Morley Safer Journeys to Planet Fashion for 60 Minutes

Last night, 60 Minutes aired its much-anticipated profile of Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. It begins with abundant background: Morley Safer chats with Wintour (her face framed in ultra-tight camera shots), shows footage from the magazine’s offices (and The Devil Wears Prada), gets soundbites about Wintour from the likes of Andre Leon Talley, and delves into her upbringing as the daughter of “Chilly Charlie” Wintour, the editor of London’s Evening Standard. But about three quarters of the way through the segment, things change tone and Safer decides that having accompanied Wintour to the fall 2009 ready-to-wear shows, he has earned the right to mock the fashion industry and sartorially critique leading designers.

“To an outsider, these shows are another planet, part dazzling, part Rocky Horror show,” says Safer in a voice-over. “The models seem as angry as they are emaciated, wearing clothes fit for a cadaver, and shoes that make stilettos seem sensible, and a legion of camp followers, and campy followers [cue shot of Italian fashion writer Anna Piaggi], chasing the celebrities du jour and the people who dress them.” A crisply dressed Karl Lagerfeld “this season favors the Dracula look” while John Galliano is introduced as a designer “who some might think needs a better tailor.” Galliano’s boss, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, “has a better tailor.” If that’s the angle CBS was going for, why didn’t they just give this assignment to Andy Rooney? Watch the full segment after the jump.

Previously on UnBeige:

Andy Rooney Flummoxed by Fashion, Fragrances

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