Dressed for War cover art

Dressed for War

The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue Editor Extraordinaire from the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties

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Dressed for War

By: Julie Summers
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

 Dressed For War: The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue editor extraordinaire from the Blitz to the Swinging Sixties is the untold story of our most iconic fashion magazine in its most formative years, in the Second World War. It was an era when wartime exigencies gave its editor, Audrey Withers, the chance to forge an identity for it that went far beyond stylish clothes. In doing so, she set herself against the style and preoccupations of Vogue’s mothership in New York, and her often sticky relationship with its formidable editor, Edna Woolman Chase, became a strong dynamic in the Vogue story.

But Vogue had a good war, with great writers and top-flight photographers including Lee Miller and Cecil Beaton – who loathed each other – sending images and reports from Europe and much further afield – detailing the plight of the countries and people living amidst war-torn Europe. Audrey Withers’ deft handling of her star contributors and the importance she placed on reflecting people’s lives at home give this slice of literary history a real edge. With official and personal correspondence researched from the magazine’s archives in London and in New York, Dressed For War will tell the marvellous story of the titanic struggle between the personalities that shaped the magazine for the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond.©2020 Julie Summers (P)2020 Simon & Schuster UK Art & Literature Europe Great Britain Women War

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Most relevant  
I had no idea that the most influential person in London during the War was the woman in charge of Vogue. And now I totally understand why. So relevant, when you think of the thousands of women sewing scrubs and masks non-stop to get us out of the current Covid-19 crisis as quickly as possible. Women are crucial to the survival of the species.

Fascinating take on the importance of the women.

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