Former British Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman has released a new collection of essays titled Black Coffee and Red Lipstick: Notes on Living. In a recent interview, the 68-year-old journalist reflected on her career, personal regrets, and the state of modern life.
Shulman served as the editor of British Vogue from 1992 to 2017. Before that, she held editorial roles at British GQ and Tatler. She studied social anthropology at the University of Sussex and began her career as a secretary at Over 21 magazine. Her contributions to fashion journalism have been recognized with both an OBE and a CBE.
Regrets and school runs
When asked what she would change about her past, Shulman pointed to her family life. She expressed regret over not being able to pick up her son from school more often. She noted that seeing other parents at the school gates now nearly makes her cry.
She described herself as stubborn, emotional, and reliable. Despite her high-profile career, she admitted that her most unappealing habit is leaving cupboards and drawers open. She also confessed to disliking her short legs.
Shulman said the single thing that would improve her quality of life is having a more sunny disposition. She also mentioned that her guiltiest pleasure is drinking a bottle of wine while binge-watching television for hours.
Perfection and literature
Shulman shared the most important lesson life has taught her. She believes that if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing any old how. She stated that perfection is the enemy of achievement.
When asked which book she is ashamed not to have read, she said literally the whole canon of classic English literature. She also said she would bring a human voice on the phone back to life if she could choose an extinct thing.
Her happiest moments come when she is lying in the sun next to a swimming pool with a good book. She also named the king as the living person she most admires, citing the amount of work he is doing while going through cancer treatment.
Shulman lives in London and is married for the second time. She has a son. Her previous books include novels and the bestselling memoir Clothes and Other Things That Matter. She also owns a Roger Hilton gouache of a nude, which she described as the most expensive thing she has bought aside from property.
She recalled the best kiss of her life as one on a traffic island in Paddington when she was 28. If she had a superpower, she would choose teleportation to avoid flying.
Source: The Guardian
