State what you want
Anna's father Charles Wintour worked as editor of the London newspaper The Evening Standard. He often asked his daughter’s opinion when planning new columns in the newspaper. Anna helped him make the publication more attractive to young people. It was Charles Wintour who influenced Anna’s entire future life, as she said in the documentary “September Issue”.
When she was ten years old, she asked her father what to write on her school application about who she would be in the future. Charles suggested writing that she would become editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine.
After graduating from school, Anna decided not to go to college, but to take up fashion journalism. Her parents persuaded her to take a course at the fashionable department store Harrods, but Anna left the training, saying: “You either understand fashion or you don’t.” At 21, Wintour got a job at Harpers & Queen as an assistant in the fashion department. And she often told her colleagues that she wanted to become the editor of Vogue and change it.
Anna was not shy about talking about her goal to anyone. While she was working as a fashion editor at New York magazine, one of her colleagues arranged an interview with Vogue editor-in-chief Grace Mirabella. Which ended when Anna openly told Grace that she wanted her position.
Wintour got into the publication at the age of 34. The editorial director of Condé Nast Publications was impressed by her work in New York and offered Anna the position of creative director of Vogue. She agreed to the condition of double pay and complete freedom of action.
Family
Wintour was born on November 3, 1949 in London. Her father, Commander of the Order of the British Empire Charles Wintour (1917–1999), was the editor of the London newspaper The Evening Standard. Mother Eleanor (“Noni”) Trego Baker, daughter of a Harvard Law professor and active social activist. Wintour was named after her maternal grandmother, Anna (Gilkyson) Baker, the daughter of a Pennsylvania merchant.[2] They married in 1940 and divorced in 1979.
After the divorce, Anna's stepmother became Audrey Slater, editor and journalist, founder of youth magazines Honey (UK magazine) and Petticoat (UK magazine)[3][4].
Anne is also related to the 18th-century writer Lady Elizabeth Foster, Duchess of Devonshire, who is her great-great-grandmother, and Sir Augustus Vere Foster, the last baronet of the family, who is her great-uncle.[5]
Three of Wintour's four children are alive. Anna's older brother, Gerald, died in a car accident as a child.[6] One of her younger brothers, Patrick, is also a journalist and currently serves as political editor at The Guardian.[7] James and Nora Wintour work in London for local government and international non-governmental organizations[8][9].
Make your style your calling card
“Some people say that being interested in fashion is primitive. I always emphasize that this is a matter of self-respect. Just because you enjoy dressing well doesn't mean you're an idiot."
Anna Wintour
A bob haircut and black sunglasses are already synonymous with the name Anna Wintour. She is recognized before she fully enters the room.
On the Internet you will not find a single photo of Anna Wintour with any hairstyle other than a bob. She has had this haircut since she was 15 years old. That is, for 55 years now, Anna’s hairstyle has remained unchanged and always immaculate.
The second distinctive feature of Wintour's style is, of course, black Chanel sunglasses. It's hard for photographers to catch the Vogue editor-in-chief without this accessory. She wears sunglasses even indoors. A CNN editor once asked in an interview why Anna always wears them. Wintour replied: “Glasses are useful because they hide your thoughts from others. Plus, they help when I get really tired or start to get bored. Over time, they became the mainstay of my image.”
Finally, the third feature of her style is natural fur. While designers and influencers were promoting eco-fashion and fighting for animal rights, Anna continued to wear furs of all possible shapes, styles and colors. For which, of course, animal rights activists hated her. Wintour had a dead raccoon thrown at her during breakfast in a restaurant, and a tofu pie was thrown at her. After the latest incident, she was asked what she would do after the incident. Anna replied: “I will wear even more fur.”
Wearing real fur is truly unethical and not environmentally friendly, especially when there are many artificial analogues. But Anna’s steadfastness and her loyalty to her vision, and not to the opinions of others, cannot but admire.
Anna Wintour: Innovator
And then the story is about how, changing magazines one after another, namely the English “Harpers & Queen” - to the American “Harper's Bazaar”, “Viva”, “Savvy” and “New York”, Anna became tougher and more confident in herself.
Such a frequent change of magazines was caused by the inconsistency of Anna’s views with many editors, who did not allow Wintour to work the way she wanted, because she sometimes did not even consult with the editors.
But only New York magazine allowed her to create to the fullest. And it was Anna who came up with the idea of placing a photograph of a star on the cover of a magazine.
Either you're nice to everyone or you're working
In 1985, Anna Wintour took over as editor-in-chief of British Vogue. She completely changed the structure of work in the publication, replaced many employees, demanded full reports and delved into all the intricacies of the magazine’s production, personally supervising the entire process.
Due to her difficult character and excessive perfectionism, employees came up with the nickname “nuclear winter” (based on the consonance of the surname Wintour with the English word “winter”).
She was called an upstart, a snob, a control freak.
In the fashion world, the complex character of Anna Wintour has long been legendary. But the general public became aware of her character after the release of the film “The Devil Wears Prada,” based on the novel of the same name by the former assistant to the editor-in-chief of Vogue. The author portrayed one of the main characters, Miranda Priestly, as a vain and domineering woman who happily assigns impossible tasks to her intimidated employees.
Despite the inconsistency of the heroine, the film only brought Wintour more popularity. Anna Wintour herself even came to the premiere of the film. Dressed head to toe in Prada.
Wintour’s difficult character bore fruit for the publication. Under her editorship, American Vogue came out on top among other glossy publications. She increased sales volumes. The September 2007 issue, which is still considered the thickest issue in the publication's history, contained 840 pages, and 727 of them were advertising. Wintour's flair introduced new designers to the world, such as John Galliano, Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs.
Her harsh management methods are highly controversial from an ethical point of view. Although many of those who work side by side with Wintour admire her, despite Anna’s complex character, and admit that Vogue would not be “the one” without her. Tom Florio, the magazine's publisher, said of Anna: “She's not inaccessible. It just doesn't open up to everyone. She's not nice and friendly. She works".
Anna Wintour: style in the 90s and interesting facts from life
Anna Wintour is a real iron lady who has been running the American version of Vogue for several decades. Who is this woman in Prada?
The first cover of American Vogue under the leadership of Wintour became one of the most high-profile fashion challenges. For the shoot, Anna invited the young Israeli model Michaela Berka. Her look was styled with simple Guess jeans and a Christian Lacroix Haute Couture sequin top.
Wintour hasn't changed her signature haircut since she was 14 years old. Every day in the morning, her personal stylist comes to Anna's house to style the legendary bob hairstyle the way Anna wants.
The personal life of the permanent editor of American Vogue is taboo for discussion in the press. However, we still know about her numerous affairs with rich American men, thanks to which Anna, in fact, began her career. It is no secret that she often used her necessary contacts to achieve her goals. In her youth, Wintour had a scandalous affair that lasted only a few weeks with the legendary singer Bob Marley. Rumor has it that Anna even ran away from home, forgetting about her then boyfriend John Bradshaw.
Anna Wintour is a devoted fan of Manolo Blahnik shoes. For over 25 years, the editor-in-chief has kept a pair of shoes that perfectly match her skin color. By the way, there is an opinion that the brand created individual shoes for Anna and for tanned skin.
Anna Wintour began her career as a fashion journalist at the London publication Harpers and Queen, later renamed Harper's Bazaar.
Journalism is a family affair for Wintour. Her father, Charles, was editor of the London Evening from the 50s to the 70s. In 1955 he even founded a theater award that still exists today. Anna learned a lot from her father.
Anna destroyed the stereotype that in a fashionable society you cannot wear the same clothes several times. She can often be seen in her favorite Prada or Chanel suits, as well as jewelry that Anna wore in her youth.
Wintour has declared her love for New York more than once. In an interview with a reputable publication, she noted that this is a city for those who want to work. “Here everyone is looking for their place in the sun, this is a city where you are not judged by all sorts of external attributes.”
Wintour loves fur products, for which he often falls out of favor with animal rights organizations. One day, members of the PETA movement could not resist throwing a cake at her on the way to the Chloe show as part of Paris Fashion Week in 2005. After which Anna shouted, “Wear more fur,” while removing the cream from her face.
The Vogue editorial staff has strict rules created by Wintour. Junior employees should not speak up until senior employees address them (it is forbidden to even say hello first). You are not allowed to eat at work, and all employees must dress in the style of the magazine itself. The same goes for their figure - girls should maintain a healthy lifestyle and look like they’re from the cover.
Once Anna Wintour tripped and fell in the hallway, the employee, who painfully remained indifferent as he walked past her, later received a couple of commendable comments for his fortitude.
Anna thinks that being fired at least once is wonderful. She was once fired from Harper's Bazaar because she crossed all boundaries by shooting couture collections on models with dreadlocks. It was a fashionable dissonance that Anna was very proud of.
Wintour has always been passionate about finding new talent and has helped spark the stars of Oscar de la Renta, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon and Alexander Wang. Photographer Patrick Demarchelier and actress Kate Bosworth received a start in the fashion world, and she helped accelerate the career growth of Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs.
The editor-in-chief leads a healthy lifestyle - her entire day is scheduled strictly according to the hour. Almost every day Anna gets up at 5 am to play tennis (she is a devoted fan of this sport). She doesn't drink alcohol and loves avocados. If it is not on the restaurant menu, the staff has to scramble to provide Anna with her favorite delicacy.
When Anna was ten years old, while filling out a school application, she had a question about her future profession, and her father, editor-in-chief of the English tabloid Evening Standard Charles Wintour, advised her: “Write that you want to become the editor of Vogue!” Whether it’s a coincidence or mysticism, no one knows, but the phrase from the school questionnaire has become a reality.
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