Gaumont UK To Adapt Biography On Vogue’s Wartime Editor Audrey Withers

Gaumont UK has optioned historian Julie Summers’ biography on wartime Vogue editor Audrey Withers, titled Dressed For War: The Story of Audrey Withers, Vogue Editor Extraordinaire From The Blitz To The Swinging Sixties.

The British offshoot of Narcos producer Gaumont will work with Vogue on the adaptation, which is set in 1940s London and follows Withers as she aimed to transform an upper-class fashion journal into an essential lifeline for women of all backgrounds.

Gaumont says its ambition is to create a “sweepingly cinematic” story about female intellect and how Withers helped pave the way for the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Gaumont UK CEO and executive producer Alison Jackson said: “Audrey fought against a patriarchal society designed to destroy her. She not only survived but thrived and therefore it couldn’t be more pertinent. It is hugely exciting that Julie has trusted us with this incredible biography, and we can’t wait to bring the story to life.”

Gaumont’s deal to adapt Dressed For War was negotiated by The Agency on behalf of Felicity Bryan Associates. Summers’ book was published in February by Simon & Schuster UK.