Serious Frivolities: From Vogel to Vogue

When art director and publisher Lucien Vogel set out to introduce the people of taste in 1910s Paris to the first-ever artist-illustrated luxury publication, La Gazette du Bon Ton, neither Vogue France (then Vogue Paris) nor British Vogue existed. Yet, just a few short years after Bon Ton's founding, both editions became imperative to the culture, as did the artists who illustrated their pages, many of whom were plucked straight from the pochoir prints of Vogel's illustrious Bon Ton. Vogel, too, soon found his way into what would become the jewel of Condé Nast's publishing empire, for it was he, alongside his wife, Cosette de Brunhoff, who was entrusted by Nast with taking the helm at Paris Vogue during the magazine's early years. Over 100 years on, the influence of Vogel's revolutionary outlook on fashion as fine art is irrefutable, not only seen in the pages of 1910s Bon Ton but also in the countless editions of Vogue Paris he helped publish thereafter Reflecting on both Vogel's ingenuity and publishing prowess (not to mention his extraordinary influence on Condé Montrose Nast), Serious Frivolities host and Bon Ton collector Judith Watt is joined by curator and British Vogue Contributing Editor Robin Muir to discuss the parallels between Vogel and Vogue, relishing the story of how the former went on to found the latter and, most importantly, how Vogue’s eye for fashion, flair, and frivolity was modelled in the pages of Bon Ton first. Visit SHOWstudio: https://www.showstu