Who is Anna Wintour? What to know about longtime Vogue chief
In a shocking turn of events, Anna Wintour has announced she will step down as the head of American Vogue after nearly four decades at the helm.
Wintour, known for her stern management style and iconic A-frame bob, revealed her decision to the magazine's staff during an editorial meeting this week. Other fashion publications, including WWD and Business of Fashion also confirmed the news.
Vogue is actively searching for her successor, who will be the new head of editorial content as part of a different organizational structure adopted four years ago.
Wintour, who began her career at Vogue in 1988, is not leaving the publication completely, staying on as Condé Nast’s chief content officer and Vogue's global editorial director.
Here's what to know about Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief.
Who is Anna Wintour?
Wintour, 75, has served as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, the world's premier fashion magazine since 1988.
Wintour has become synonymous with the high fashion scene, sitting stoically in the front row of New York Fashion Week shows, organizing the Met Gala and presiding over the glossy pages of a magazine largely considered the "fashion bible."
She has co-chaired the Met Gala, an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, better known as fashion's biggest night, since 1995.
Wintour has also served as the chief content officer for Condé Nast since 2020, overseeing the large family of magazines under the brand, including Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appétit, Allure and others. Several of the magazines also have international versions, which Wintour also presides over.
The ballooning global presence of the Condé brands is in part responsible for Wintour's decision to relinquish the reins of Vogue U.S. as she juggles a massive portfolio of online and print publications.
When Wintour is not at work, she is likely doting over her two children, Charles and Bee Shaffer, and her grandchildren: Oliver, 7, Caroline, 5, and Ella Rose, 2.
When did Anna Wintour start at Vogue?
Before Wintour made it big at Vogue, she worked at several other fashion publications in the U.K. and the U.S., Harper's & Queen, Harper’s Bazaar’s, New York magazine, Vogue U.K. and the now defunct House & Garden
Wintour, born in North London, began her career in fashion journalism in 1970, almost two decades before she took the reins from editor Grace Mirabella, according to reporting by Forbes.
Wintour's first Vogue cover, published in November 1988, was what she considered a risk, or a departure from the "studied and elegant close ups" complete with tons of makeup and major jewelry, which were typical of Vogue covers at the time.
The cover featured Israeli model Michaela Bercu wearing a $10,000 Christian Lacroix T-shirt paired with $50 Guess stonewash jeans, the first time a Vogue model had worn jeans on the cover.
"This one broke all the rules," Wintour said in August 2012. " Afterwards, in the way that these things can happen, people applied all sorts of interpretations: It was about mixing high and low, Michaela was pregnant, it was a religious statement. But none of these things was true. I had just looked at that picture and sensed the winds of change. And you can’t ask for more from a cover image than that."
According to Forbes, Wintour's covers later became known for "using natural light" and for "being set outside of studios, unlike many prior Vogue covers." She, in essence, revived the magazine's appeal amid concerns it would lose readers to other competitors and maintained its relevance through the years.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Paste BN