Once Vogue was on track, Watanabe Mitsuko was promoted from acting editor-in-chief to editor-in-chief, while Saito Kazuhiro assumed the roles of president and editorial director of all magazines. Around this time, the website VOGUE.com also began to take on a more serious role. Watanabe Mitsuko assumed the position of editor-in-chief on September 8, 2008, five days before the Lehman Shock. This completely changed the environment surrounding fashion magazines. For Watanabe, it was a start from scratch. "In a sense, I accepted that this was the era, so it couldn't be helped," Watanabe said philosophically. After considering what could be done during this time, the first thing we did was to focus on creating a meticulous magazine, increasing the amount of information and detailing the pages, even delving deeper into certain topics. This was a good opportunity to reassess what Vogue should be like at this time of change and how to create a magazine that would be loved by readers for a long time. Anna Dello Russo, Fashion Director at Large, is a key figure in the current Vogue Japan (as of March 28, 2011, Vogue Nippon was renamed Vogue Japan). Vogue is not only the top fashion magazine in Japan, but also has a rule that it must create products that are globally recognized. "We must remain a magazine that is recognized by the people who make up the global fashion industry and the fashion village. To achieve this, we must maintain and improve the quality of our shoots! This is where Anna's talent shines." Having worked under Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief of Italian Vogue, for nearly 20 years, Anna Dello Russo knows everything about Vogue, fashion, the fashion industry, and how to work with creators.

The fashion meeting held after Paris Fashion Week is attended by Editor-in-Chief Watanabe, Anna Dello Russo, International Fashion Director Jean Clair, International Beauty Director Cathy Phillips, Booking Director Andy Whelan, and Fashion Market Director Saori Masuda. They decide on six cover looks for the next six months (from the latest New York, London, Milan, and Paris collections) and select a photographer. Recently, they have increasingly relied on Patrick Demarchelier, who also shoots fashion for Vogue USA. Once the cover candidates are decided, the general outline for the front of book (FOB) is decided. Since the famous photographers in the Fashion Village begin shooting brand campaign photos after the collections are over, they need to secure their schedules before then.

Vogue is Vogue, expressing the best with the highest quality. The abilities of the editors-in-chief of all 20 Vogue countries are constantly evaluated by Condé Nast, the parent company, on how they manage this two pillars of spirit and localization (the uniqueness of each country) to make their business a success.It is a harsh world in which they compete against domestic media and the international editions of Vogue.

Continued on 6/12. Final part of the Vogue edition.