Just by its very nature the world of fashion is flighty and full of egos that need to be constantly buffed up. However, there are a few people who tend to buck the trend and try to equal this by being relatively normal and grounded despite all the pomp and glitzy that the world has to offer. One of these people is Suzy Menkes. She comes from a modest background and a provincial town in Buckinghamshire. She’s risen to be the Editor in chief of Fashion for the International Herald Tribune and then Vogue until retiring in 2020. What she says is important for fashion and it affects it. This also true for the large suppliers like menswear Ireland outfitters EJ Menswear.
Menkes was inspired to get into the world of fashion when she was given the chance to attend the Paris Fashion week after her Parisian landlady provided it for her. She was there studying dressmaking and it sparked an interest in haute couture that lasted on her return to England. Going to Cambridge she became an editor of the College’s paper.
A career in Journalism beckoned and she used her knowledge and experience of fashion bringing it to The Times. She’s also written about Royal style. She must have been very happy when Princess Diana came along.
She famously won’t accept gifts from fashion houses and hates to see fashion minimalists and thinks it should be grand. Menkes was aware enough of the vaguely ridiculous pomposity of the fashion world to appear as herself in Absolutely Fabulous both the TV series and the Film. She loves chatting to young new designers about fashion. Kate Moss affectionately described her as a “mad old Aunt”.
