forward reach.

Byline: Anna Wintour

As we know from even the most benign transitions in our own lives, change is always disturbing. At the time of writing, the fashion industry is still shaking from the news that two of its youngest and brightest talents, Phoebe Philo and Roland Mouret, have resigned from their respective companies and must now figure out their next moves. As I've suggested, it's natural to worry at such moments; but it's important to remember that the greatest creative strides are very often made in the face of an ill wind, particularly in the style business. Look at Alber Elbaz, who has triumphed at Lanvin after a tumultuous fall that might have demoralized the best of us; or Olivier Theyskens, who before reinventing Rochas was completely jobless. And we remember-reversing the equation-that the house of Balenciaga was at a desperate dead end when it appointed as its creative director a 24-year-old designer from its licensing division named Nicolas Ghesquiere. (Anyone unclear about his or his brand's stature should dwell on Irving Penn's darkly beautiful portfolio of new Ghesquiere designs, produced to celebrate the upcoming Cristobal Balenciaga retrospective in Paris.) For myself, I react to the new situation by daydreaming about the wonderful possibilities that are now open to Philo and Mouret. I'm confident that it will all end happily.

My point is that the ability to manage and instigate change is a powerful thing. Consider the amazing journey of Dawn Russell, a young woman profiled this month by Rebecca Johnson, who was afflicted with stage III cancer at age 25. After almost six years of agonizing medicinal voyages (during which she devised a regimen combining Eastern and Western treatments), Russell finds herself healthy, in control, and newly married to a remarkable man. Then there's Laurie David (wife of actor and comedian Larry), who has emerged as one of the country's leading activists in the ...