James Yost and mixed by Mike Kutchman. Chris Bannon is Condé Nast's head of global audio.
44:04There's a hundred wrestlers in the room, but only one can be Oscar nominated. Whether you're a movie lover or an industry buff, Little Gold Men from Vanity Fair has everything you need to know about this year's Oscar race. Follow and listen to Little Gold Men wherever you get your podcasts.
From the publisher
The Run-Through is joined by legendary stylist and sustainability editor Tonne Goodman on the heels of her 200th Vogue cover. She goes behind the scenes on the making of the cinematic September issue featuring Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, and Baz Luhrman. We also delve into some of Tonne’s most iconic covers, as well as her chic personal style.
Plus, Vogue’s political correspondent Jack Schlossberg and Vogue writer Hannah Jackson join us from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago! Jack reveals the details behind the now viral photo of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with his grandfather, John F. Kennedy, and what it was like to speak at the convention. Hannah digs into some of the styles she’s been seeing at the DNC and what it might mean for the Democrats as we head into the presidential election.
This episode is presented by eBay.
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