For 25 years, as the longest-serving editor at British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman had a front-row seat to the goings-on of fashion, culture, entertainment, and much more. (She was a regular at Le Caprice for decades, and now, we are always delighted to see her at Arlington.) Alex stepped down from the magazine in 2016 and, among other projects, has gone on to write a much-loved memoir and a popular column for The Mail on Sunday. On 1st October, her second book will hit shelves — and before she kicks off a flurry of events and signings, she gave us the story.
Alex, what’s the gist of your new book?
The general idea of Black Coffee and Red Lipstick: Notes on Living is to write about how we are all preoccupied by certain things, great and small. In a way, it was trying to work out who I am after changing my life from being editor of Vogue for 25 years to being a freelancer with all kinds of different aspects to my life. Some are small, like black coffee, others are larger, such as what it means to be alone, and what motherhood means.
We love how you revisited “Bikinigate” — a minor hullabaloo that happened years ago after you posted a bikini selfie on Instagram — this summer with your column in The Mail on Sunday. Are there any controversial essays in this book that you think will spur a similar debate?
Perhaps my essay “The Other You, The Other Me,” which is about how we all have this other person we want to be — in my case someone who grows plants from seeds, knits fabulous sweaters, and is a multi-linguist, none of which I succeed at. We have to accept that we have limitations. In this contemporary culture we are encouraged to think we can be everything we want, but I am not sure we can.
Tell us about your writing process. How do you get it done?
I write in the morning, the earlier the better. I try to write for a few hours then and possibly revise later in the day. Or start the next day with revision, a bit like the blanket stitch I was taught as a child.
What’s the story behind the beautiful painting on the cover?
Finding the cover image was laborious. I knew I wanted a woman in it and that it should be figurative. We looked at works by many people like Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard, and Vanessa Bell and Rose Hilton — it was meant to convey the idea of domesticity but also an inner life. A big ask. This picture by David Park — one of the San Francisco Bay artists — was found by my son Sam. It’s perfect. A dark-haired woman (me?) with her coffee and reading a book. Luckily we were given the authorisation to reuse it by his estate. I didn’t know his work previously, but I do now.
What are you currently reading?
I am reading too many books at one time. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet, and the fictional Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you over a glass of champagne at Arlington—you have been such a presence here over the decades, including at Le Caprice. What do you love about the restaurant?
I can’t wait to celebrate at Arlington. I love the glamour of the space which immediately makes you feel better as soon as you arrive. Having eaten there since the days of Le Caprice, I confess to loving the old favourites on the menu.
