Anna Wintour.
Anna Wintour is more than just an editor – she is a cultural institution. For over three decades, she has reigned over the fashion world with her iconic pageboy haircut and sunglasses, an unshakable authority in an industry of fleeting trends. Yet her career began in anything but a predictable way: As the daughter of the influential Evening Standard editor Charles Wintour, the young Anna rebelled against dress codes during her school years in London, shortening her skirts and adopting at age 14 the bob that would make her unmistakable. At 16, she left school altogether, convinced that one day she would run Vogue – a prediction that would prove prophetic.
Her rise to the top was as uncompromising as it was visionary. After stops at London boutiques and magazines, she moved to New York in 1975, where she initially failed at Harper's Bazaar – her creative ideas were ahead of their time. But Wintour never learned faster than through setbacks. Detouring back to London, she took over British Vogue in 1985 and promptly earned the nickname »Nuclear Wintour« for her radical redesign and controlling leadership style. Then, in 1988, came her appointment as editor-in-chief of American Vogue – the beginning of an era.
Her vision was as simple as it was revolutionary: »I want Vogue to be pacy, sharp and sexy,« she is quoted by Newsweek. She replaced classic model covers with celebrities, mixed high fashion with jeans, and demonstrated an instinct for the zeitgeist like no other. Under her leadership, the September 2004 issue grew to a record-breaking 832 pages; she launched Teen Vogue and Men's Vogue; and she transformed the Met Gala from an elitist fundraiser into the most spectacular fashion event in the world, raising over $125 million. Her influence shaped not only magazines but entire careers – designers like John Galliano and Alexander Wang owe their rise to her support.
Yet behind the public facade of the ice-cold boss, immortalized in The Devil Wears Prada as a pop culture figure, lies a more complex person: a grandmother who changes diapers, a dog lover, a disciplined early riser who is on the tennis court by 5:30 AM, as reported by CNN. A power player who organized fundraisers for Democratic presidential candidates, and a businesswoman whose real estate portfolio and estimated $50 million fortune attest to sharp economic instincts.
Even after stepping down as editor-in-chief of US Vogue after 37 years, she remains in power as Global Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast and Global Editorial Director of Vogue, according to Newsweek. Her legacy is that of a woman who democratized fashion, made and broke careers, and stylized herself into an unshakable icon.
