Vogue Icon Candy Pratts Price On Why September Is The January of Fashion

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: "Vogue Icon Candy Pratts Price On Why September Is The January of Fashion"
Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Chloe Malle, Chioma Nnadi, with special guest Candy Pratts Price

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Episode Overview

This episode celebrates legendary fashion editor Candy Pratts Price, examining her iconic influence at Vogue, her impact on digital fashion media, and her enduring dictum: “September is the January of fashion.” The hosts and guests reminisce about career-defining moments, industry evolution, and why September’s energy still defines the fashion calendar. The conversation is rich with anecdotes about old-school Vogue, the changing face of runways, and Candy’s unique approach to trends, digital media, and, of course, shoes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Candy Pratts Price’s Enduring Legacy

• Chioma recalls ghostwriting for Candy in Vogue’s early digital days, receiving memorable, voice-note dictation full of “urgency” (01:18).
• Candy’s phrase "September is the January of fashion" is dissected and celebrated for its cultural longevity (10:47).

Quote

"September is the January in fashion. This is when I changed. This is when I'm going to try and get back into high heels. Because that's the look. The look is sexy. The look is granny."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (11:26)

2. The Magic and Mayhem of Vogue Past

• Nostalgic recollections of Vogue World, the magazine’s grand events, and unique backstage energy (01:39–03:51).
• Iconic moments: Princess Leia’s golf cart ride on the runway, Teyana Taylor’s show-stopping performance, and heartfelt tributes (02:15, 03:20).

Quote

"I keep thinking about certain moments, like Princess Leia on the back of a golf cart zooming down the Runway."
— Chloe Malle (02:40)

3. Trend Forecasting, Merchandising, and the State of Fashion

• Candy on the shifting mood in fashion collections—more global, more wearable, less theatrical (12:13).
• The commercial/creative balance remains central: “The hard job right now is a merchant’s job...” (12:13–13:44).
• Chloe and Candy discuss which trends (Loewe bags, Dior denim midi skirts) will translate into lasting style.

Quote

"They have a very hard job to applaud what they saw because these are new young fashion designers, and they need the encouragement."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (13:44)

4. Anecdotes: The People and the Place

• Hilarious and heartfelt stories about Vogue offices, from 350 Madison and newsstand nostalgia to losing (and recovering) a diamond earring under an elevator (17:02–19:26).
• Candy’s fashion uniform: heels (“no comfort ever”) and devotion to Saint Laurent (20:21–21:32).
• The legendary Vogue closet, “every glove in every length,” and quirky characters like Phyllis Rayfeld, the ever-vigilant fact-checker (21:50–23:52).

Quote

"We were completely committed to that incredible new voyage."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (25:03)

5. Candy at the Forefront of Digital Fashion

• Instrumental role in making style.com (now Vogue Runway) more than just a digital database: “Let’s treat it like a magazine…” (36:45).
• Her visionary work: strong-arming reluctant brands into online coverage and introducing innovative features like Candy Cast—animated, magazine-style video content (36:45–42:43).

Quote

"We wanted to say in Milan, here's what happened. The walls were like this. And you had to have that kind of talent, a writer's talent, not just somebody saying it, like myself."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (38:30)

6. Behind-the-Scenes: Studio 54, Windows, and Working Style

• Early career: window displays at Charles Jourdan, commission-based shoe sales, and fashion-first customer service (30:50–32:18).
• Studio 54 stories: latex from Trash and Vaudeville, riding pants, and the practicalities of dressing for a nightlife scene (33:53–34:56).

Quote

"When the hot pants era came in, we all wore hot pants with the charger done. No. Yep, we did. It was fantastic."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (32:18)

7. Mentorship, Networking, and the Power of Relationships

• Stories about supporting young fashion professionals and maintaining deep industry relationships.
• Candy’s unique mentorship story: future Barney’s director Marina left a resume in a bouquet at Candy’s building (43:12–45:14).

Quote

"She was clever enough…that’s a go getter. I mean, really. I said, stalker—it's feeling like a stalker already."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (45:14)

8. Shoes: The Final Word

• Candy discusses her collaboration with La Roudet, her criteria for stylish-yet-practical shoes, and strong opinions on pointy toes versus “clunky” soles (43:08–46:45).

Quote

"A pointy shoe... not a clunker. Let's just go with not a clunker. Words to my boy. I wouldn't do a construction boot and cross my legs."
— Kandi Pratt's Price (46:27)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11:26 | Kandi Pratt's Price | “September is the January in fashion…” | | 13:44 | Kandi Pratt's Price | “They need the encouragement… it’s depressing to a creative person.”| | 20:43 | Kandi Pratt's Price | "No, but I have the buttons..." (on her Saint Laurent suit) | | 24:59 | Chloe Malle | “It was much more the Vogue closet of films than it is today.” | | 32:18 | Kandi Pratt's Price | “When the hot pants era came in, we all wore hot pants…” | | 36:45 | Kandi Pratt's Price | “Let's treat it like a magazine…” | | 38:30 | Kandi Pratt's Price | “We wanted to say in Milan, here's what happened…” | | 45:14 | Kandi Pratt's Price | “She was clever enough… that's a go getter…” | | 46:27 | Kandi Pratt's Price | "A pointy shoe... not a clunker. Let's just go with not a clunker." |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:18 — Early Vogue.com era, Candy’s trend forecasting style
• 10:47 — Origin and significance of “September is the January of fashion”
• 12:13 — Candy’s read on this year’s fashion weeks
• 17:02–19:26 — Anecdotes: Diamonds, Calvin Klein, and flowers
• 21:31–23:52 — The old Vogue office: newsstands, uniforms, legendary staff
• 29:43 — Office remodeling and camaraderie with Virginia
• 30:50–32:18 — Beginnings in retail, Charles Jourdan, Jackie Kennedy as a customer
• 33:53 — Studio 54 and fashion’s party scene
• 36:45–42:43 — The evolution of style.com and the creation of Candy Cast
• 43:08–46:45 — Recent shoe collaboration and the importance of silhouette

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Overall Tone & Closing

The tone is conversational, peppered with laughter, reverence, and candor. The hosts celebrate Candy’s wit, tenacity, and ability to make even the ordinary seem glamorous. Chock-full of behind-the-scenes lore and practical wisdom, the episode pays tribute to both fashion’s past and present, as seen through Candy’s singular, pointed-toe lens.

Transcript

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Hi, I'm Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue's beauty editor at large. My husband and I talk a lot of ebay strategy together because it is something that we have bonded over since the beginning of our relationship. We've known each other for 20 years, and we've been using ebay for even longer than that, both of us. He's very proud of his five star review, which I have the same. We're pretty popular. We have a really good reputation on ebay.

[Chloe Mao]

This is the run through. I'm Chloe Mao.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

And I'm Cho Minardi.

[Chloe Mao]

Choma. Our episode today is so special because Virginia and I had the chance to speak with our beloved Vogue legend Kandi Pratt's Price.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Oh, my God. Fun fact. I used to be kind of her pseudo ghostwriter and would get voice notes from Kandy to write her posts.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Star.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Yes. Yes.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, my God. So fun.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

It was the best. It was the best. I can still hear her voice note in my head. I wish I'd have saved them all. Oh, my God.

[Chloe Mao]

Her voice sending me voice notes. I would shudder. That's a delight.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Yeah, it was. It was quite something.

[Chloe Mao]

Well, because tell us what she. She was one of the first contributors for thenascent vogue.com, right? And so you would sort of help her write those posts.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yeah.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

And she had this incredible ability to forecast trends, even if they, you know, she'd be feeling a mood and a vibe and anytime. Getting a voice note from her about the urgency of, like, this look is the moment is kind of what you would feel from her. And it was really exciting. She had so much personality and she had so much style.

[Chloe Mao]

All right, Choma, what was your Vogue world experience from afar?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Well, first of all, I want to just say what an amazing experience it was because it is rare for me to be able to rope my. My boyfriend into anything that's fashion related. And he was just as wowed as I was. And we watched it on the big screen. We basically have a projector in the living room of our New York apartment, and we watched it from there, and it was so, so fun. I mean, seeing Hunter Schaefer with that beautiful Orlando costume and the apple, the.

[Chloe Mao]

Original Tilda Swinton Orlando costume.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Oh, my God.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

It was so. It was such a perfect casting. And then my friend was live texting me updates and being like, oh, my God, I'm crying over this Diane Keaton tribute. And it was so.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, I know. That really was an Anna inspo. She really. She figured out how to get the rights to that song. She masterminded that whole thing, and it really, I thought, was extremely touching.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

It was.

[Chloe Mao]

Yeah. I have to say, I just. As it's been a couple of days, I keep thinking about certain moments, like Princess Leia on the back of a golf cart zooming down the Runway. And my favorite of the whole event was milling around before the show and seeing everyone backstage. Because the whole premise of the show was a film set off duty and sort of in between takes. And that's what it actually. It was a meta version of that when everyone was waiting to do the show. And that was really fun to see Bonnie and Clyde having their, like, Starbucks and their jewelry right before going on.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

It was incredible. It was really incredible. And it was so amazing to see Teyana Taylor on the Runway, because I think to me, she's kind of like this year's MVP in a way. She just rules in every single way. And her energy, her performance with Danai on the Runway, that dance was incredible. I heard those rings were insured for, like 100,000.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, my God. I mean, I have to say their breakout was one of the best performing of the night.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

That's incredible. I love to hear that.

[Virginia]

Choma.

[Chloe Mao]

How was the rest of your trip to New York?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

It was really fun. What else did I do? Did I squeeze in another movie?

[Chloe Mao]

What was the first movie?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

I watched Hamnet, a screening of Hamnet, which was very beautiful, very moving, extremely sad. I hadn't read the books. I wasn't quite prepared for the Waterworks, but that was amazing. It stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

[Chloe Mao]

Everyone says it's, like, their favorite movie of the year. I'm very excited.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Yeah. Yeah. I can't wait for everybody to see it. I think it's gonna be really big for awards season. So I saw a screening of that at 10 in the morning on a Thursday.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Wow.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Which. Which, yeah, the guy in front of me fell asleep. I was like. I don't know how, but he did. I was very, very much. My nervous system was very much activated during the entire thing. But it's really a really beau. I saw Ruthman, which I really recommend, which is with Channing Tatum. I mentioned it in the. In the Culture episode. And also one battle after another. So tell me. I know this. It's a big week in New York, and who are you looking forward to seeing at the CFDA's?

[Chloe Mao]

Well, A$AP Rocky is getting the Style Icon award presented by one Ms. Anna Winfour.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Wow.

[Chloe Mao]

We are very excited about that. Peter Mullier is from Alaia is the International Designer Award, so that is always fun to see who he will dress. My beloved Sarah Moonves of W magazine is getting the Eugenia Shepherd Media Award, which is very exciting. And Donatelle Versace is getting the Philanthropic award, which is fantastic.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

So wait, you're going from Halloween into.

[Chloe Mao]

Halloween is this weekend. I'm so excited. I love Halloween. Me and my children and Lloyd and Graham are being Scooby Doo. Obviously Lloyd is being Scooby, I'm being Velma. I'm currently looking for someone who has a orange turtleneck sweater and a red miniskirt. Cause I don't like to buy costumes if I can make them or borrow them. So, yeah, very excited for trick or treating. And then I'm going to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday. And then the marathon is on Sunday, my favorite day of the year in New York City. Alice and I are gonna go to Fort Greene and cheer with some friends there.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

I do low key. I think it's the best place to cheer people on, don't you think?

[Chloe Mao]

Fort Greene is the best. DeKalb is where to go. What else?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

So Givenchy is celebrating 10 years of the Sarabande Studios, which is where. I don't know if you've heard of the Sarabande Studios, have you?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

No.

[Chloe Mao]

What is that?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Sarabande was set up in the memory of the late Lee Alexander McQueen, basically supporting the next generation of designers. So a lot of people have come through that studio. So Sarah's hosting a dinner in celebration of that, which I think will be really beautiful. So I'm excited to see who attends. I think Sarah always brings together such a wonderful crew of people and she's.

[Chloe Mao]

So faithful to her crew. Like it's always the same people. And it really feels like she actually has relationships with the people who love her clothes, which I always love to see.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Yeah, she really does. And it was interesting when she did the Lightroom conversation last year. We had this fabulous dinner and I got to meet some of the women who work behind the scenes and have been working behind the scenes with Sarah. She basically has an all woman team and they're just so committed and it feels like a family. She has decades deep relationships with people in her studio and atelier. And there are vocal tributaries like Camilla Nickerson who have been part of that crew too. So it felt like being at someone's Thanksgiving. It was really lovely, I have to say.

[Chloe Mao]

Choma. When I was in la, I spent a lot of time just sort of angsting about our numbers. But I also was a very rare moment that I read a book because I feel like I'm always passing out and I read.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

I know. I haven't been doing that either.

[Chloe Mao]

I read Lily King's new novel, I'm.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Dying to.

[Chloe Mao]

Candy you.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Just.

[Chloe Mao]

I read it so fast. I love her writing and I think she's so good. So that was a delight.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

I'm literally gonna order it online today. I hope it's out here in the UK because I was gonna buy it at McNally's before I left and I didn't get a chance to.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Yeah.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Oh, I forgot. There is one story that has gone viral on our site that I. Oh.

[Chloe Mao]

Yeah, we should mention that. Is it embarrassing to have a boyfriend? Choma.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Oh my God. This story has gone viral on every single Vogue, British Vogue platform.

[Chloe Mao]

People are crazy.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I know.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

I mean, I do think it. It's actually a really smart piece. Shantae Joseph wrote it and she's a frequent contributor and used to work on a. On a magazine that's very beloved here, a digital magazine called Galdem. She wrote this very smart piece about basically the fact that there's been this whole trend online for hard launching your relationship and that has seems to have faded into obscurity and now everybody is concealing their partners because maybe having a boyfriend is embarrassing. It was very. It was really interesting to read and also quite refreshing, I think. And people are losing their mind about it. So I suggest you all read it and weigh in. Please weigh in on the conversation.

[Chloe Mao]

I am very excited to read it. Yeah.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

You know, apparently being single gives you the. And I'm quoting this from a creator who's quoting the piece. Being single gives you this freedom to say and do what you want. It's absolutely not every woman, but I do know is that we can become more beige and watered down online when in a relationship, myself included. So I guess it's all about centering your yourself and not about centering your partner, which I'm here from.

[Chloe Mao]

We are going to take a short break. We'll be back in a moment.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

It's 11:30pm I'm just about to fall asleep and yet I'm still scrolling ebay looking for YSL quilted satin transparent Moto Miss 60 deadstock. An antique Edwardian blouse I'm actively bidding and putting in best offers on ebay before my head hits the pillow. That's actually what lulls me to sleep at night and then waking up in the morning checking to see who responded to me. This is a normal day.

[Virginia]

Foreign.

[Chloe Mao]

We're so happy to have you here. Welcome to the run through. This is a real treat for us. And I have to say just preparing for this interview has been a delight to take a stroll through Candyland. But I do feel like the youth really hang on to your. September is the January of fashion and it becomes something that is resurfaces each year. But I had forgotten the whole quote, which was from the September issue, which really made me laugh going back to it, which was September is the January in fashion. This is when I changed. This is when I'm going to try and get back into high heels. Because that's the look. The look is sexy. The look is granny. What does that mean?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Well, not, you know, granny. There was a shoe store called Granny get yout Shoes. And it was during the time where Betsy Bunnke and Nene also existed in the 50s and where Norma Kamali started. And shoes were very branny looking. Meaning I've always loved a spectator. I kind of love that 40s pump look. I'm now into a very pointy shoe. But it just. For me, I think it was fashion talk.

[Chloe Mao]

And I want to know what you thought about this September. This felt like a real January in some ways. It was a real new day for fashion. What were your. You weren't in Paris, but what were you thinking from afar when you were looking at the collections from afar?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

It felt global to me. Watching Milan and watching Paris, I did feel that there was a deep concern for clothes. Not so much an extravaganza of Broadway play acting it out. It was really. They were sort of considering. I think the hard job right now is a merchant's job on how to take those and make them like, I want to have it. I want to have it. Because some of it is so quiet. Oh, that's interesting that you say, do I really want it or do I need it? Not to mention the state of this economy, which has nothing to do. Not their problem. It's the way the situation is, which is terribly unfair and too political to discuss.

[Chloe Mao]

That's interesting that you say that. I felt like a lot of us were saying in reaction to quite a few of the shows how exciting it was that shows felt dynamic and boundary pushing, but also very commercial and that they really had a lot of very wearable pieces. So I wondered if for merchants it did make it easier. Like that Loewe collection. There were a lot of great bags that I think people would want to buy. The same with Dior, those denim midi skirts. Some ladies are Definitely going to buy those. And I wonder if sort of what people are going to be pulling out of that and actually recreating or what trends will really sort of stand the test of time when things hit stores.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I mean, we'll see how it all goes. I mean, they. They have a very hard job to applaud what they saw because these are new young fashion designers, and they need the encouragement. And the last thing you need is somebody coming in from the back from corporate or saying, then sell, then sell, then sell. You know, that is so, you know, depressing to a creative person. I mean, even if you say, I don't care, you do care. Of course you care, you know, and you want to see it worn, and you just don't want to see it worn because it's going to an event and you borrowed it or whatever. You want to know that people are like, I think when we were here, when I was here with you and actually with you, because you came as Andre's assistant. And of course, I was sitting in that small office, which he had, which he thought considered was a shower, and my desk was outside of his. So whatever arrived for me was his. In other words, it didn't matter. And I said, but the flowers are mine. He thinks that they were his. Then he would leave his office and had a typewriter I'd be looking at on it. He had a big typewriter, and he would type away and do all his faxes. He never really sat in what he called, it's a shower. I don't fit in here. I said, well, if we take a little bit of the stuff out, you know what I mean? We could remove some stuff. I, of course, had an assistant underneath the desk, which was Christina and. Exactly. And you. Lovely you. When my father passed away, I didn't even really know you. You left a little book on my desk. Thank God he didn't think it was for him. And you said, I found when my father passed away, that this was helpful. I went, this girl's gonna be working, you know, I mean, who buys a little book and leaves it secretly?

[Chloe Mao]

I can't even remember what book it was.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

It was a little notebook, empty notebook. I do, you know, with the ribbon. And saying it helps, you know. You know, he, of course, made all the exclamations in the world. You must start filling it in. You know what I mean? Like, I have something to do now.

[Chloe Mao]

I feel like that was a very 25 me thing to do, because it's sort of presumptuous to give an Empty journal to someone.

[Virginia]

But.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Well, no, you were.

[Virginia]

You were.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

No, you wrote that you felt that when your father had passed, and that was. It had helped.

[Chloe Mao]

Well, it's true. But.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

In any case, I knew. You knew then. And then, of course, since we all had to do whatever Mr. Talley said. Yeah.

[Virginia]

So I was telling Chloe when we were talking, they were putting together our little prep for the thing, and they said, oh, something about a funny story. And I said, oh, I have quite a Candy story, because it.

[Chloe Mao]

Actually, Cindy looks quite nervous.

[Virginia]

No, this is before I came to Vogue. Candy really helped my career in a huge way even before I came to Vogue. And I don't know if you remember this, Candy, but I was at Calvin Klein. I was relatively new there, I think, actually very new.

[Chloe Mao]

What were you doing there?

[Virginia]

I was head of pr, and we had a new shoe line. And you, I guess, were the accessories director at Vogue at the time.

[Chloe Mao]

Candy, was that your first role at Vogue?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yeah, Fashion director, accessories.

[Chloe Mao]

Yes.

[Virginia]

So you were coming up to see the new Calvin Klein shoe collection at Schwartz and Benjamin at the Fuller Building. Do you remember this? So I'm there with Calvin. I mean, here's a man who, you know, legend. I barely have known the man, you know, petrified. So you walk in and you're, like, very upset. And it turns out somewhere along the way, one of your, like, diamond earrings had fallen off. And so, you know, Kennedy's obviously upset. We're looking for the diamond earring. I'm sort of dispatched to go downstairs. I'm looking everywhere. I'm out on the street. And then I say to the guy, can I look in the. You know, like the service. Like the bottom of the elevator. Service elevator. They go, no, I can't get you in there now. Or the elevator bank. So I can't get you in there. The super's not here. Da, da, da, da. So I go back upstairs. By this time, the appointment is just. The appointment's over before it began. And I tell you and Calvin, they're gonna look in the service bank. Elevator bank. And Calvin's looking like, what's an elevator bank? And so anyway, everyone leaves and we go back. No Diamond. Candy's still upset. It was not. It was certainly not the dream appointment I was hoping to have at Calvin Klein. Except for the fact that about an hour later, I get a call from the super of the Fuller Building. And they went down in the elevator bank and found the diamond earring. So I called inside the elevator. You know, I think it fell. I think I'm probably calling it the wrong thing, but you know how it really fell on that little crack?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

The ledge where the door clawed?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Yeah.

[Virginia]

So it went down beneath the elevator, and somehow they figured out how to find it. Anyway, so I tell Candy this great news. I get a bouquet of flowers from Candy, right? With a note, you're a star. Which I think I kept for 100 years. But most importantly and most graciously, Candy actually called Calvin and said, you know, Virginia did such a nice thing. From then on, I was good.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

It was good.

[Virginia]

If Candy liked me, Calvin liked me, it was all fine.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

And then I could call Virginia anytime. Oh, yeah.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Then I.

[Virginia]

Then I knew I always owed Candy. I was like.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I said, oh, I need a day for mtv. I want to get to Calvin. And she got him for me. You did.

[Chloe Mao]

Kandi, I want to talk about when you first came to Vogue, set the scene. What year was it? What were you doing? Where were you coming from? What was your interview with Anna like? Who were you working alongside?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I came six months after Ana, so I was at Harper's Bazaar. And again, attributed to Polly was all the. I mean, Polly was still there. Paulie Merlin. I believe Jade was already stepping along.

[Chloe Mao]

Will you use last names for the uninitiated? I'm sorry. I know they.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Jade Hobson, Polly Mellon.

[Chloe Mao]

I know people live like Madonna here, but I just like all of our listeners to have full context.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Okay? And I mean, everybody.

[Chloe Mao]

Carlene surfed a dozen.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Colleen Surf. As we knew her, we dropped the, you know, I mean, she may do initials, but we dropped it. We just said, it's Carlene, sir. And no, I met with Donna. I know exactly what I was wearing. I was wearing a Saint Laurent red suit with big brass buttons on it.

[Virginia]

Do you still have it?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

No, but I have the buttons.

[Chloe Mao]

Pantsuit or skirt?

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Suit.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Skirt.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Ooh.

[Virginia]

Okay.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Short.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Ooh.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Wow. And we met. We talked. What jewelry? Oh, I think a Saint Laurent necklace. You know, heart necklace. I was completely passionate about being Saint Laurent, you know, thought I should be working for Saint Laurent or I should live with Saint Laurent. You know, it was like a commitment, you know, I felt the same about, you know, Lacroix. I wanted to move to Arles with him once, but I interviewed with both Polly Carleen, who else must have seen me. Andre had already introduced me, so he didn't go through the question, you know.

[Chloe Mao]

And it was Four Times Square. It was before when it was at.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

What's it called, Four Times Square? No, 350.

[Chloe Mao]

350.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

350.

[Chloe Mao]

We were all 350 Madison was 350.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Madison Avenue, New York City. Don't want to know the.

[Chloe Mao]

Thank you, Candy.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Cross Street 40th, right next to Brooks Brothers. Had two entrances. Newsstand was in the bottom. Oh, I know.

[Chloe Mao]

No one has newsstands anymore.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

They're in the bottom. Newsstand was heaven. Was heaven. I mean, we ran some petty cash bills in that newsstand because it was easy to carry them all up. Those wonderfully thick French Vogues and Italian Vogues. Yeah. And you just took them upstairs, you know, it was fantastic. And you could be sent downstairs to get anything now. And so that's how it started. And at 3:50, Kay Hayes was still there, and she was the shoe editor. So I was put in a room. Elizabeth Saltzman was there and Gabby Delay was there. We all had offices at that time, you know, and I was with the big office and then everybody else's office. And ours was bare, the loading and the shipping department. And we were in fax machines at the time. And we had a fabulous woman called Phyllis Reifell. Oh, my God.

[Chloe Mao]

Phyllis was here forever.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

She was the fact checker.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, I know.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

And she would constantly go and pick up my faxes and come over and she would say, missy, you have another party you're being invited to. And I'm thinking, she is so nosy. So anything that was coming in for Studio 54, she would, like, know my life.

[Chloe Mao]

For reference, Phyllis Rayfeld was still at Vogue when I started in 2011 and was in her 70s at the time, but would sort of pace the halls after hours, too, like the sort of the ghost of Rebecca down.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

And would correct you like, it is not a ballerina. You know, it is. This is not a ballerina. It's a Mary Jane. And you go, okay, okay, we got it.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, I thought you were saying a dancer. I was like, what is it you mean?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I see everybody's copy. She was fantastic.

[Virginia]

Yeah, she was fantastic.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Fantastic person to have. Because we had the library, too, to fact check everything. So that was my tenure there.

[Chloe Mao]

What would you wear? What were people wearing to work? What was the sort of typical uniform? Was this a high stiletto?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Definitely. I was in a heel all the time, that's for sure. I mean, there was no comfort ever, even the picture. And I was comfortable, quite comfortable. And could run, you know, to 7th Avenue with them back and forth. I mean, it did not matter. I think everybody did, except for Polly. I mean, I never saw Polly in a stiletto. She had a very simple slingback. And, you know, her Kitten Hill I.

[Virginia]

Feel like I always think of her as like a black slingback Kitten Hill or something. Polly. Or a flat.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yep. A Belgian. She had a Belgian. Yes, she had a Belgian, which I loved also. But she would. Because she would be. Stayed in that closet. Everything happened in this big closet, which was so beautiful because scarves were done in like, from baby blue to aqua to navy blue. Every glove in every length, you know, opera length, you know, carved. Everything was done in the clothes.

[Chloe Mao]

It was much more the Vogue closet of films than it is today.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Exactly. Not the closet we later got and everything. You had umbrellas, parasols, in case anybody needed one.

[Chloe Mao]

More the funny face type of vibe.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yes, exactly. And I had a safe in my office because, remember, when shoots went late, you either had to drop it in the general safe when the assistants came back or there was a little safe in my office. I think that Ana is quoted saying that my office looked like a nightclub.

[Chloe Mao]

Who did you have lunch with?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I think in the first couple years, there wasn't much of a lunch thing. But later, you know, as she was starting the magazine, we were really cranking. Those six months was all focus of making the new Vogue. And, you know, it took hours to be. We never left. I mean, I had four assistants. And at 9pm they were still talking to Carlene about hoop earrings or, you know, do you have a cashmere scarf in this color? And the same thing with Polly. I mean, we were completely committed to that incredible new voyage.

[Virginia]

A lot of time was devoted to shoots at that time. You know, it's a different. It wasn't. You had that luxury, I feel, you know, same with me. When I got here, you know, I had Grace and Phyllis and Tahni and, you know, there was a lot of. I mean, Phyllis would do those one, you know, those one off pictures with like Stephen Kleiner and she Irving. Irving Penn. And, you know, we would have, you know, run throughs for like the chickens for chicken neck. And, you know, it was like. And there was a Chihuahua.

[Chloe Mao]

I want to hear more about chicken run throughs.

[Virginia]

Yes. We had to have castings for whatever animal was. Or whatever animal fruit plant was appearing in Mr. Pyn's photograph.

[Chloe Mao]

So would the chickens come to Four Times Square?

[Virginia]

There was definitely some chickens. And I remember a Chihuahua.

[Chloe Mao]

Wow.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I also remember Shirley Lord was. And so was Katie Mowron and Julia Reed. And I think one of my biggest. The biggest thrill I've ever had about being at Vogue was being invited to the features meeting because Anna had a monthly features meeting of which the food editor, Jeffrey Seingarten, Julia Reed. Dodie would go and just sit.

[Chloe Mao]

Dodi Kazanchin, our fearless art critic writer.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

You would be listening to the world, everybody. You knew the movie. You knew that coffee was going to be big because Jeffrey just came back and munching cocoa beans. And he went on. Dodie said, great new artist, man. Could have been Curran or it could have been Rachel. You were being filled with so much information, which made me immediately run back to the accessory department and think, brown pearls. I think this is what we need. We need chocolate colored pearls. I can sense it's coming, you know, portraits. That's it. Rachel finds in portraits. We need jewelry that works in a portrait, you know, and that is a big thrill of being in a journalistic situation. And I think because Anna came from a newsroom kind of upbringing where people actually talk to each other and people don't send a JPEG of a shoe. You know, we had the shoes come in. They laid them all on a table. We would then call Ana. She could look at it. I would say, I want to do the fuchsia satin. I think satin for day is my favorite thing. She listened to it for a while, you know, not a lot of reaction. But, you know, I did get some okays. And, you know, between Virginia's rack coming down the hallway and my charm bracelets.

[Chloe Mao]

Virginia's rack is a bit much, no?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Virginia.

[Virginia]

Well, Candy and I, when we got to one.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

No.

[Virginia]

Where were we before? Four Times Square.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Four Times Square.

[Virginia]

Our offices were next to each other for a while and we did have a lot of fun. Next.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yeah, that's when I wanted it to be a big office. Virginia said, what about a paint job? I thought, a paint job, we could remodel here.

[Virginia]

Candy wanted to put a little pass through so we could communicate.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yeah, like a loft. And then she said, and I wanted her to get rid of the sofa. She said, but, you know, my team comes in to look at the boards. I said, you don't want them in here. You want to.

[Virginia]

Candy's like, oh, you don't want those people staying in here for long. You know, Grace lingers. Virginia, you gotta get her in and out quickly.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Exactly.

[Chloe Mao]

The run through will be back in a moment.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Sometimes people ask me which search terms I use whenever I'm on ebay. So I search a lot of dead stock. That's a term that I throw in there a lot. Deadstock means that no one's ever worn it before, but it is like an archival piece or it's a Vintage piece. And so that's a great. There's a ton of dead stock vintage. And it's just kind of, like, comforting to know that, like, you're the first person taking this, like, piece on its maiden voyage, even if it's 50 years old. Ebay offers this departure from the everyday that ends up feeling totally you.

[Chloe Mao]

Kandy. You started your career at Bergdorf's and at Bloomingdale's, and you were doing amazing window displays. And you were also. Were you buying there also or.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

I started my career after FIT at Charles Jourdan, which is where the Wimpy store is now, in the Peninsula Hotel on 55th and 5th. There. I asked them if I could do the windows. And they had imported all the staff from the French store from Paris to sell shoes. So I said, how about if I can sell shoes? And surprisingly enough, this is now in the 70s. The commission for selling shoes was 11%. So I'd say that doesn't sound bad. But the shoes were in the basement and you had to come up every time. And all the girls only spoke French, so they would greet a customer with, bonjour, madame. And I could say, hi, how are you? So we had fabulous customers. And I took care of people like Jackie Kennedy. I mean, all of those ladies who knew the brand.

[Chloe Mao]

What was Mrs. Kennedy like?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Quiet, fabulous, very narrow foot. Triple A. I remember that. Slim. We took the box with him. Things were done sent. It was fantastic. We were all given free hair appointments once a week. Very French grooming.

[Virginia]

Oh, that's amazing.

[Chloe Mao]

I would love that.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Once a week. When the hot pants era came in, we all wore hot pants with the charger done. No. Yep, we did. It was fantastic.

[Chloe Mao]

Can you just set the scene of what years? Ish.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

It's like 74, 75.

[Chloe Mao]

Wow.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

So now the girl who was doing the windows is now going to Paris. Back to Paris. And I said, hello, remember me? I want to do windows. And they said, okay. And I thought I had five enormous windows. And I went over to moma and I said, look, I've got five windows, and I really, really would love to borrow some art. I'll give credit. And you gotta bring them over, obviously. And so they said yes. And that began the sensation of sort of the street theater window, because once the door is closed, you can do nothing but sell through a window. That's all you can do.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Yeah.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

So. And that lesson was given to me by Carla Fendi. So Marvin Traub took notice, called me, and said, we'd like you to come and Work for Bloomingdale's. Now, Bloomingdale's is 33 stores and 103 display staff. I had nothing before that, and I said, okay. Took the job. By now, I was quite a party girl at Studio 54. Who would you.

[Chloe Mao]

Go to Studio 54 with? And what would you wear?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Mules. Riding pants with mules. Bandeau tops. I mean, it was a big deal. You know, something shiny. Rhinestones, you know, patent leather, you know, went down, you know, got whatever latex, put it on.

[Chloe Mao]

Where are you buying your latex at this time?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

At the time, there was the store downtown, which I'm now Trash in Vaudeville. Trash in Vaudeville.

[Virginia]

That was such a thing.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yeah. And that's like an hour to just get one on. You gotta put baby powder. Get them on. That's how you.

[Chloe Mao]

Do you need help getting them on, or can you do it yourself?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Well, you. If you. I didn't have nails. You can do it yourself. But people who don't, who have nails have to be very careful. Oh.

[Chloe Mao]

Because the nails pierce it. Interesting.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Yeah.

[Chloe Mao]

And then do you have to. Because remember, there was a whole sort of trend a couple years ago of people wearing latex. Like, Jenna Lyons wore it. And she told us that she had to then oil it to make it shiny when she wore it. But then she couldn't lean on any furniture when she was out.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Is that to do Vaseline?

[Chloe Mao]

Okay, that's still not great for upholstery, I guess there's not a lot of upholstery at Studio 54.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

You have to do what you had to do. But in any case, that's how it happened. And then from Bloomingdale's, I worked at Bergduff Goodman as the information girl. Before Bloomingdale's, I worked as the information girl at Bergdorf Goodman when the entrance was still on 58th street and the Goodmans still own the store. But really crazy thing was that it was a booth out right by the 58th Street. And you had to sit down and sense that somebody had walked in and pop up and go, welcome to Bergdorf Goodman, madam. And they also had a room for special guests. People like Elizabeth Taylor who would walk into the store, be taken to this one room. Button was pushed, bar opens, she sits. And then we would come around and do things like wear the earmuffs in Ming. Cause she was going to, you know, de St. Moritz, and she would order cashmere sweaters, and we'd bring them all in. We said absolutely nothing. But anyway, because it went from there. And then I When I was at Bloomingdale, I became a fashion director with Kyle Ruttenstein. And then from there I went to Harper's Bazaar and then I came to bulk. So my retail information booth display.

[Virginia]

Tell us about your infamous candy cast. That was so ahead of its time.

[Chloe Mao]

It really was.

[Virginia]

It really was so phenomenal, so charming. Tell us.

[Cho Minardi (Choma)]

Describe it.

[Virginia]

Yeah, describe it to us. And how did it come to be?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

When I go into style.com, style.com was basically just covering shows. And we were. Everybody else was doing the same thing. They were running shows. And Asana gave me the opportunity to go to style.com, we started now to say, let's treat it like a magazine. Let's not treat it like an electronic information center where people were just scrolling the clothes. A lot of the houses were not even allowing people to do that. Chanel didn't allow. I had to beg to get Chanel to give us the film. So eventually we worked it out that we needed to do a good edit. And, you know, with always, of course, the counseling and conversations numerous times with Anna saying, you know, it's gotta look like a magazine and, you know, what are your ideas? And I said, well, let's just do 100 or, you know, and that annoyed many people. And then people were begging and wondering why they were not included in it. That's exactly what the mission was. You gotta start to fall in love with wanting to be in this real estate.

[Virginia]

But Kandy, just to say, I mean that you were like a force in getting these brands who were at first very reluctant to be a part of it and, you know, you single handedly strong armed in a very nice way, I'm sure these brands who you obviously had a great relationship with and it wouldn't have happened without, you know, really your, your genius and your tenacity to do that. So that should be said.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Well, I think it has to do with the training and wanting it to be the proud vogue brand that we were. And, you know, if it was gonna be, it was no different. And There was no vogue.com, but it was still Vogue. And, you know, I was part of what Ana wanted and what Ana sees and how it should all go. And then we said, what about getting them to wake up for item of the week? So then we started this thing with item of the week. And then we started to get. And it didn't matter whether it was white pencils, and we thought you should get this the item or a new lamp. You know, either Laird found and Remember Laird. God bless Laird. The historian. Laird Borelli, an amazing historian who also was in New York while we were in Europe doing the shows and was able to identify the model. Cause then we got into all the sticky things that come in. Like you gotta name the girl, you gotta name the agency you got. You know, it's not just number eight from Chanel that Rules started to come in and everybody was really working hard. And we had. Then we hired Nicole and she was fantastic for the writing and keeping up because we were really borrowing writers. We would borrow Hamish to cover some shows for us. We had Sarah Moore do the write ups because nobody was doing reviews. And it wasn't a [e-mail] was going to be negative or positive. It was. We just wanted to take you to the. We wanted to say in Milan, here's what happened. The walls were like this. And you had to have that kind of talent, a writer's talent, not just somebody saying it, like myself, let's put it that way. So then it came about that we. Advertising, they were only banner advertising at the time. Couldn't deal with it. So I said, there's. But of course, how do you tell the new houses that we don't want the money? Because I don't like their advertising. I said, we need to sell the package. Like somebody needs to come in and buy, like, you know, Nikon. Someone needs to buy that looks good or service or a good car service. But I can't deal with these little things happening all over the place. So I said. Then we came up with Candy Cast and we tried it and we said, let's see if we can do the animation and get us to be moving. Everything was moving so quickly everywhere. And we got a studio and I had Bruno Frissoni do my illustration and we had sort of a screen in the back. So, yes, I'm sitting with a computer. We wanted everyone to know that we were an electronic service. And we then would. I would make a book of all the things I wanted to do and I have them all. I have them all in a binder. And I would pick from the collections. Then we'd go into a studio, very Dionne Warwick. I would wear my earphones. They would be all pinned on the wall and I would start talking. Wow. And the good thing is that the editors, which was Harris Levinson and Melissa Haggerty, were editing an hour's worth of this so that you could do one minute. And then that was it. And then it became a thing where if I wanted to talk about Boxes. We did it. And everybody kind of could hear me one without seeing it. But you knew it was alive. That's what I liked about it. It seemed very alive. And, yes, I think we were way ahead of our time. Way ahead of our time in doing the Avatars, the animation.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

Yeah.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

But it was edited.

[Chloe Mao]

It's like Second Life by Professional Times.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

It was edited by good people. I mean, people were. You know, we were sitting at Vogue still. Yeah. And that's. It's not easy to get the access or. It wasn't a question. It was millions of dollars. It really wasn't. But everybody wanted to play in the grounds of Vogue. And all you have to do is say, this is gonna be her, and, you know, it's gonna be good for you.

[Chloe Mao]

Kandy, I wanna hear about the shoes that you're wearing.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

My shoes. Okay. These are my shoes. And I have been approached to do many, many things after leaving Vogue, but a collab became. I hired this girl, and Dirk Standen actually was at Vogue, and now Tyler Thorenson was covering our men's collection, and they were gonna go to Milan for the first time. And I said, I'm not going. There's a lot here. So we hired Marina as a fashion editor. And I said, take her. She speaks many languages. She's great. She's got a lot of energy. I love her. And they took Marina to Milan. She was a great success. She worked really close with Nicole. After I was gone, she covered the market like crazy. She later went on to go to Teen Vogue, and she then became the fashion director of Barney's. I mean, she has that eye, that energy. I mean, she's very passionate about everything that she does. And then she owns her own shoe collection, La Roudet. And she said, will you do? And I said, no, no, no, no. And I said, remember how we met? Okay. And we met because she left flowers in the lobby of my building. And the doorman said, some girl left these flowers here for you. And, you know, not to be ostentatious, but I get flowers lots in those days. A lot of flowers. And there was a resume in it. And her husband got in the elevator with me and he said, if I were you, I would read that. And I went upstairs and I told her, come on in for an interview. And that's how we met. She used to live in the same building. She was clever enough.

[Virginia]

I never knew that, Kenny. That's such a great story.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Clever enough that she's a go getter. So, I mean, really. I mean, that was like I said stalker. It's feeling like a stalker already. So she started the shooting and I finally said yes to her because she does a good product. The selection is excellent. She is not single minded about whether I like a wedge or not or whether it's a thick sole or a rubber sole. She has her customer. She completely gets it. So I said yes. And I said, but I only want to do four styles and I got to do things I like. And I'm not running around in a strappy high heel anymore because there is no car downstairs to carry candy anywhere. So we got to get. I still want to move quickly. I want to get places. And I like when I cross my legs for it to look good. You know, I want it to look long.

[Chloe Mao]

What makes your legs look good when you have them crossed? What shoe type?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

A pointy shoe.

[Chloe Mao]

Oh, okay. So pointy. It's not about a cross strap or anything. Does the strap matter?

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

Not a clunker. Let's just go with not a clunker. Words to my boy. I wouldn't do a construction boot and cross my legs.

[Chloe Mao]

No Blundstones for candy. We're supposed to live by with Kandypretz Price. Kandy, thank you so much. This has been a privilege and a delight for all of us involved.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

It was so nice of you A, to invite me and B, to to be back home and see you girls.

[Chloe Mao]

All right, that's it for the show. See you next week. The Run through is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma and Stephanie Kariuki. It's engineered by Pran Bandy and James Yost. It is mixed by Mike Kutchman. Chris Bannon is Conde Nast's head of Global Audio.

[Arden Fanning Andrews]

My first job in New York City was as a trend forecaster. I do trend forecasting still and ebay is a part of that because I'll search for things that I'm seeing around and it will end up directing me in places that I could have never anticipated. And one of the trends that I'm seeing these days is crafting things that are made by hand. And so playing with clothes and accessories to create something kind of distinctive for your wardrobe is a great way of doing it. Supplies off of ebay is my favorite thing for it. I'll get like, maybe a pair of slippers that I'm wearing right now and then cut them in a specific way and then they're totally my own. And I feel like it's a great resource to create your own trends because then you can both feel like you're bringing something back to life, you're already, like, pulling it out of the ebay archives. And then you're also adjusting it so that it really expresses your own style, which is something that, that people really want right now whenever they are feeling, like, so algorithmic about the style that's being pushed to them. That doesn't have to be perfect. Things can have rough edges, and that sometimes makes them feel more special.

[Kandi Pratt's Price]

From prx.