The devil not only wears Prada, but also has control over it. Anna Wintour, the notorious “ice queen” has been the main decision maker behind top designers such as Anna Sui, Vera Wang, Oscar de le Renta, and all of the current fashion creators. Wintour has been behind all fashion assessments since 1988, since taking over Vogue. Wintour’s story has yet to be known, besides hear say, and adaptations of her in the media such as, Meryl Streep’s performance in The Devil Wears Prada.

The September Issue is a documentary, by R.J. Cutler, that finally exhibits the immense amount of work that goes into creating the renowned, and heavy issue of Vogue. Cutler followed editor-in-chief Wintour and the Vogue crew during the making of the 2007 fall September issue, the largest issue of the year. Cutler truly captures the essence of a “fashionista’s” dreamland, as well satirizes the fashion world.

Cutler does a remarkable job showing the process that goes into the magazine, and why Wintour is awfully powerful. “People were obsessed with her, and caricatures of her everywhere you looked. Obviously The Devil Wear Prada… there was a character in The Incredibles that was supposed to be based on her. I heard Johnny Depp based his performance of Willy Wonka on her, and now Ugly Betty. Everywhere you looked there was an Anna Wintour, but nobody really knew anything about her,” said Cutler, until now.

With the lens of the camera being the key to this locked and hidden world, people can see exactly what goes into to creating fashion, beauty, fame, and fortune. The real talent with this film is not only did he make the film to be educational, but humorous for those intrigued by fashion, and for those who find it inane. Cutler gives insight of the perplexity of Vogue, “I tried to read it…I couldn’t find the damn table of contents!” Those who have suffered from the mystification of Vogue have felt Cutler’s pain, but now with his film, the fashion world becomes lucid.

Throughout the documentary, the audience comes to realize there is two parts of Wintour, the component portrayed by the media, which in fact can be true. In once scene Oscar de le Renta shows his collection to Wintour, and she completely tears him apart. The man to be considered on of the fashion Gods, and Wintour over rules his decisions. Wintour is the sole decision maker of what is “in” and what’s “out”. After being behind the scenes Cutler said, “You can make a movie without Steven Spielberg’s blessing, and you can publish software without Bill Gates’ blessing, but you can’t really succeed in fashion without Anna Wintour’s blessing…If you want to be a fashion designer, you better get Anna Wintour’s blessing.”

The audience also captures her humane side. She gave one designer, Thakoon, a life opportunity, bringing him from the bottom of the designer thread chain, to the top of well-known designers. Thakoon, was a winner of a design contest for the GAP, and due to Wintour, she made him a huge sensation. “Anna is like Madonna,” said Thakoon in the film. Several people in the film state that Wintour is one of the most powerful and influential people in the world: she decides how one will express themselves through fashion.

Though Wintour brings the business to Vogue, Cutler discovers during filming where the beauty for Vogue is formed. Grace Coddington, the creative director of Vogue. In the documentary, this is where the audience sees the films theme, the fashion world divides into business and art, as well as how the two combine. Before this film, only a small population knew of Coddington’s existence, but without her Vogue would never be as successful. All the theme spreads, for those of you who are familiar with Vogue, (the Alice in Wonderland them, the 1930’s theme, and now the Red Riding Hood them of this year’s September issue) it is all Coddington’s ideas. People not interested in the fashion industry, but the art of fashion, can connect to this film through the segments with Coddington. Though the two women behind the cover of Vogue seem completely polar opposites, they create a dynamic duo, making an amazing subplot for the film.

As a result, this film receives an “A”. This documentary breaks down the complete fashion world: why fashion is of importance, the history of Vogue, the fascination with Wintour, the business portion of the industry, the art of fashion that Coddington brings, and the seven month construction of the September issue. The fashion world is pervasive; therefore, why not learn about what goes into the making. The way the documentary is filmed, it is light hearted and more of a movie with little subplots. Anyone, male or female, can enjoy this film. The film is funny, witty, and intriguing. Just to see the behind the scenes, and the confrontations between the designers, Coddington, and Wintour is like watching an episode of The Office, without the actors and script.