A Profile Of An Editor-At-Large
Not that many people know exactly what an editor-at-large does, but for British Vogue the role came to be defined by one person for the last 25 years: Fiona Golfar. From getting Robbie Williams naked on the cover side-by-side with Gisele, to coercing and convincing countless others to bare silhouette and soul, it takes a deft touch, a delicate approach and an all-knowing instinct of how to get the best out of one's little black book. Here's how she did it, by those that know her the best.
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"Fiona just has a pitch perfect aesthetic sense. No-one has a better eye, or a more authentic voice and vision. And it works because it’s her personality, there on the page, whether it’s in an article she’s written or a photograph she’s styled: all her warmth and wit, and that rare combination of elegance and cosiness" - Chef and Vogue contributing editor Nigella Lawson
- Mike Trow2/6
"Fiona and I often came to work together and left together. It was what we called the school run. And we would pick apart our day, give each other advice but mostly talk about what was exciting us that week. Whatever she was working on fully engaged and absorbed her. She loved every subject she was given or had thought of, and she wanted you to love them too. Passionate, infuriating, generous, editor-at-large was very much Fiona. Nothing small about her" - former Vogue fashion director, Lucinda Chambers
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"I'll ignore for now the side-eyed one-liners, the speedy cut to the chase to the real story and focus on friendship. From the beginning of blogging for Vogue online when I was a little lacking in direction to the hug of a push towards becoming a contributing editor four years ago, Fiona bestowed breaks without being asked, invested trust without price, and ensured occasional walks or breakfasts planned for one reason concluded on infinite tangents both emotional and professional. Conversations with Fi are always provocative, inspiring, and comforting" - model and Vogue contributing editor, Laura Bailey
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"Fiona is unique. She is irreplaceable, she’s a force of nature. When I suggested that she come to Vogue, it must be 24 years ago, I thought that she would be wonderful at having a good address book and I knew she was very charming and knew a lot of people, but I had no idea that she would embrace so enthusiastically and put so much into it. When I think of the amount of people who she’s brought to the magazine, from Robbie Williams to Wendy Deng, the range of her contacts is extensive. She has extraordinary loyalty. There are a lot of people who know a lot of people, who have a lot of friends, who have a great Rolodex, but very few of them are prepared to turn that into fantastic content for the magazine, and Fiona has always, always been prepared to make the call and ask someone the question. Sometimes it can get dramatic and emotional, but that’s part of why she’s so great" - former Vogue editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman
- Mike Trow5/6
"Fiona makes me laugh, loudly. She has a wonderful spirit, a kind heart and a fizzling, crazy, non-stop, creative energy that makes her such a pleasure to work with" - photographer Mary McCartney
- Henry Bourne6/6
"It’s not entirely exaggeration to say that Fi knows everyone, in every industry. She is like the magazine in that way, working in so many different circles, equally at home at an art fair as a fashion gathering as the Oscars. And the stories really are the best. Fi is a master of them. Whenever the office needed a jolt of energy, there was nothing better than getting Fi to tell a story, whether that was about her mad, muumuu-wearing mother, or the times she slept under the desk at Vogue in her early, wild years, her friendship with Robbie Williams at the height of his moment (securing the Vogue cover on which he bared his bum next to Gisele); the time she went to interview Nicole Kidman in Sweden after damaging her knee (Kidman dropped to the floor and cradled Fi’s ‘bad’ knee in her hands, crying: 'My God, it’s SO swollen!' To which Fi replied, 'Actually, it’s the other one'), to the stories that are unrepeatable and possibly litigious. In other words, the very best sort from the very best sort" - Vogue contributing editor, Charlotte Sinclair
