Here you see a painting of Anna Wintour by Geoffrey Raymond. Raymond is stationed just outside the main entrance to the tents with it today, asking passersby to fill in the white space around her head with signatures and fun notes — just like a high-school yearbook! (The fashion industry is just like high school, you know — the front row is the cool table at the cafeteria.) When we saw it this afternoon, the space was almost filled up with signatures, most of them in the vein of “Anna, we love you!” or “Thanks for inspiring a great book and movie!” and one that read “SCAAARY.” It seems like industry types might have identified the most with the third sentiment, because, Raymond explained, many were too afraid to sign the picture. He said three suited magazine-editor ladies took a long look at the painting and shuddered at the thought of writing anything on it. A buyer from Neiman Marcus also stopped by for a gander and couldn’t fathom putting pen to canvas either. Raymond says he tells such scaredy-cats they can whisper what they want to say in his ear, and he’ll write it. But they’re all too afraid of that, too. Sounds like Anna’s still got it.
