NEW YORK – Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour appears in a video with the Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – for its “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality” campaign. In the video, Wintour is clear and straight-forward with her powerful message: “As far as I’m concerned, having the right to say ‘I Do’ is as fundamental as the right to vote.” The campaign raises the public profile of marriage equality in New York. Watch:

“Ms. Wintour is a no-nonsense perfectionist who embraces basic fairness with her trademark elegance and humanity,” said HRC Senior New York Strategist Brian Ellner. “As the preeminent voice in the global fashion industry and a publishing icon, Anna Wintour represents the best of New York. She knows the difference between a passing fad and an enduring brand. Equality is part of the New York brand.”

A recent poll released by the Siena Research Institute shows public opinion continues to trend toward marriage equality in New York State with a record high of 58 percent support and a record low of 36 percent opposition.

Considered to be the most powerful woman in fashion, Anna Wintour has served as American Vogue’s editor-in-chief since 1988. She is also the subject of the 2009 documentary film “The September Issue” which follows Wintour and her staff through the production of the September 2007 issue of Vogue. She is known for her support of young designers, and admired for her keen eye for new fashion trends.

The New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign is centered on video testimonials from New Yorkers who support the right of same-sex couples to marry. To date, HRC has released videos from Anna Wintour, Larry King, Sean Avery, Julianna Margulies, Bill T. Jones, Sam Waterston, Christopher Meloni, Mario Batali, David Chang, Tom Colicchio, Lucy Liu, Bill Bratton and Rikki Klieman, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Former New York City Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, Russell Simmons, Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo, John Slattery, Joan Rivers, Barbara Bush, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Fran Drescher, Moby, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Julianne Moore and Kenneth Cole – with more to follow in the coming weeks.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Watch: Anna Wintour and Marc Jacobs on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon from last night, Wednesday, September 1st, 2010. It is quite funny because Anna mentions Lady GaGa and how she kept her waiting for 45 minutes because she was talking to God! Classic.

On August 11th, 2010, Mayor Bloomberg along with Anna Wintour, retailers, and many CFDA designers met down at City Hall for a press conference to kick-off Fashion’s Night Out this year.

L to R: Editor-in-chief of American Vogue Anna Wintour and designer Tommy Hilfiger

L to R: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Editor-in-chief of American Vogue Anna Wintour, designer Tommy Hilfiger, designer Donna Karan, designer Marcus Wainwright, actress Mary-Kate Olsen, designer Marc Jacobs, designer Carolina Herrera

Nearly 1,000 Participants Across the City Already a Part of this Year’s Event, Including Largest Public Fashion Show in New York City History. 175,000 Jobs in City’s $10 Billion Retail and Fashion Industries

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Executive Director Steven Kolb today detailed Fashion’s Night Out 2010, which will include the largest public fashion show in New York City history – Fashion’s Night Out: The Show. Fashion’s Night Out, which was first introduced last year, is a citywide event to support retail and fashion in New York City. Participating retail stores across the five boroughs will stay open until 11:00 PM on Friday, September 10th, 2010, and offer an array of in-store celebrations and promotions. Nearly 1000 participants, including retailers, designers, and fashion and beauty brands have already signed on to participate in the event. The new public fashion show will take place on September 7th at Lincoln Center and tickets will go on sale to the public on Thursday, August 19th through the Lincoln Center Box Office. The show will feature more than 150 top models and trends for fall as determined by Vogue and the show will seat more than 1,500 spectators, with tickets starting at $25. Proceeds from the fashion show’s ticket sales will benefit the NYC AIDS Fund. The Mayor also was joined by Saks, Inc. CEO Steve Sadove, designer Marc Jacobs and leading members of the fashion and retail community.

“Fashion and retail is part of the very fabric of New York City – supporting 175,000 jobs and pumping $10 billion into our economy annually,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We are going to continue to help support, develop and expand these sectors with programs like Fashion’s Night Out, our fashion incubator and the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. With a growing number of locations participating in Fashion’s Night Out and the largest public fashion show in city history, we are providing consumers with more opportunities to see all the city’s retailers and designers have to offer.”

“Millions from around the world visit New York City to be at the epicenter for fashion and design,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “Fashion’s Night Out is a global showcase for the city’s outstanding talent, attracting visitors and supporting the local businesses that work so hard to ensure that New York City remains the world’s fashion capital. We are also excited to expand this year’s program to include this one-of-a-kind fashion show that will make Fashion’s Night Out even more accessible to visitors and residents across the five boroughs.”

“We are very excited to add the fashion show this year so that people will have the opportunity to see the wonderful clothes that will be available to them on Fashion’s Night Out,” said Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. “We’ve focused the show on the trends we thought were most important, so that no matter what their style or budget shoppers will have a source of inspiration.”

“This is the first fashion show of its kind to bring the excitement of a live fashion show in an amazing outdoor setting directly to the general public,” said CFDA Executive Director Steven Kolb. “Guests will get a rare, first-hand glimpse of in-season clothes from the most creative designers, including many CFDA members and the top in American talent.”

According to NYC & Company, the city’s marketing, tourism and partnership organization, half of the visitors to New York City cite shopping as their primary activity during their stay. With nearly 1,000 participants currently registered to host an array of in-store celebrations across the five boroughs, Fashion’s Night Out has already surpassed last year’s inaugural event and nearly $500,000 has been raised for the NYC AIDS Fund through exclusive Fashion’s Night Out merchandise sales.

Starting on August 16th, a listing of Fashion’s Night Out events to date – including designer and celebrity appearances, special products, performances and fashion shows with more expected to appear as the event nears – can be viewed by going to www.nyc.gov. In addition, NYC & Company has worked with hotels around the city to create more than 40 individual hotel packages for the month of September, including packages at 6 Thompson, Fashion 26, Hudson New York, Paramount Hotel New York and the Mandarin Oriental. In an effort to drive visitation and increase consumer participation, these hotels will offer exclusive deals for travelers who want to experience Fashion’s Night Out. A full list of hotels and packages is available on www.nyc.gov.

On Tuesday, September 14th, CBS will also air an hour-long special on the making of Fashion’s Night Out. The piece will feature designers, editors and retailers as they prepare for the second year of Fashion’s Night Out, as well as other industry professionals – from salespeople to design staff – who work and contribute to the city’s retail and fashion sectors.

Last year, Mayor Bloomberg and the CFDA launched the CFDA Fashion Incubator, which is designed to grow and sustain the next generation of fashion designers in New York City by providing access to low-cost studio space and support services. New York City’s Economic Development Corporation provided a three-year, $200,000 grant to establish the incubator, which is an approximately 10,000-square-foot space that accommodates up to twelve designers. Similarly, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, which Mayor Bloomberg helped launch in 2003, continues to provide financial support and business mentorship for emerging designers and this year’s $200,000 top prize and two $50,000 runner-ups will be announced on November 15th. Designer Prabal Gurung, a participant in the CFDA Fashion Incubator and a past finalist for the CFDA/Fashion Fund award, also joined the Mayor at the announcement.

Fashion’s Night Out is supported through the generous contributions of American Express, Maybelline New York, Payless ShoeSource, QVC and Volkswagen.

Press Conference Attendees:

Mayor Bloomberg

Steven Kolb (Executive Director, CFDA)

George Fertitta (CEO, NYC & Company)

Anna Wintour (Editor-in-Chief, Vogue)

Susan Plagemann (Vice President & Publisher, Vogue)

Reynold Levy (President, Lincoln Center)

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (Lincoln Center)

Julie Gilhart (SVP, Fashion Director, Barney’s New York)

Linda Fargo (SVP, Fashion Director, Bergdorf Goodman)

Steve Sadove (Chairman & CEO of Saks Incorporated)

Terry Lundgren (Chairman, President, & CEO of Macy’s, Inc.)

Andrew Rosen (President & Founder of Theory)

Designers:

Sophie Buhai
Tory Burch
Kenneth Cole
Francisco Costa
Prabal Gurung
Lazaro Hernandez
Carolina Herrera
Tommy Hilfiger
Marc Jacobs
Phillip Lim
Jack McCollough
Mary-Kate Olsen
Thakoon Panichgul
Zac Posen
Tracy Reese
Marcus Wainwright
Vera Wang
Alexander Wang

Each August, VOGUE profiles spectacular women at every age—from their 20s to their 80s—for our annual Age issue. This year is about transformation: A new career? A new love? A new direction? Why not?

As Anna Wintour notes in her Letter from the Editor, “Anyone’s life can turn on a dime; and yet this seems especially true for women, who invariably inhabit numerous roles at the same time.”

At 67, former first lady of Japan Miyuki Hayotama eagerly embraces change and transformation in the moments following her husband’s abrupt resignation.

Former MTV president Christina Norman takes on a new role in her 40s as CEO of OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s new network.

And courageous 54-year-old Patti Hansen, who more than won her battle with bladder cancer, embodies stoic perseverance in the time of an unwelcome ordeal. Read full story here!

All three women were photographed for the magazine by Annie Leibovitz.

The following guests seen wearing CHANEL to the 2010 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit on Monday, May 3rd, 201, in New York City.

Kristen Stewart is wearing a long black taffeta and tulle embroidered dress from Spring/Summer Haute Couture Collection with CHANEL Fine Jewelry

Lily Collins is wearing a short olive embroidered dress from the Spring/Summer Haute Couture Collection with CHANEL Fine Jewelry

Anna Wintour is wearing a sequin jacket and silk dress from the Spring/Summer Haute Couture Collection

Lady Amanda Harlech is wearing a light pink silk embroidered dress from the Spring/Summer Haute Couture Collection

Elisa Sednaoui is wearing a black embroidered dress from the Fall/Winter Haute Couture Collection and CHANEL Fine Jewelry

Sneak Peek: Lancôme will be working with ambassador Anne Hathaway and spokesmodel Elettra Wiedemann, as well as supermodel Veronica Webb, for the year’s most celebrated event, the Met Ball, taking place tonight. The theme is “American Women: Fashioning a National Identity” and it’ll be hosted by Gap creative director Patrick Robinson, Vogue’s Anna Wintour and Oprah Winfrey. Talk about star power!

Makeup artist Gina Brooke will be making up Anne, Lancôme’s Ewa Szwed is working with Elettra and Daniel Martin will make up Veronica.

Sarah Jessica Parker is gracing the cover of VOGUE Magazine May 2010: In a salute to the upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity,” VOGUE’s May 2010 issue offers a celebration of the same topic. To herald the cause and as the emblem of today’s American woman, Sarah Jessica Parker is VOGUE’s May cover star. VOGUE contributing editor Vicki Woods visits with Ms. Parker as she prepares for the upcoming release of the sequel to Sex and the City, begins her role as president and chief creative officer of Halston, and faces the challenges of being a mom to three small children. Styled by Tonne Goodman, Ms. Parker was photographed for the cover by Mario Testino.

Photo Credit: Mario Testino/VOGUE

WATCH the behind the scenes of the Sarah Jessica Parker VOGUE May 2010 Photo Shoot (via: vogue.com):

Highlights From the Article:

On having children with a surrogate mother: “Meeting your children rather than giving birth to them, it’s as if, um, it’s—suspended animation. The gestational experience is gone. It’s as if everything else disappears for a moment, and the world goes silent and—I can’t explain it except to say that nothing else existed. I don’t remember anything but the blanket on the bed that they were lying on and my husband’s face and their faces and my son’s. It’s literally as if sound is sucked from the room. Time stands still. It’s so different, and equally extraordinary.”

Sarah Jessica Parker in a John Galliano for Dior gown from the Dior Show in Paris
picked by non other Anna Wintour. Photo Credit: Mario Testino/VOGUE

On the importance of keeping perspective: “We painted our patio furniture ourselves…. I make my children’s food myself. We put together their high chairs ourselves; we do a lot ourselves! We do our own grocery shopping, we go to the market ourselves, you know? I do my laundry.”

The upcoming Sex and the City sequel: “We four women, despite I guess what a lot of people hope, have never been better. This movie—and maybe it’s because we actually lived together—it was the best! We were together all day long, at night, in the restaurants, in our hotels. It was wonderful.”

Photo Credit: Mario Testino/VOGUE

Sex and the City getting older: “We’re still playing—uh, I don’t know how old Carrie is! Is she about 42 now? I think Carrie’s younger than I [Parker is 45], and Miranda and Charlotte are younger than they are in real life. Samantha was always the older lady, so she’s 52 now and talks a lot about what comes with that. In the movie. Talks about menopause. Comedically.”

Her introduction to New York and Halston: “I came to New York originally in 1976, and then I got this part in Annie around the corner from Studio 54. I was a little girl, and for some reason they always invited the cast of Annie to Studio 54, so there I was at thirteen and fourteen, and the doorman would usher us in, literally underneath his arms. And it was 1977 in New York City, and you couldn’t be alive and not know the name Halston.”

Her new position with Halston “There was every reason to say no, and there were very compelling reasons to say yes…. It’s an exciting time at that company. It has had some false starts that are well documented and it is relaunching itself. It has a wonderful legacy, and I couldn’t say no.”

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Photo Credit: Mario Testino/VOGUE

Read full article in vogue.com

For VOGUE’s eighth annual March power issue, writer and actress Tina Fey is the magazine’s standard-bearer. In a candid conversation with Jonathan Van Meter, Fey describes herself as a celebrity flying the flag for “normal.” However, as Anna Wintour notes in her editor’s letter, “there is nothing ordinary about her brilliance, her perceptiveness, or her beauty. Mario Testino and Tonne Goodman’s portfolio of the star captures a woman who fully understands the power of style to elevate the everyday.”

Highlights from the Article
Going Rogue: Ever since her devastatingly funny Sarah Palin impressions, she has for the first time in her life attracted unwanted attention—and hate mail. “People started projecting politics onto me,” she says. “There are people who hate me now because of that.”

“The partisan nature of politics continues to appall me. I’m almost paralyzed by my inability to see things in black-and-white… I felt uncomfortable to be in that discussion. The weird thing is, when Darrell Hammond or Will Ferrell or Dana Carvey did an impersonation of a president, no one assumed it was personal, but because Sarah Palin and I are both women and people think women are meaner to each other, everyone assumed it was personal.”

Normal Girls: “I feel like I represent normalcy in some way. What are your choices today in entertainment? People either represent youth, power, or sexuality. And then there’s me, carrying normalcy.” Pause. “Me and Rachel Ray.”

The Skinny: “People will say, ‘Oh, fashion magazines are so bad, they’re giving girls a negative message’—but we’re also the fattest country in the world, so it’s not like we’re all looking at fashion magazines and not eating. Maybe it just starts a shame cycle: I’m never going to look like that model, so… Chicken McNuggets it is! And conversely, I don’t look at models who are crazy skinny and think I want to look like that, because a lot of them are gigantic, with giant hands and giant feet.”

The Power of Clothes: “I think women dress for other women to let them know what their deal is. Because if women were only dressing for men, there would be nothing but Victoria’s Secret. There would be no Dior.”

Hand-Me-Downs: When she was in grade school, a cousin gave her some hand-me-downs that included a “colonial-lady” Halloween costume. “It consisted of a bonnet,” says Fey, “and a burlap apron and a long skirt. And I would just wear it sometimes after school. As an outfit… It was the Bicentennial! People were excited!”

The VOGUE Cover: Her favorite moment: “I was posing for [Mario Testino] and he was talking from behind the camera and he was like, ‘You have to fliiiirt, darleeeng. You have to bee-leeve you are wuuuurthy to on the cover’ And then at one point he said very quietly, ‘Lift your chin, darling. You are not eighteen.’ And I was like, ‘You probably say that to all the 23-year olds.’” Read full article in vogue.com

Also be sure to check out the exclusive behind-the-scenes video from Tina Fey’s photoshoot.

Actress Jesica Biel is featured on the cover of Vogue Magazine February 2010, on national newsstands January 26, 2010. The Jessical Biel article  in Vogue is by Jonathan Van Meter and is titled: The Real Biel. Jessica is photographed by Mario Testino. For the Cover fashion Jessica is in: Ralph Lauren Collection and RRL Ralph Lauren.

“I think my Valentine’s wish would be that she be embraced by and play a larger role in the fashion world. She symbolizes everything American fashion stands for: health, beauty, fitness, and grace. She’d make a great partner for any designer” — Anna Wintour on Jessica Biel in this month’s “Letter from the Editor”

In a candid interview with Vogue Contributing Editor Jonathan Van Meter, Jessica Biel explains why she won’t discuss her relationship with Justin Timberlake (“It’s the most precious thing that I have in my life”); the pitfalls of posing nearly nude at eighteen (“It was terribly embarrassing”); and being at odds with her va-va-voom image (“On the red carpet, I’m playing a character”). Read the full interview with Jessica Biel by Vogue Contributing Editor Jonathan Van Meter in vogue.com

View a behind-the-scenes video of Biel’s cover shoot:

R.J. Cutler’s, The September Issue, was released this past Friday. The September Issue had the highest grossing opening weekend for an A&E IndieFilms production as well as for Roadside Attractions and has the 2nd highest per screen opening weekend average from all films for this year.

“We’re thrilled with the films opening. People are fascinated by Anna Wintour and wanted to see this revealing and funny film, the first real portrait of a legend who’s reigned at Vogue for 20 years,” said Howard Cohen, Co-President of Roadside Attractions.

The September Issue opens on September 11, 2009 in Los Angeles and select cities.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, directed by R.J. Cutler and a Roadside Attractions release and A&E IndieFilms production, opened with the 5th highest all-time per screen average for a documentary this past weekend in New York – August 28, 2009. The film opened on 6 screens for a staggering $40,013 per screen average and an average total weekend gross at a remarkable $240,078.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE marks the highest grossing opening weekend for an A&E IndieFilms production as well as for Roadside Attractions and has the 2nd highest per screen opening weekend average from all films for this year. The film expands further into the New York market during Labor Day weekend and then will expand to Los Angeles and select markets on September 11, 2009. Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) will handle home video and A&E will follow the film’s theatrical and home video release with a television broadcast premiere.

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE had its world premiere in the Documentary Competition section at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where it won the award for Best Cinematography and has been hotly anticipated since. With unprecedented access, filmmaker R.J. Cutler’s new film does for fashion what he did for politics in The War Room, taking the viewer inside a world they only think they know. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE follows Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for twenty years, and her team of larger-than-life editors through the inner workings of her magazine as the staff puts together their celebrated annual September issue.

Every August a record-breaking number of people can’t wait to get their hands on the September issue of Vogue. The 2007 issue was and remains the biggest ever, weighing over four pounds, selling thirteen million copies, and impacting the $300-billion global fashion industry more than any other single publication. An intimate, funny and surprising look at Anna Wintour and her team of larger-than-life editors as they create this must-have Bible of fashion, Cutler explores the untouchable glamour of Wintour’s Vogue to reveal the extraordinarily passionate people at its heart. He takes us behind the scenes at Fashion Week, to Europe, on shoots and reshoots, and into closed-door staff meetings, bearing witness to an arduous, entertaining, and sometimes emotionally demanding process.

At the eye of this annual fashion hurricane is the two-decade relationship between Wintour and Grace Coddington, incomparable Creative Director and fashion genius. They are perfectly matched for the age-old conflict between creator and curator. Through them, we see close-up the delicate creative chemistry it takes to remain at the top of the ever-changing fashion field.