For those contemplating a wardrobe declutter or others missing some couture chat, former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman’s new memoir Clothes … and other things that matter, (Cassell) will provide inspiration and plenty of insider information. (Her wardrobe allowance, leaving gift, her favourite handbag and its contents are some of the snippets diehard fashionistas will enjoy).

Shulman begins by taking stock of her wardrobe documenting items into categories (she has 549 pieces) a useful exercise for anyone embarking on a clear out. The inventory yields various insights – she has a surplus of (ill-fitting) bras and numerous (navy) jackets. We also learn that some of these items were gifted by designers. She received two Chanel jackets when she was appointed editor of Vogue, and over the course of her 25-year tenure other bespoke items including an Erdem dress, a beaded skirt from Clements Ribeiro and a Catherine Walker LBD were added.

Shulman thought about what to do with her clothes. “I became more interested in what the different items meant to me. About why I had bought them. What I hoped I might feel wearing them. Why some things I had bought again and again. Why we wear the things we wear and why some we keep and get rid of others. Which we attach emotional value to and why. And what could be said about the world we live in by looking at the clothes we wear.”

She thus weaves biographical detail with sartorial souvenirs, showing in the process how her own personal style evolved, embracing both professional and private roles as editor, mother, wife and girlfriend. An early memory is of a particular Aran sweater worn in her teen years, adding an insouciant scarf on a potentially dangerous trip to Paris. Spanning her childhood in the Seventies, and traversing Eighties glamour, Noughties grunge and millennial athleisure, Shulman has much to offer on these decades, which she decoded for readers of her magazine.

She discusses clothes as armour, from an early favourite Cerruti suit, to clothes as decade defining (notably slip dresses) clothes as costumes, clothes to aid invisibility, for escapist pleasure or comfort (like her numerous dressing gowns). In the process she talks about bikinis, trench coats and the nuances of black as well as beanies and aprons. Undoubtedly her mother, editor Drusilla Beyfuss had an influence on her style – Beyfuss was an early adopter Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto – though Shulman’s own personal aesthetic is more bohemian and she confesses she feels most at home in her arsenal of “Geography teacher dresses” (flared, floral and not particularly fashionable).

Shulman is aware of her critics. She did not have a recognisable style as say Anna Wintour with her riviere and collet necklaces, bob and preference for Prada and Chanel, or her French counterparts – both former models. Carine Roitfeld’s pencil skirts, vertiginous heels and leather jackets or Emmanuelle Alt’s black capris and blazers would not have suited Shulman, whose  signature accessory were her (9 mmm) white Manolo Blahnik stilettos. That said, Shulman could always pull out the stops with “Big Ticket dresses” when needed.

Honesty is an integral part of the book, as is her self deprecating style. Shulman does not shy away from discussing her weight or her womanly shape, her mental health issues, fear of flying and disappointment with how the handover to her successor, Edward Enninful, played out.

My takeaway: Shulman’s wardrobe might be larger than many of our own, but it holds the same mix of memories, online splurges, the hits and misses as well as the vortex we all get sucked into while shopping for a new life-changing item. I’m also with her on the quest to find the right pink lipstick, which thus far has proved elusive.

“One of the most exciting aspects of being a Vogue Editor is that you can create the magazine you want,” says Shulman, “I wanted mine to be beautiful and accessible and relevant.” I’d say the same of this memoir. In addition, the extensive bibliography provides more titles to add to my bookshelves.

Clothes … and other things that matter, Alexandra Shulman, is published by Cassell today, £16.99. 

Main featured image: Linda Brownlee