Anna Wintour is the editor of American Vogue, who became famous for her strong-willed, strict and quarrelsome character. Nevertheless, thousands of fashionistas around the world want to work with her, they look up to her and are afraid of her. What is the key to its wild popularity and success? Keep reading!
I’m sure you’ve seen The Devil Wears Prada. It was Anna Wintour who became the prototype of Miranda Priestley, played by Meryl Streep.
In the film, she is a very tough lady who is not afraid to mock those who do not respect fashion and do not take into account her ideals. Naturally, art history is highly exaggerated. But it is important to remember that the film was based on the book of Anna’s former assistant, so what is true and what is a lie? exactly unknown.
The early years and childhood of Anna Wintour
Anna was born on November 3, 1949, in London in the family of the editor-in-chief of The Evening Standard newspaper Charles Wintour and social activist Eleanor Baker.
Anna also has a sister and two brothers, one of whom, Patrick, is the editor of The Guardian newspaper. Rumor has it that Anna has a relationship with Elizabeth Foster, a British aristocrat, and writer of the 18th century. If this is indeed true, then it is clear where her talent for writing comes from.
By the way, the character of Anna is very similar to her father. Maybe it was because they often spent time together, he liked to tell her about his work and was interested in her opinion about this or that article. By the way, it was he who “predicted” Anna’s editorial future. As a ten-year-old child, she filled out a school questionnaire, in which there was a question about the desired profession.
“My father advised me to write to become the editor-in-chief of Vogue,” recalls Anna Wintour.
Youth
In adolescence, Anna quickly formed as a person. She firmly defended her boundaries – for this, she was even expelled from school. But the future celebrity was not very upset. It was finally possible for her to wear her frilly outfits without having to think about the dress code. Soon she made a square, which has not changed so far.
Leaving her studies, Anna got a job at the Biba fashion boutique. There she understood how consumer demand works and could easily guess the desire of the client. But this work was not to her liking, so she decided to find a way to get a job in some fashion publication.
Anna Wintour career
Anna is known not only for her strictness but also for her very prudent character. In an effort to join the world of the printed word as quickly as possible, she began to look for men with connections. Wintour met with the famous writer Piers Paul Read, then with the secular columnist Nigel Dempster, after that with Richard Neville, who arranged her for his then popular Oz magazine.
Having gained experience, Anna changed jobs, becoming an assistant fashion editor at Harpers & Queen magazine. Then she was only 21.
An interesting presentation of the material and a fresh look at what was happening quickly made her deputy editor-in-chief. But Anna decided that she deserved more, so she went to the USA.
Continuing the theme of the role of successful men in Anna’s life, it is worth noting: it was John Bradshaw, Wintour’s ex-boyfriend, who helped her become the editor-in-chief at the glamorous Viva. But then failure followed – the magazine was closed.
After that, Anna returned to London to rest for a while. In addition, her parents were preparing for a divorce and she wanted to support them.
But the respite was short-lived. Soon Anna returned to New York and settled in the American edition of New York Magazine as a fashion editor. Here Anna was allowed to do whatever she wanted. And as a result, Anna tripled her circulation.
Naturally, after that, a lot of offers from various publishing houses rained down. She was finally spotted hosting Condé Nast Publication and lured away to the position of creative director of American Vogue.
Getting Started at Vogue
Anna’s wish came true, now she is in Vogue. Probably, her joy knew no bounds, but at the same time, she did not forget to ask for a doubling of her salary and complete freedom of action.
But Wintour still could not get along with the conservative editor-in-chief Grace Mirabella, and the management of the publishing house sent her to England to “raise” British Vogue.
With the arrival of Wintour at British Vogue, the quiet life of employees ended. She fired half of the staff, replacing them with young people with innovative thinking, demanded reports for all actions, controlled the entire process personally.
“Nuclear Winter” is how Vogue employees dubbed the new editor.
Unfortunately or fortunately, Anna did everything to make the British version of the magazine completely lose its originality. British Vogue has become an exact copy of the American one. Anna Wintour argued that “the new reader is interested not only in fashion but also in work and money.”
After 3 years of “reigning” British Vogue, Anna was nevertheless offered the position of editor of the legendary American version of this magazine. The cover of the first issue was a big surprise for everyone: firstly, the model was smiling; secondly, she was wearing jeans from a relatively budget brand Guess, combined with a sweater from “couture” Christian Lacroix. This is a completely different concept, for which not everyone was ready.
What’s more, according to Wintour herself, when the new cover was sent to the press, publishers began to tear up the office phone with questions about the error. “You sent the wrong photo!” they shouted into the phone. But Anna only smiled and confidently replied that “the wind of change is coming.”
However, Anna Wintour is the first editor who decided to put Hollywood stars on the cover of Vogue. Until that time, only professional models had the right to be there.
Wintour is the godmother of many aspiring fashion models such as Cindy Crawford, Mila Jovovich, and Natalia Vodianova.
Anna Wintour’s career now
Anna Wintour is one of the most successful women in fashion today. She earned a name for herself through hard work and a tough temper. Lady Boss has left far behind such rival giants as Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. Also since 2013, Anna has been the creative director of the Condé Nast publishing house.
After Grace Coddington (Anna’s right-hand man) left Vogue in 2016, there were rumors that Wintour would soon leave his post as editor-in-chief. But while Anna does not stop working for the benefit of Vogue and Condé Nast, taking more and more serious positions.
In August 2019, she took a new, third position in this publishing house. Now Anna Wintour is also a global content consultant. Her responsibilities include overseeing all Vogue International employees and helping them create content.
Anna Wintour’s personal life
Anna is credited with many novels about various successful men. But all this is just guesswork, her personal life is carefully hidden from prying eyes.
It is only known that she was married to psychiatrist David Shaffer for 15 years. The couple divorced in 1999. Two children were born in the marriage – Charles, and Catherine (B). Despite the famous mother and her occupation, the children chose completely opposite professions for themselves: Charles is a surgeon, and Bee is a producer. In 2017, Charles had a daughter, Caroline.
Interesting facts about Anna Wintour
Mode. Anna Wintour goes to bed around 22:00 and wakes up at 5:00 sharp.
Sports. She plays tennis every morning.
Nightlife. At parties, Anna allows herself to stay no longer than 20 minutes.
Bad habits. Wintour does not drink alcohol or smoke.
Accessories. Anna never carries a bag.
Chanel glasses. She wears them all the time, even indoors. Moreover, she did not take them off even in the company of Queen Elizabeth II, talking with her at London Fashion Week (and this is prohibited by Royal Protocol!)
Attitude towards clothing. She never wears black from head to toe.
Hairstyle. Anna has been wearing a bob since she was 14.
Favorite shoes. The famous fashion house Manolo Blahnik sends a new pair of shoes for Anna every month – beige sandals, matched exactly to her skin tone.
Punctuality. She always arrives on time, even if she knows she will have to wait for others.
