Former Vogue Paris Editor Joan Juliet Buck Talks About “The Price Of Illusion”

Joan Juliet Buck, the only child of larger-than-life film producer Jules Buck, was born into a world of make-believe.

Her childhood was a whirlwind of famous faces: John Huston, Peter O’Toole, Lauren Bacall, Federico Fellini, Angelica Huston, and many more; ever-changing home addresses: London, Paris, Cannes, Los Angeles; and the unspoken lesson that appearances mattered more than reality.  When Joan became the first and only American woman ever to fill the coveted position of Editor in Chief of Paris Vogue, she quickly became a force in the cult of fashion and beauty.  Her job gave her the means to recreate for her aging father, now a widower, the life he’d enjoyed during his high-flying years – a splendid illusion of glamour and luxury.  But such illusions cannot be sustained indefinitely, and they always come at a cost.

Lets hear what Joan Juliet Buck has to say about, The Price Of Illusion, her memoir, in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You have been the editor-in-chief of French Vogue from 1994 to 2001, the only American ever to have done so. You have also written for W magazine and Harper’s Bazaar, and were the contributing editor to Vogue and Vanity Fair for many years. The author of two novels, you’ve recently published a memoir, The Price of Illusion, in March 2017. Walk us through your incredible journey in the world of fashion.

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

My first language was french, because my parents left Hollywood for Paris when I was three. I was 19 when I wrote my first book reviews for glamour, worked for the photographer guy Bourdin, and at 23 I became the features editor of British Vogue. From 1980 I was under contract to American Vogue and Vanity Fair. I’d been offered the editorship of Paris Vogue several times, because of my french, but turned it down because I only wanted to write. I was blocked on my third novel when I got the call in 1994, I accepted.

Full Interview on Next Page!

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All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You are a world leading media personality, editor and author. Introduce us to a day in your remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle.

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

I live alone in upstate New York. I wake late because I write late, go straight to work and then wander around the nearby villages of the Hudson valley, Saugerties and Rhinebeck where I have friends old and new. My office is a library contained inside the Morton memorial library in Rhinecliff. I spend a few days a week in New York city, sometimes rehearsing a play or performing a story for ‘the moth’,  seeing friends. Everyone is always working on something. When I’m writing I limit the amount of people I see and try not to travel at all.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What fitness regime or workout routine do you follow to stay fit and healthy?

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

I do yoga and Pilates, and wish I could still take ballet, but my turnout’s not so good any more.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Do you follow some special diet or have a strict menu to remain physically fit?

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

I haven’t eaten gluten for four years because of a skin condition, I don’t drink alcohol at all, but I consume enormous amounts of greens and water. My breakfast is always poached eggs, arugula, and gluten free toast—with very strong coffee.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You have left no stone unturned by your critical view of the fashion and publishing worlds through your memoir, The Price of Illusion. What inspired you to write it?

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

After Vogue was over, it was time to figure out what my life had been . “The Price of Illusion” is about the spells I fell under  — the spell of the magical places I knew in France and Ireland when I was a child, the spell of the famous people around my parents, the enchantment of surfaces and colors, of beauty. The more I wrote the clearer it became that the real spell I was under was the spell of my father.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

If you were to define your life in 5 instances that shaped who you are today, what would those be?

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

My parent’s move to Paris when I was three. I learned french and stayed in french schools.

Ireland, 1959—meeting my godfather’s wife, Ricki Huston, and her daughter Anjelica who would become like my sister.

Meeting Tom Wolfe in london in 1966: I decided to go to college in America and become a writer.

The death of Ricki Huston and then my roommate Eva in 1969, when I was 20. These tragedies altered my view of life.

The realization, in the last few years, that only kindness counts, that humor will get you through most things, and that the best thing to do is create joy.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Tell us about your All-time Favorite Top 3 Fashion Must-haves?

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

For older ladies, Navy Blue is the color.

I love my Uniqlo Outerwear.

Anything by Zac Posen.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What piece of advice would you like to give to the budding and upcoming stylists, editors, writers who wish to enter the fashion/publishing world?

Ms. Joan Juliet Buck:

Go with your talent. Writing is putting one little word after another, using punctuation marks, etc., but it takes forever. The best thing anyone could do is trying to figure out what their true talent is and deepen that. Figure out how to be more than good.

Women Fitness Team thanks Joan Juliet Buck for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.

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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness