It's not like I want to write this story; I am a fashion designer who dreamed always of being Anna Wintour's harried second assistant in Devil Wears Prada.
But the announcement today that Vogue World would grace our foggy city on the west coast in 2027 is not especially news that makes sense at first. I'm going to hand the mic to Sam Mondros at SF Standard. Chucked in the bottom of his article today:
Unlike the previous Vogue World cities, San Francisco has never been known as a hub for tasteful dress, let alone haute couture. The city gave rise to era-defining brands like Levi’s, Esprit, and Gap but eventually became better known for what its fashion lacks, thanks to the tech-flavored normcore of the 2010s: branded puffer vests, Allbirds, and other mid-priced smart gear.
San Francisco is a city of denim and hoodies, and no amount of Zac Posen putting sequined GAP silhouettes on celebrities is going to change that. He is in the business of selling more denim, hoodies, and poly blends. He becomes part of today's narrative because when Anna Wintour visited recently—apparently to scout out SF for Vogue World—she supposedly met with Posen afterward.
Saul Sugarman
And to be specifically blunt: he got to GAP after shuttering his business, and now Condé Nast keeps putting out story after story about his comeback, and his love of San Francisco.
The great irony of course is that GAP began as a secondhand store that sold Levi's jeans on Ocean Avenue. So now the denim company that rode the hem of another denim company are sorta besties? And the heir of that is promoting his big win.
"Vogue World will be another opportunity to show the world that San Francisco is on the rise," Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement.
The Bold Italic
I write this news today as if you know about fashion, Posen, Anna, and Vogue World. On the latter, I frankly have read almost nothing on it or looked at their photos, but Vogue World is apparently "an immersive runway and cultural showcase. Each year, the event moves to a new global city, tailoring its theme to highlight the unique history, arts, and local businesses of the host location."
Anna came to North Beach when she visited, so I'm expecting runway models on stripper poles and to have pasta thrown all over them.
It's true we've seen other machinations at work. The designer Thom Browne recently brought Queen Latifah and François Arnaud into the Legion of Honor, in a glamorous show I wish I attended.
But in no specific way does that make it make sense for San Francisco; for fashion, anyway. For money, yes. At this past Met Gala, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos were the lead sponsors, reportedly contributing $10 million, and the couple served as honorary chairs while funding both the gala and the accompanying Costume Institute exhibition.
The 2026 gala raised a record $42 million. Amazon, Meta, OpenAI and Snapchat each bought tables at $350,000, and individual tickets climbed to $100,000 from roughly $75,000 in 2025. For scale: when Wintour took over as chair in 1995, a table ran about $15,000, or roughly $32,000 in today's dollars, and the guest list was drawn from fashion and entertainment.
So are we happy that this money is coming to San Francisco? YES OMG YES please don't misunderstand me. Of course we want the founders of our city and surrounding areas to invest in it. It's just a weird freaking opportunity and narrative to box it all in.
I could go on but I'll contain myself. But to read more about Anna's love of rehabilitating designers, I encourage you to look at some OG history on John Galliano. He is the Met Gala's next centerpiece.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief and owner of The Bold Italic.
The Bold Italic is a not-for-profit media organization, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. We operate under a fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3).
You can become a paid subscriber. Or donate. Or learn more about us.
Two photos in this article, including the lead, are from Drew Altizer Photography.
In cuter news: read my new series called "What It's Like"
This is where we at The Bold Italic tell you what a place in San Francisco is actually like. Based on our own experiences and those of our readers. First up is what it's like at Cinderella Bakery.
Saul Sugarman
And what it's like at Café Zoetrope.
Saul Sugarman
And some related fashion coverage in SF
I could go on, and on, and on:
- Here's when Zac Posen did a GAP show in SF feat. Ashlee Simpson.
- The Thom Browne show.
- These are all the fashion designers in SF I can vouch for.
- And if you think I restrain myself from criticizing SF fashion shows, lol. You'd be wrong.
- I did like "Fashioning San Francisco" at de Young.
- San Francisco fashion from the 1950s.
- And the 1920s.
I'll also be at Switch & Stitch at the Ferry Building, August 12th
This is the event ad: The Ferry Building's Grand Hall hosts a night of circular fashion on Aug. 12, when Rethink The Runway brings its Switch & Stitch clothing swap and mending counter upstairs. Bring up to five garments to trade one-for-one, and three volunteer stylists will help you shop the racks and put looks together. Six menders work a repair counter with supplies from Kimonomomo, patching, darning and reviving whatever you've been meaning to fix for two years, and a drop-in DIY counter stocked by FabMo lets you do it yourself with a maker looking over your shoulder.
They didn't pay me to say it. I just love its organizer, Mira Musank, so I'm volunteering.
The details
- What: Switch & Stitch, a clothing swap market and mending counter presented by Rethink The Runway
- When: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Where: Ferry Building Grand Hall, second floor, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco. The Grand Hall is reachable by stairs or elevator from the central entrance.
- Tickets: $15 Studio Pass (general admission), $20 Kinetic Pass (last-chance general admission), $45 Atelier Pass (VIP). The $10 early-bird Vanguard Pass has sold out, and remaining inventory is thin across tiers. All sales are final. Register here.
