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subscribe to style file blog via RSSthe grand plan
October 3, 2008 12:29 pm
When it was announced earlier this week that Katie Grand, the London-based stylist and founder/editor in chief of Pop, would be launching a new magazine with Condé Nast U.K. in the spring, speculation among fashion types spun into overdrive. What would it look like? Would Grand succeed in bringing her famously outré vision to the masses? Will Madonna repeat the bondage cover shoot that graced Pop a few issues back? All that remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Grand is moving full steam ahead with her biggest project to date. We caught up with her between shows in Paris for a quick chat about magazines, what she wants to buy for spring, and what’s soundtracking her life at the moment.
You probably can’t say too much about the new magazine, but give us a hint: What’s your vision for it? Will it be like Pop, or something completely different?
I think it will be different, though not completely different. I hope it’s a positive move forward, and that we will be able to work with people we’ve not worked with before. The climate is very different to when we launched Pop eight years ago—I don’t know that I would put all my friends on the cover now—but it felt like the right thing to do then.
Do you know who’s going to be working with you on it?
The team is pretty similar to the one that works on Pop, and we’ll have lots of contributors I have worked with over the years, but some people will be new, and I’m very excited about that. I made a real effort in the last year to work with new photographers and stylists, and it has been great to work with a whole new generation of contributors.
You haven’t worked with a major publisher before—are you nervous? Excited about the budget?
Yes, I am nervous. Emap was a pretty major publisher, but just not recognized for its fashion titles, really—with the exceptions of Grazia and Homme Plus—so it’s going to be thrilling to go to such a powerhouse of fashion titles. I’m really looking forward to it and of course want it to be the best thing I’ve ever done! It’s going to be amazing to have support with distribution and marketing. We’ve never had that before. My aim is to do something as cool as Pop but with a much wider circulation, which I think we will be able to achieve with the incredible marketing budget they’ve given us.
You’ve been in Paris for the shows—what’s stuck in your mind for the upcoming season? Have you made up your spring shopping list yet?
To be honest, I’ve been working flat out at Louis Vuitton, so the only shows I’ve caught have been a few on the Internet. I am desperate for a pair of Marc Jacobs raffia shoes, though—and the Vuitton accessories are pretty exciting.
If you had to run out of your house because it was on fire, what item from your wardrobe would you save?
A 1966 Balmain couture dress from Didier Ludot.
After clothes and accessories, what do you spend your money on?
Errrm. Not much, really—I am a complete clothing junkie. I have all of my magazines bound, though, which is a pretty indulgent expense.
Let’s go over some culture stuff. What’s the last book you read/film you saw/song you downloaded?
I am in love with the soundtrack to The Wackness. I didn’t love the movie, but the soundtrack is ace. And to keep the mood up at Louis Vuitton this week, we’ve been listening to show tunes! When I’m working on a show, I really like to watch television when I get in—no matter what time it is. So I watched Point Break on Saturday night, which was a good release. And I’ve just finished reading Mark Frith’s The Celeb Diaries.
What’s something the world doesn’t know about Katie Grand?
That’s a hard one—I’m pretty open about most things. I slammed my fingers in a door last night and cried quite a lot!
tags: Katie Grand, Pop
