Anna Wintour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Wintour
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Wintour in 2024
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| Born | 3 November 1949 London, England
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| Years active | 1975–present |
| Employer | Condé Nast |
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Notable credit(s)
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| Predecessor | Grace Mirabella |
| Successor | Chloe Malle |
| Board member of | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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David Shaffer
(m. 1984; div. 1999)Shelby Bryan
(m. 2004; div. 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
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Anna Wintour (born 3 November 1949) is a British and American leader in the fashion and magazine world. She was the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for many years, from 1988 until June 2025. Today, she is a global chief content officer and artistic director at Condé Nast, the company that publishes Vogue.
Anna Wintour is famous for her bob haircut and dark sunglasses. Many people see her as a very influential person in the world of magazines and fashion. Since the 1990s, she has been the main organizer of the yearly Met Gala, a big fashion event in Manhattan. She is known for spotting new fashion trends. Some people have said she can be a bit serious and demanding.
Her father, Charles Wintour, was an editor for a London newspaper. He often asked her for ideas on how to make the paper interesting to young people. Anna became interested in fashion as a teenager. She started her career writing about fashion for magazines in Britain. Later, she moved to the United States, working at magazines like New York and House & Garden. She returned to London and was the editor of British Vogue from 1985 to 1987. A year later, she took charge of the American Vogue magazine in New York. She made the magazine exciting again, as some felt it had become a bit dull.
She used the magazine to influence the fashion world, which sometimes led to discussions. Some groups who care about animals have disagreed with her for featuring fur in the magazine. Others have said the magazine sometimes showed a very fancy and hard-to-reach idea of beauty.
A former assistant, Lauren Weisberger, wrote a popular book called The Devil Wears Prada in 2003. This book was made into a movie in 2006. The main character, Miranda Priestly, a fashion editor, is thought to be inspired by Anna Wintour. In 2009, a documentary film called The September Issue showed what it was like to create a big issue of Vogue. It focused on Anna Wintour and her team.
Contents
Anna Wintour's Early Life and Education
Anna Wintour was born in Hampstead, London, on November 3, 1949. Her father, Charles Wintour, was an editor for the Evening Standard newspaper. Her mother was Eleanor "Nonie" Trego Baker. Anna was named after her grandmother. Audrey Slaughter, a magazine editor, was her stepmother.
Anna had four siblings. One of her younger brothers, Patrick Wintour, is also a journalist.
Anna went to North London Collegiate School. She often changed her school uniform, like making her skirts shorter. When she was 14, she started wearing her hair in her famous bob style. She loved fashion from watching TV shows and reading magazines her grandmother sent from the United States. Growing up in London in the 1960s, she saw many exciting changes in fashion. Her father often asked her for ideas to make his newspaper appeal to young readers.
Anna Wintour's Career Journey
Starting in Fashion and Journalism
Anna Wintour once said her father helped her decide to work in fashion. He helped her get her first job at a clothing store called Biba when she was 15. The next year, she left school and started a training program at Harrods, a famous department store. She also took fashion classes but soon quit, saying, "You either know fashion or you don't."
In 1970, Anna started her career in fashion journalism. She became an editorial assistant at Harper's & Queen magazine. She told her co-workers that she wanted to edit Vogue one day. She helped find models and locations for photo shoots. After some disagreements, she moved to New York City.
Rising in New York City
In New York, she became a junior fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar in 1975. Her new ideas for photo shoots led to her leaving that job after nine months. A few months later, she became a fashion editor at Viva, a women's magazine. This was where she first had an assistant, and people started to notice she was a very focused boss.
After Viva closed in 1978, Anna took some time off. She returned to work in 1980 as a fashion editor for a new magazine called Savvy. This magazine aimed to reach professional women who earned their own money. These were the same readers Anna would later target at Vogue.
The next year, she became fashion editor of New York magazine. Her fashion spreads and photo shoots started to get a lot of attention. She learned how well celebrity covers helped sell magazines. "Anna saw the celebrity thing coming before everyone else did," said Grace Coddington, a colleague.
Working at Condé Nast
In 1983, Anna Wintour joined Condé Nast, the company that publishes Vogue. She became the magazine's first creative director, a new role where she could bring many fresh ideas. Her new ideas sometimes caused disagreements with the existing team.
In 1985, Anna became the editor of the UK edition of Vogue. She made many changes, replacing staff and taking more control. This led to her nickname "Nuclear Wintour" because of her strong impact. She told the Evening Standard that "There's a new kind of woman out there. She's interested in business and money. She doesn't have time to shop anymore. She wants to know what and why and where and how."
In 1987, Anna returned to New York to take over House & Garden magazine. She made big changes quickly, even canceling expensive photo shoots. She added so much fashion and so many celebrities that people joked about the magazine's new style. These changes did not help the magazine's sales.
Ten months later, she became editor of U.S. Vogue. Many people in the industry worried that Vogue was losing readers to other magazines. Anna made big changes to the staff and the look of the covers. She used less well-known models and mixed expensive clothes with everyday items. Her first issue in November 1988 featured model Michaela Bercu in faded jeans and a fancy T-shirt. It was the first time a Vogue cover model wore jeans. The printer even called the magazine, thinking it was the wrong picture!
Anna later said about that cover, "It was so unlike the studied and elegant close-ups that were typical of Vogue's covers back then... This one broke all the rules." She felt it showed "the winds of change" in fashion. She has said it is her favorite cover.
She was very involved in how photos were taken, making sure she approved everything before and after the shoots. While she was very hands-on with images, her involvement with the written articles was sometimes debated. Today, she mostly writes the editor's letter each month. She reportedly has three full-time assistants, but sometimes surprises callers by answering the phone herself.
Vogue in the 1990s
Under Anna Wintour, Vogue became very important in fashion again. It stayed a top magazine even with new competitors. Another editor, Kate Betts, tried to make Vogue cover more topics like women in politics. She eventually left the magazine.
Vogue in the 2000s
Many longtime editors left Vogue around the year 2000. New editors joined, forming a strong team.
The September 2004 issue was huge, with 832 pages! This was a record for a monthly magazine at the time. Anna also helped launch three new magazines: Teen Vogue, Vogue Living, and Men's Vogue. For this, she was named "Editor of the Year."
She received an honor from the British Empire in 2008. However, 2008 was a tough year for Vogue because of money problems and some disagreements. The April issue's cover with LeBron James and Gisele Bündchen caused some discussion, with some people feeling it brought up old stereotypes.
There were rumors that she might retire, but she said she would not. Her company, Condé Nast, even placed an ad to support her. In 2009, a documentary film, The September Issue, came out. It showed the making of the September 2007 issue and the working relationship between Anna Wintour and her creative director, Grace Coddington. Anna appeared on TV to promote the film, explaining why fashion was still important. In 2010, she was honored by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
Vogue in the 2010s
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In 2013, Condé Nast gave her a new role as artistic director for all their magazines, while she still led Vogue. She took on more responsibilities within the company.
In 2014, the Metropolitan Museum of Art named its Costume Institute after Anna Wintour. First Lady Michelle Obama opened it that May. Forbes magazine named her the 39th most powerful woman in the world.
By 2016, ten years after The Devil Wears Prada movie, people saw Anna Wintour in a new light. Her image had changed from just a tough boss to someone widely admired. People realized she was very skilled at running a successful magazine in a changing world.
In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame, a special British honor, for her work in fashion and journalism.
Vogue in the 2020s
In 2020, a former editor, André Leon Talley, wrote a book that talked about his friendship with Anna Wintour and how it changed.
Also in 2020, Condé Nast promoted Anna Wintour to a new role: worldwide chief content officer. She also became the global editorial director of Vogue.
In 2023, Anna Wintour suggested creating a fashion event in London, similar to the Met Gala. This event would help raise money for local arts.
In 2023, she received another British honor, becoming a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, for her services to fashion. In January 2025, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a high honor in the United States. She stepped down as editor-in-chief of Vogue in June 2025. On September 1, 2025, Chloe Malle took over her role. Anna Wintour still holds her global chief content officer position for Vogue worldwide.
Anna Wintour's Influence in Fashion
Over the years, Anna Wintour has become one of the most powerful people in fashion. She helps set new trends and supports new designers. She encouraged famous fashion houses like Christian Dior to hire younger, fresh designers. She even helped Marc Jacobs use a ballroom at the Plaza Hotel for a show when he needed a space. In 2006, she convinced Brooks Brothers to hire a lesser-known designer, Thom Browne.
Charity Work and Giving Back
Anna Wintour is a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She has organized events that have raised $50 million for the museum's Costume Institute. She also started the CFDA/Vogue Fund. This fund helps new fashion designers with encouragement, support, and advice. Since 1990, she has also helped raise over $10 million for charities that support people with HIV/AIDS.
Anna Wintour's Personal Life
People have described Anna Wintour as a perfectionist who is very focused on her work. She has even said she can "get quite angry" sometimes.
Family and Relationships
Anna Wintour married child psychiatrist David Shaffer in 1984. They had a son named Charles (born 1985) and a daughter named Katherine (born 1987). They divorced in 1999. Charles went to University of Oxford and became a doctor. Katherine writes for newspapers and works as a producer. Katherine married Italian filmmaker Francesco Carrozzini in 2018.
Anna Wintour later married investor Shelby Bryan in 2004. Her marriage to Shelby Bryan ended in 2020.
Anna Wintour lives in Greenwich Village in New York City.
Daily Habits
Anna Wintour says she wakes up at 5:30 a.m. She plays tennis, gets her hair and makeup done, and arrives at the Vogue offices by 7:30 a.m. She always arrives at fashion shows early. She uses this time to make calls and notes. She rarely stays at parties for more than 20 minutes and usually goes to bed by 10:15 p.m. She turns off her phone during lunch, which is often a steak or a hamburger without the bun.
Personal Fashion Style
Because of her important role, Anna Wintour's clothes are often watched closely and copied. Earlier in her career, she mixed fashionable T-shirts with designer jeans. When she started at Vogue, she began wearing Chanel suits with miniskirts. She was listed as one of the "50 best-dressed over 50s" by The Guardian in 2013. She often wears kitten heels and printed midi-dresses.
Her famous dark sunglasses are actually corrective lenses, helping her with her eyesight. She told 60 Minutes that her glasses are like "armor." They help her keep her reactions to a fashion show private.
Political Views
Anna Wintour has supported the Democratic Party in the United States for many years. She helped raise money for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. She also supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016 and advised her on clothing choices. In 2020, she supported Joe Biden for president.
She has written in favor of fur in Vogue and used fur in photo shoots. Her changes to Vogue have been seen as helping women's status. She believes it's good that "more people are going to get better fashion." Anna Wintour has also apologized to her staff for past issues regarding diversity at Vogue.
The Devil Wears Prada
Lauren Weisberger, a former assistant to Anna Wintour, wrote the novel The Devil Wears Prada. The book was eagerly awaited because many thought it would show an inside look at Anna Wintour. Anna Wintour told The New York Times, "I always enjoy a great piece of fiction. I haven't decided whether I am going to read it or not."
The book's main character, Miranda Priestly, has many similarities to Anna Wintour. She is British, has two children, and is a big supporter of the Met. The character Miranda Priestly is shown as a very demanding boss who expects a lot from her assistants. However, Miranda also has good qualities. The main character in the book, Andrea Sachs, notices that Miranda makes all the important decisions for the magazine herself and has real style.
The Movie Adaptation
During the making of The Devil Wears Prada movie in 2005, there were rumors that Anna Wintour didn't want fashion designers to appear in the movie. She denied this, saying she was interested in anything that "supports fashion." Many designers are mentioned in the film, but only Valentino Garavani appeared as himself.
The movie came out in 2006 and was very successful. Anna Wintour even attended the premiere wearing Prada. In the film, actress Meryl Streep played Miranda Priestly. Her performance was praised, and she made the character more understanding than in the book. Meryl Streep's office in the film was so similar to Anna Wintour's that Anna reportedly had her own office redecorated.
Anna Wintour reportedly thought the film would not do well. However, it earned over $300 million worldwide. Later in 2006, Anna Wintour said in an interview that she found the film "really entertaining." She praised it for making fashion "entertaining and glamorous and interesting."
The movie helped make Anna Wintour even more famous. When the documentary The September Issue was released three years later, people compared it to The Devil Wears Prada. Many critics felt the documentary showed the real person behind the famous image.
Other characters in movies and TV shows have also been compared to Anna Wintour. Edna Mode from The Incredibles (2004) has a similar hairstyle. Johnny Depp said he partly based Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) on Anna Wintour. The character Fey Sommers in Ugly Betty (2006–2010) also had a similar bob haircut and sunglasses.
Anna Wintour Quotes
- "You either know fashion or you don't."
- "Fashion's not about looking back. It's always about looking forward."
- "If you look at any great fashion photograph out of context, it will tell you just as much about what's going on in the world as a headline in The New York Times."
See also
In Spanish: Anna Wintour para niños
- New Yorkers in journalism
- Vogue World 2024
