The Queen of Vogue: Edna Woolman Chase

Addressing envelopes as a temporary job in Vogue's circulation department led to much more for one woman in 1895. Edna Woolman Chase, the woman who, along with Condé Nast himself, made Vogue what it is today. In 1901, Chase found herself assistant editor to Marie Harrison, the sister-in-law of Vogue's founder and then owner, Arthur Baldwin Turnure; and by 1914, she was the editor-in-chief under Condé Nast.

Nast once said of Chase: "There are few women, I think, whose character and tastes are more essentially feminine; and yet there are few men who bring to the solving of business problems keener insight, broader vision or clearer thinking," Together, Chase and Nast built Vogue from the bottom up and revolutionised the fashion industry. It was Chase and Nast who brought about The Protective Association of French Dressmakers, which made it illegal for the reproduction of a dressmakers dress -without their consent- in poor quality material, sold for pittance and labelled with their name. 

At the time, America's women wore French fashion, and that was what Vogue published. However, when World War One threatened Chase's Vogue of having blank pages, she had a brilliant idea that is still being used today. Chase gathered all of the best American dressmakers and all of the smartest American women and held a benefit showcasing the dressmaker's works. The contributions going to French women widowed and children orphaned in the war. This was not an idea that was particularly easy to execute for Mrs Chase as women in those days didn't divulge the secret of their dressmaker, it took a lot of persuasion for Chase to get the most important women to attend. Once they attended, the others followed.

With a fine-tuned eye for style, Chase insisted her staff wear black silk stockings, white gloves and hats to work. In addition, open-toed shoes were not allowed, as, in her opinion, they were a "horror". Her articles were equally stern, telling the Vogue audience that "The cloche is preeminently a hat for the youthful face" and "Vogue does insist that, before buying a frock, one should look oneself squarely in the legs and temper the length of one's costume to the shame one sees." 

 Relationships with her employees were dealt with in much the same manner. For instance, when a member of her staff tried to commit suicide by throwing herself under a subway train, Chase said to her afterwards "We at Vogue don't throw ourselves under subway trains, my dear. If we must, we take sleeping pills." When British Vogue was set up and failing, Chase was sent to London to sort it out. She hired Alison Settle as editor and insisted on making her into the correct image of a Vogue editor. Forcing Settle to move house twice, as it "wasn't good enough" for an editor to live in. 

However stern Chase was, she was an absolutely brilliant editor who picked up American, British and French Vogue back up off their feet numerous times in her editorship of 37 years, which still makes her the longest in the job to date. An icon to all aspiring Vogue editors. 

Ruby