End of an era as Anna Wintour steps down as Vogue US editor

Telegraph

3 hours ago

Trends come and go in fashion, but one thing has remained constant: Dame Anna Wintour.
The British editor, famous for her signature bob and sunglasses, has strode atop the fashion world for decades thanks to her role running American Vogue.
But now the 75-year-old's role as the taste-maker-in-chief may finally be coming to an end. After 37 years in charge, Dame Anna is stepping down as editor of American Vogue. Staff were told of the shock decision on Thursday.
Dame Anna, who has been at the helm of the American magazine since 1988, will remain in her role as global chief content officer of parent company Condé Nast and will remain global editorial director of Vogue, which publishes editions around the world.
However, it marks the first time she will not be directly in charge of the monthly American fashion bible in almost four decades. Dame Anna is credited with turning the magazine into a global powerhouse that helped launched the careers of designers including John Galliano, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen.
Her exit comes in the middle of Paris Fashion Week as the industry descends on the French capital for six days of shows and designer presentations.
It also comes at a time of intense upheaval for the magazine industry, which is grappling with the rise of artificial intelligence and declining sales.
An enduring fixture on the front row of fashion shows in London, New York, Milan and Paris, Ms Wintour has helped to launch the careers of designers including John Galliano, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen. She is also responsible for organising the Met Gala fundraiser in New York, which has become annual fashion pageant for celebrities.
Dame Anna was the inspiration for the the character of Miranda Priestly in the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada, an ice queen who gave short thrift to designs and designers that she didn't like.
The British editor has previously told the BBC that her ubiquitous sunglasses are a 'prop' and 'help me be seen and not be seen'.
During her time as editor of Vogue she has been lauded for bringing notable figures from outside of the fashion and modelling industry to the front cover of the magazine, including Hilary Clinton.
The British media chief was made a dame in 2017 by Elizabeth II, who honoured the editor for her contribution to fashion and journalism.
Dame Anna was this year made a Companion of Honour by the King for her services to fashion. She said she told the King that she will not stop working, saying she was 'even more convinced that I have so much more to achieve'.
Born in London in 1949, Eleanor Trego Baker, Dame Anna's mother, was a film critic, while her father was Charles Wintour, the editor-in-chief of the London Evening Standard in the 1960s.
She began her career in fashion journalism in 1970 when she was hired at the magazine Harpers & Queen as an editorial assistant. Dame Anna moved to New York in 1975 to take up a role as junior fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar.
In 1983 she was appointed as Vogue's first creative director before being named editor of the British edition of Vogue in 1985.