The September Issue is a film about leadership, not fashion.

It’s about the epic tome that Vogue produces every September to mark the coming of the new season. This is the time when styles are reviewed, looks are reconsidered and – to hear those interviewed in the film – women have to take fashion more seriously than ever.

We follow Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief who inspired The Devil Wears Prada. Her best quality? “Decisiveness” she says, and this film may be the best example of what that looks like – at least until we get a behind the scenes documentary about Steve Jobs (some draw parallels).

We repeatedly see her reviewing work. She triages with cold efficiency, arms crossed, intent but expressionless, with the occasional comment or question. In one scene we see her eviscerate a photoshoot’s worth of clothes in a few minutes. Later, she scraps an entire set of pictures, requiring a reshoot just days before the magazine needs to go to press. We never see her angry, simply ruthlessly effective.

We also see just how much respect (and affection) she has for those who work for her (like Grace Coddington, the creative director) even as she infuriates them by cutting work into which they have invested their heart and soul.

We respect the likes of Steve Jobs, James Cameron and Anna Wintour because they are absolutely committed to quality. They have negative taste in spades and the willingness (or compulsion) to put that filter above every other social consideration. They are ruthless judges, and are willing to discard and terrorize people who don’t meet their standards. But is that the only way?

Really, this film raises a question (shamelessly inspired by Bob Sutton) that I’ve always struggled with: how much of an asshole do you have to be to inspire the best work?

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