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Add Texture to GoogleThe opening pages of the monograph *Grace: Now* feature a unique text, written in Grace Coddington’s own hand. This third volume, published by Phaidon, does more than simply conclude a retrospective trilogy; it marks a personal turning point in the British stylist’s career. For the first time in her career as an author, the former creative director of American *Vogue* had to conceive a major editorial project without the support of her alter ego, Michael Roberts, who passed away on April 3, 2023. This void—both professional and personal—runs through the book like a common thread, transforming this fashion retrospective into a vibrant tribute to a friendship spanning more than fifty years.
A Formative Time Together in Fulham
Grace Coddington’s tribute traces the roots of their bond back to a time long before the high echelons of New York fashion. In the late 1970s, as her second marriage to photographer Willie Christie was drawing to a close, she found unexpected support in Michael Roberts. In a story tinged with lucid nostalgia, she recalls Roberts moving into her home in Fulham, London. What was meant to be only a temporary arrangement turned into a defining interlude of shared living.
“He came for a week and stayed nine months, until my divorce papers arrived and we both had to move out,” she writes. Although a room had been set aside for him on the top floor of the house, Michael Roberts often preferred the living room sofa. Their nights followed an unchanging ritual: late-night outings extended by conversations that stretched into the early hours of the morning. Together, they would put the fashion world to rights, dissect their professional ambitions, and share the twists and turns of their respective love lives. This period of living together forged an intellectual and aesthetic bond that would leave its mark on the history of contemporary imagery.
Michael Roberts, the Jack-of-All-Trades of Elegance
To understand the significance of this tribute, one must grasp the scope of Michael Roberts’s work. A journalist, stylist, illustrator, photographer, and art director, this multifaceted creator—born between 1947 and 1948—held the most prestigious positions in the fashion press. From serving as fashion director at *Vanity Fair* to becoming the first fashion director at *The New Yorker*, and through his contributions to *The Sunday Times*, *Tatler*, and *British Vogue*, Roberts established a vision where humor and graphic precision complemented one another.
His influence on Grace Coddington’s work is indelible. He co-authored her best-selling memoir, *Grace: A Memoir*, published in 2012, and wrote the forewords to her previous monographs, *Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue* and *Grace: The American Vogue Years*. Their collaboration even took on more whimsical forms, notably with the GingerNutz trilogy of children’s books. In this satirical series, which he wrote and illustrated, Roberts featured an orangutan model—an affectionate metaphor directly inspired by his lifelong friend’s flamboyant hair and personality.
The Era of Creative Independence
The book *Grace: Now* focuses on the designer’s final decade, a period marked by her departure from her full-time position on the editorial staff of *Vogue US* to pursue a career as an independent creative director. This choice for freedom allowed her to explore new visual territories, documented here through more than 200 fashion photographs. The book showcases her ability to bring together the greatest talents in photography. Thirteen leading photographers contributed to these pages, including Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, Rafael Pavarotti, Paolo Roversi, and David Sims.
Beyond the fashion spreads, the monograph offers a behind-the-scenes look at Grace Coddington’s creative process. Her personal sketches—often drawn on the spot during fashion shows or in the studio—are interspersed throughout the book, providing an intimate counterpoint to the polished work of the great photographers. Prominent figures, such as Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, and filmmaker Sofia Coppola, share their insights to shed light on the methods and influence of the woman who remains a guiding figure in the world of style.
A work of art and a keepsake
From a physical standpoint, *Grace: Now* follows in the tradition of collectible coffee-table books. The 312-page volume (ISBN: 9781837292219) comes in a hardcover slipcase, protected by a transparent acetate dust jacket that underscores its high-end quality. The official retail price set by the publisher is $100.00 USD (approximately €91), for both the standard edition and the signed edition, although some European distributors are listing prices around €74.
The release of this monograph is scheduled for late October 2026. According to distribution forecasts, the book should be available in bookstores between October 20 and 22. This launch will mark the culmination of a necessary act of remembrance for Grace Coddington, bringing to a close a professional chapter that began several decades ago, while paying tribute to the man who, from that sofa in Fulham, never ceased to accompany her on her quest for beauty and narrative truth.