Amazing Anna
Fashion publishing icon Dame Anna Wintour this week signed off as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue magazine, after an impressive 37 years at the helm. She ascends to an upper-managerial role in the Condé Nast publishing group as Global Chief Content Officer, and will maintain a direct relationship with Vogue as its Editorial Director.
Anna Wintour was born on November 3, 1949, in London to a British journalist father and American mother. She began her career in fashion at the age of 15 as an intern at a clothing boutique in London, before working on various UK fashion magazines including Harper's & Queen and the UK edition of Vogue.
Anna Wintour was born on November 3, 1949, in London to a British journalist father and American mother. She began her career in fashion at the age of 15 as an intern at a clothing boutique in London, before working on various UK fashion magazines including Harper's & Queen and the UK edition of Vogue.
Moving to the US in the 1980s, she served as fashion editor for various New York magazines and in 1988, at the age of 39, was appointed to her role at Vogue, which she held until this week. No mere fashion fad, Wintour was by then already recognised for her acute business sense and knack for launching successful new titles and associations with major events.
She is credited with transforming Vogue into one of the most influential fashion magazines in the world, introducing notable photographers and nurturing new designers.
Famous for her dark sunglasses and bob haircut, Wintour was equally feared for her tough decision making, sometimes axing work without discussion. This earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour.” She once said, “If you worry about every tiny criticism, you won’t get up in the morning.”
I have read that she played tennis each morning before her hairdresser arrived at her home to do her hair, before her limousine collected her to arrive at her Manhattan office by 8am. I’ve also read that she would only ever stay at cocktail parties for 20 minutes.
She is well known for her pivotal role in the Met Gala, the annual charity event in New York raising money for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts. She has made cameo appearances in films including The September Issue, which chronicles a year in the life of Vogue. Of course, she has been one of the world’s most frequent and familiar faces at fashion shows all over the world for the past four decades.
In 2017, Anna Wintour was awarded the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to fashion and journalism. A fascinating Dame!
Famous for her dark sunglasses and bob haircut, Wintour was equally feared for her tough decision making, sometimes axing work without discussion. This earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour.” She once said, “If you worry about every tiny criticism, you won’t get up in the morning.”
I have read that she played tennis each morning before her hairdresser arrived at her home to do her hair, before her limousine collected her to arrive at her Manhattan office by 8am. I’ve also read that she would only ever stay at cocktail parties for 20 minutes.
She is well known for her pivotal role in the Met Gala, the annual charity event in New York raising money for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts. She has made cameo appearances in films including The September Issue, which chronicles a year in the life of Vogue. Of course, she has been one of the world’s most frequent and familiar faces at fashion shows all over the world for the past four decades.
In 2017, Anna Wintour was awarded the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to fashion and journalism. A fascinating Dame!