Anna Wintour regrets putting Spice Girls on the cover of Vogue
In a new Wall Street Journal profile, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour shares many interesting tidbits about her career at the famous fashion magazine. Ms. Wintour may be a major fashion expert, but she made one statement that we firmly disagree with. She said, "I'm not terribly proud of putting the Spice Girls on the cover." Oh, come on!
In Wintour's January 1998 "Letter from the Editor" she explained her cover choice. "Love them or hate them, they are hitting some kind of nerve." OK, maybe the Spice Girls aren't particularly high brow or high fashion (thought Victoria Beckham sure is nowadays), but lets remember this was 1998 when tacky outfits and pop music was at its peak. The Spice Girls were the biggest thing around, and putting them on the cover of ANY magazine was sure to guarantee newsstand sales, and perhaps getting non-Vogue readers to scoop up a copy! (And not for nothing, but Blake Lively hasn't had much of a career aside from her bad acting on "Gossip Girl" and she's had two Vogue covers. Meanwhile, "Spice" sold 23 million copies worldwide and is the biggest selling album of all time by a female group.)
We think Wintour's real mistake was shooting the Spice Girls in these boring all-black ensembles instead of their iconic SPICY tour costumes. Who could forget Ginger Spice's Union Jack mini dress? In 1998 she auctioned it off at Sotheby's for charity. Peter Morton bought it on behalf of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for $66,214. Now that's a piece of fashion history!
We're sorry Anna Wintour is embarrassed by the Spice Girls, but considering today's "role models" we wish the girls and their Girl Power message were still around. Feeling nostalgic for Spicemania? Check out their 1998 Vogue article here and enjoy some Spice Girls videos below (including our personal favorite, "Say You'll Be There"). We dare you not to get these stuck in your head!
Related links:
Anna Wintour and Vogue Staff Divided Over Harem Pants
The Best and Worst Love Advice From Britney Spears Songs
8 Life Lessons From Anna Wintour
