Fired Vogue editor burns down the house in blisteringly candid interview
The inner machinations of Vogue have been a source of intrigue and fascination for many years now. But, one former British Vogue editor just lifted the lid on what it's really like to work at Vogue. And, her account reads much like something out of The Devil Wears Prada.
Lucinda Chambers worked at British Vogue for 36 years, 25 of which were served as fashion director, but left the magazine in May 2017. For the first time since her departure, she has spoken out in a scathing interview about what really went down. The candid interview was published on fashion blog Vestoj, but subsequently taken down. A cached version of the interview was being circulated on Twitter, but some time Tuesday morning the blog put it back on the site with an editor's note.
At the time of Chambers' departure, British Vogue published an article announcing Chambers would "step down". But, Chambers' version of what happened doesn't quite tally up with this.
"A month and a half ago I was fired from Vogue. It took them three minutes to do it. No one in the building knew it was going to happen," begins the interview with Chambers.
"The management and the editor I’ve worked with for twenty-five years had no idea. Nor did HR. Even the chairman told me he didn’t know it was going to happen. No one knew, except the man who did it – the new editor [Edward Enninful]," she claims.
When contacted by Mashable, a spokesperson for Vogue said: "It's usual for an incoming Editor to make some changes to the team."
"Any changes made are done with the full knowledge of senior management," the statement continued. The spokesperson declined to make any further comment on Chambers' interview.
"There are very few fashion magazines that make you feel empowered."
But, Chambers' honesty didn't end there. Oh, hell no. Chambers admitted that she hasn't read Vogue "in years" and that fashion magazines have "lost the authority they once had" and are no longer "useful".
"There are very few fashion magazines that make you feel empowered. Most leave you totally anxiety-ridden, for not having the right kind of dinner party, setting the table in the right kind of way or meeting the right kind of people. Truth be told, I haven’t read Vogue in years," she said.
Chambers said that the clothes featured in Vogue are "just irrelevant for most people" because they are "so ridiculously expensive". She also spoke about the impact of working in fashion on one's mental health.
"You’re not allowed to fail in fashion – especially in this age of social media, when everything is about leading a successful, amazing life. Nobody today is allowed to fail, instead the prospect causes anxiety and terror," she said.
People have taken to Twitter to praise Chambers for her candour and bravery.
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Burn. It. Down.
Topics X/Twitter
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
