Stylish Read: "The Man Who Was Vogue"

You will need to check your library for this, although used copies are available on Amazon. "The Man Who was Vogue: The Life and Times of Conde´ Nast"  by Caroline Seebohm was published in 1982. I was then working for Conde´ Nast Publications and don't remember even a glimmer of excitement for a biography on the founding father. For a long time I assumed Conde´ Nast was a publishing partnership like Harper Collins, not one person.

How interesting could a biography of this little known man, famous for wearing a pince-nez but not a smile, really be? Turns out, very interesting indeed.

A magazine publisher is much like a movie producer—responsible for suggesting or green lighting the project, for staff, budgets, quality control, promotion and advertising. The publisher has to have a vision, be inspiring and open to ideas—a nice blend of ringmaster, father figure, best friend and dictator. Not easy.

Born in New York City in 1873, Conde´ was not a blue blood by any means; his parents were originally from Missouri. That noble-sounding name belonged to a distant relative with French origins. He attended Georgetown University thanks to a generous aunt and reluctantly earned a law degree. The father of a college friend owned the struggling Collier's Weekly magazine, and Conde´ joined up, increasing its circulation a hundred fold by his keen grasp of advertising and promotion, two things magazines thrive on.

A 1909 issue of "Vogue"

Vogue was founded in 1892, aimed at the New York upper class. Nast bought it in 1909 and managed to keep its society readers, adding along the way everyone else who wanted to read about them.

By the way, Conde´ Nast Publications has given us an incredible gift. You may browse every issue of Vogue at no charge by going here: https://archive.vogue.com/covertocover

Surprisingly, dress patterns may have been responsible for Conde´ Nast's early success. Vogue had always featured a pattern in each issue. As French fashion was the most desirable, these patterns gave madam's seamstress the ability to replicate the latest Paris styles. Conde´ successfully expanded the Vogue Pattern company in 1914 to sell patterns in stores, and the company is still going strong.

Hollywood Patterns were launched in 1932 to take advantage of the growing interest in movie stars and home sewing during the depression. Glamour of Hollywood magazine began in 1939, dropping the "of Hollywood" not long after. Conde´ Nast died in 1942 and didn't live to see Glamour become Conde´ Nast Publications' cash cow, as it was when I worked there in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

A Hollywood pattern and promotion

Nast was the first publisher to concentrate only on what he called "class" publications. This is different from "classy", although Vogue and Vanity Fair are certainly that. A Conde´ Nast magazine is deliberately aimed at a certain class of reader interested in a particular subject as opposed to one with mass or broad appeal.

The glory days of magazines may be gone and Conde´ Nast's holdings have whittled down considerably, but the name still has power. The house that Conde´ built is now at One World Trade Center and consists of nine print publications (Vogue, New Yorker, GQ, Vanity Fair, Allure, Architectural Digest, Traveler, Wired, Bon Appetit) and a smattering of digital titles. In addition there are 23 international editions of Vogue. Among much loved and lost titles were House & Garden, Mademoiselle, and Details.

Conde´ Nast  NYC headquarters

Vogue has always been the flagship of the fleet. While Conde´ Nast may have been conflicted by Victorian principles in his personal life, he was firmly on the side of the 20th century zeitgist , championing progressive trends in the arts, music, fashion, and interiors.

Parties at his thirty-room duplex/penthouse at 1040 Park Avenue were legendary—and strictly business. He could often be spotted looking on rather uncomfortably from the sidelines.

One of Conde's greatest gifts was the ability to spot talent, and he brought on the most progressive artists, photographers, graphic designers, writers and editors. The original Vanity Fair (1913-36) was a personal favorite and is still revered for its cutting edge everything.

There were so many characters in "The Man Who Was Vogue", I found myself Googling often. That added more to the enjoyment of reading as now famous names like Steichen and Eric, Dr. Agha and Baron de Meyer took shape and character.  

A Baron de Meyer photograph

Illustration by Carl Erickson ("Eric")

Conde´ Nast intrigued Susan Ronald enough to write "Conde´ Nast—The Man and His Empire", published in 2019. That one had the cooperation of Conde´ Nast Publications and the Nast family. Conde´ was a genius but not a perfect man. Could all that cooperation signal a red flag?