How Anna Wintour Became the MOST Powerful Woman in Fashion

Anna Windsor is the most powerful woman in the fashion industry she's the editor-in-chief of American Vogue an artistic director of Conde Nast winter has led to the media and entertainment industry for 30 years with Relentless perfectionism and an exhausting workloads she's been the subject of documentaries the inspiration for movies Anna's talked about was the celebrities that she puts on her covers she's probably the last magazine editor of her can't but what makes her so unique isn't her drive passion or commitment it's something much much more Anna winter was born on November the 3rd 1949 in Hampstead London to a British father and an American mother growing up in a busy house Anna had four siblings Patrick James Nora and her fourth Gerald died in a car crash at just aged 11. Anna attended a private all-girl school called North London Collegiate School she always knew who she was and what she wanted with a strong independent personality just age 10 when answering a homework question on future profession her father joked to write down to become the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine and that she did at age 14 Anna cut her hair into a bob the exact style she's kept for almost 60 years from a young age winter took a keen interest in fashion she read magazines that her grandmother sent her from America and watched Kathy McGowan show and Kathy was the style icon of the time Anna despised attendance school and often rebelled by taking up the hemline of her skirts because she hated the uniform she behaves awfully to teachers and the administration so much so that she was expelled at age 16. her defying nature then trickled into her home life as Anna lived in her parents basement and had many many boyfriends her privileged upbringing cannot be ignored her ancestors were all valued members of society politicians novelists and Bishops and Anna well she had a generous trust fund with a family of journalists her Father Charles was the editor of the London evening standard and now her brother Patrick is a political editor for the guardian it's no surprise that she became a journalist too I was lucky enough to grow up in a house full of journalists and I said seeing my father work there was never any time to make mistakes or second guess it has informed me as an editor myself as a child her dad regularly consults today for ideas to make the newspapers youth friendly now Anna often discusses the impact her father has had on her career mainly in how she manages people and hire staff my dad believed in the cult of personality she explains how she looks to hire people with strong character and the ability to disagree another trait Anna adopted is his demeanor her father relied on the intimidating power of Silence but we'll come back to discuss Anna's personality later on Anna got her first job age 15 at Biba Boutique the role was actually arranged by a father who encouraged her career in fashion in 1966 after leaving school she began a training program at Harrods whilst also studying fashion at a nearby college but this didn't last long she quit saying you either know fashion or you don't instead she went on to get a new job her Aussie boyfriend at the time Richard Neville offered her a position in his controversial underground publication Oz this was Anna's first experience working on a magazine Anna dated a lot of older men with good connections this included English novelist Piers Paul Reed who was 24 when she was just 15 and Nigel a gossip columnist a couple years later in 1970 age 21 Anna got a job at Harpers and queen thanks to her father being friends with the editor-in-chief she was one of the first editorial assistants and this launched her career in fashion journalism here is where Anna says she learned everything she worked with Innovative photographers like Jim Lee and Hal mcnewson whilst her large Network gave her access to creative locations for photo shoots by 1973 she was Deputy editor-in-chief when Harper's and queen's Chief fashion editor all became vacant and was given to Min Hogg and his rival she quit the two had chronic disagreements and instead Anna used her American passport thanks to her mother and moved to New York with their generous boyfriend John Bradshaw in 1975 now on new soil Anna started as a junior fashion editor at Harper's bizarre us however she was fired nine months later or maybe 18 there's many viewpoints to when and why this happened some say it was controversial photo shoots led by Anna whereas she says she was too European for the role nonetheless her unusual approach to her work was disliked and she was discharged it's from this era of her life that the rumor arose about her scandalous time with Bob Ali she was reportedly introduced to the reggae legend by one of her boyfriends at the time and supposedly disappeared with him for a week although in a 2017 appearance on The Late Late Show James Corden asked Anna about this and she claims she had never even met the man but given the chance she would certainly have hooked up with him unfazed Anna continued on her journey to Vogue next working as a fashion editor at Viva again thanks to the help of her boyfriend John Bradshaw who got other job the magazine was financed by the editor Kathy Keaton's husband Bob guccione he was founder of Penthouse a porn magazine and Viva well that was the female version It's companion this was the first time Anna was able to hire a personal assistant so she started to establish her reputation as a demanding and difficult boss but she didn't like this job the wars were covered in pornographic images and with their dreams of running Vogue no doubt she was very uncomfortable the bottom line was Anna had been unemployed and when one needs a job work is work she says overall winter chooses to forget her time working at this distasteful place the magazine was deemed unprofitable and shut down in 1978 leaving Anna jobless yet again for the next two years she took some time off and divided her weeks between New York London and Paris where she'd visit her new boyfriend Michael Esteban a French record producer and her parents who were preparing for divorce in 1979. in 1918 she returned to work as a fashion editor at Savvy a new women's magazine for the career-conscious professional woman who made and spent their own money a year later in 1981 she moved to New York Magazine it was here that her career is a fashion editor started to garment more attention thanks to her fashion spreads photo shoots and freedom to create it was around this time they released an issue with Rachel Wars on the cover and Anna realized having celebrities on the front played an instrumental role in selling more copies she saw the celebrity thing coming before everyone else did said Grace Covington one of Anna's employees her work at New York Magazine achieved a significant increase in circulation and his success was being recognized across the industry and I had an interview with Grace Mirabella editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1971 to 1988 Grace Astana what job she wanted and Anna responded yours that was the end of that meeting however the editorial director of Conde Nast vogue's parent company Alex Lieberman poached Anna Wintour himself in 1983 after successful negotiations to double her current salary and accepted a job at Vogue this position was the first of its kind solely created for Anna making her the Magazine's first ever creative director of American Vogue the new role had vaguely defined responsibilities in fact she had full Freedom Anna was enthusiastic and worked hard a true feature of her personality she instantly made an impact after seeing the magazine as boring and unremarkable she changed its Style however Anna refused to follow the chain of commands and made modifications without editor-in-chief Grace's knowledge this caused conflict between the pair and friction amongst the staff so in 1985 liberman sent Anna to London to be the editor of British Vogue after her predecessor retired during Anna's time at American Vogue she had begun dating David Shaffer a well-known child psychiatrist the couple got married in 1984 and had their first child together the following year a son called Charlie now back in her hometown of London Anna's reputation of being a demanding boss was only growing upon her arrival at British Vogue she fired half of the staff and displayed more control over the magazine than any previous editor had ever she controlled the whole process entirely this earned her the nickname nuclear winter and many of the other employees at the time refer to this area as the winter of our discontent the changes Anna orchestrated transformed the magazine from its traditional eccentricity into one cohesive with the American issue focusing on the readers being the new kind of woman interested more in business and money not only had she been working tirelessly to revitalize British folk in 1987 Anna gave birth to her second child a daughter named Catherine now known as B soon after that same year in 1987 Anna returned to New York naming Elizabeth tilburus to take her place as the editor-in-chief of British Folk she had been working at the magazine for 20 years and was a valued employee and the returned to the city to take over House and Garden another magazine under Conde Nast focusing on interior design entertaining and garden they hope that Anna will be able to improve the publication to catch up to its rival architectural digest once again Anna was brutal radically offloading staff and notably canceling two million dollars worth of photo spreads and articles during only her first week Anna enforced emphasis on mixing fashion with interior unfortunately this wasn't a popular feeling and many critics in the industry started to call it house and Garmin or vanity chair ultimately her unwillingness to shift her Focus to home interior meant that the Magazine's problem got worse in Anna's final attempt at its Revival they shortened the title to Simply HG however this confused readers and many subscriptions were eventually canceled as Anna left to her next big job this publication was seized in 1993. in 1988 Anna's American rival Grace Mirabella left her position as the editor-in-chief of Vogue us handing over the reins to the new queen of fashion Mrs Anna Windsor herself at age 39 at the time her children were just one and three years old in an era where Society still debated whether women could have it all Anna was a modern example you can do both it's just working out the priorities to me it's Unthinkable not to work it's Unthinkable not to be a mother her Mission at work was to ensure Vogue Remains the number one magazine against its newly introduced competitors such as Elle Harper's Bazaar and Mirabella once again she made sweeping changes to the staff at the company and retracted the style of the magazine on the Mirabella models were photographed in studios for headshot style images but Anna transformed these into onset locations outside showing more of the body like Diana Vreeland had iconically done back in the 60s when first cover of American Vogue featured 19 year old Israeli model Michaela berku wearing guest jeans worth fifty dollars paired with a Christian Lacroix hot Couture jacket with ten thousand dollars she had minimal makeup no visible jewelry and she wasn't even looking at the camera this was a remarkable break from the norm at Vogue in fact it broke all the rules even the magazine printers asked if there was some sort of mistake when they received the image it turns out the jeans weren't planned Michaela had just returned from a vacation and had gained a few pounds the matching scare they'd originally planned to wear didn't fit Anna wasn't bothered and loved the idea of pairing the jeans with the look instead as it was reinforced the idea to take Couture's haughty Grand there and playfully throw it into real life it was the time to do something different she said otherwise why was I there the image was never planned or intended for the cover though originally it was shot as a page spread however Anna said It felt very natural and decided to take a leap of faith to try something new the following year in June 1989 model Estelle letterber was on the cover shown in wet hair with just a bathrobe and no makeup the new approach was a huge success it had a real relatability to women the 90s were a significant breakthrough in Anna's career she was Rising the ranks of Vogue and simultaneously becoming a famous pop culture icon meanwhile her husband David was doing groundbreaking work in the field of adolescent mental health this unfortunately led to constraints on their marriage and after 15 years together the couple got divorced in 1999 the same year she started dating Shelby Bryan some report that it's actually the reason her marriage ended the couple wed five years later in 2004. Anna Windsor is well known for being the woman in charge of Fashion's biggest red carpet event of the year the Met Gala hosted at the New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise money to fund the costume Institute we've actually done a whole all in-depth video if you want to learn more about this event so I'll link it in the description below anyway Anna explains how she became the chairwoman saying she received a phone call from Oscar de la Renta and his wife a trustee at the Museum the couple wanted to know if Vogue would become part of the garlet which had been established by Deanna Vreeland a previous editor-in-chief of Vogue in the 60s after Vreeland passed away there was nobody named to spearhead the event meaning it had slightly fallen off the fashion and social map in 95 Anna was given the task of bringing attention to the no longer talked about event and to raise enough money to fund the museum I think I was quite naive when I said to Oscar and Annette how much I would enjoy taking that on she explained Anna oversees the entire event everything must be approved by her and she's proven triumphant continually raising eight figures a year according to Forbes the Met Gala has raised more than 200 million dollars for the costume Institute since Anna's lead although when console had managed to avoid or remove all of their Rivals her newest competitor at the time was editor of Vanity Fair Tina Brown a fellow British editor workaholic and Conde nasta employee like many of Anna's feuds this too was Monumental enough to be televised through a series called All That Glitters as two women who ascended in a male-dominated field the media enjoyed dramatizing their positions against one another they were both very ambitious in their career as a Conde Nast and as they both Rose to the top it was inevitable that they would Collide the question on everyone's mind though was between the two women who did long-term editorial director Alex liberman prefer as his eventual replacement in 2019 when the pair was seen doing an interview together it's clear that there's some awkwardness between the two Tina questions why Anna's wearing her sunglasses on stage and Anna claims it's because she had eye surgery although we all know that's the unlikely truth around this time Anna also expanded Vogue massively creating in Vogue in 2003 and Vogue living and men's Vogue in 2005. also in 2003 Anna was the subject of a book released by one of her former assistants Lauren weisberger titled The Devil Wears Prada the story depicts the life of a young woman hired as a personal assistant to Fashion's most powerful editor Miranda Priestley the job becomes nightmarish as she struggles to keep up with her boss's grueling schedule and demeaning demands in 2006 the book was turned into a film with Meryl Streep star in his Miranda aka Anna winter the movie was a hit and is still an active initiation film for anyone who loves fashion it has been continually referenced and quoted for years after all it's the best fashion film we've ever seen it transformed wintour's image from that of a mere public figure into that of a cultural icon in Anna's masterclass she was asked what do you expect from your assistance and has your criteria changed over the years in which she responded simply saying well I hope my assistants won't write books about me despite her seeming displeased Anna did attend the film Premiere and she said she rather enjoys it as she loves fiction although it was noted how similar the office in the film looked to his and rumor has it she had hairs remodeled soon after Anna's iconic look and Persona have inspired many other characters too Edna Mode in The Incredibles and Willy Wonka and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are both seen with a bob and sunglasses meanwhile face summers in Ugly Betty mimics the homophone of Winter's surname being similar to Winter as Summers is similar to Summer overall The Devil Wears Prada presented a really one-dimensional view of Anna who is actually a really complex character movies have a way of becoming truth in people's minds and often that's not the case although given the scripts came from the book of a real life experience close to Anna it's no surprise that some of it could have been exaggerated her personality is open to interpretation is she seen as ruthless Or Meticulous we know Anna is very punctual often in fact she's always spotted sat alone on the front rows waiting for the show to start and she doesn't believe in wasting time Wintour uses her early arrival to do emails calls or generate ideas saying she's actually most creative at a show this trait reflects in how she interacts with others too no Small Talk No waffle no explanations no pleasantries it's not surprising she comes across as standoffish and demanding given the way she chooses to communicate sometimes notice is having a short temper not bothering to learn people's names and employees being warned not to initiate your conversation with her she's definitely not the nicest person she's a perfectionist with an authoritative style as we saw displayed in the Tyrant of Miranda Priestly in the film and in real life through the amount of sheer power that she has Anna can control everything down to the selling floor through the dictatorship of choosing the celebrity's looks on the covers to telling designers who and what to dress she decides the trends her power terrifies people into compliance and their presence often makes people feel nervous in in her work she is ruthless brutal in editing unsparing in her feedback and militant in her organization Anna likes people who share a strong personality saying I don't like people who say yes to everything I want to work with people who can argue disagree and have a point of view that's reflected in the magazine Winsor empowers those around her and really relies on her team after all it takes so many people coming together to create the magazine at home Anna is a devoted grandmother to three she even admits that they are a weakness and his daughter B describes it as the most generous person you will ever meet she puts everyone else before her but yes she gets bored easily and is very efficient at work no matter the conversation winter doesn't try to correct the narrative around their personality and like most people it changes when she's around different people however the story of her life continues to further explain and help us to develop an understanding of the type of person she is so let's keep going in 2008 and I was recognized eyes with one of the most prestigious Awards in Britain at Buckingham Palace Queen Elizabeth II appointed there as Dame commander of the order of the British Empire for her services to fashion and journalism Megan Herr Dame Anna winter in fact it seems to pair got on pretty well as they were pictured at Richard Quinn's show together in 2017 talking and laughing an unusual sight for both women Anna later revealed that they were discussing how long they'd both been in their jobs 2008 was also a very bad year for Vogue and ultimately led to her rumors of retirement she'd cause controversy in her outfits and cover images whilst Vogue living and men's Vogue both suffered suspensions and cut backs respectively many people said Vogue had become stale and predictable and Winsor well she'd lost her touch ignoring all criticism Anna explains how it would be irresponsible to retire at such an economically difficult time and it was her duty to lead through all of the struggles in 2009 the September issue was released this was a film covering invoke journey to produce the biggest ever issue at 832 pages in September 2007. traditionally the September Vogue is the largest most important release of the year as it coincides with fashion month the time in which the most relevant collections are presented the film also covered some of Anna's difficult relationships especially with creative director Grace cottington although Anna had achieved a 10 year old South dream becoming editor-in-chief of Vogue as she neared the traditional age for retirement Winter's workload was only increasing in 2013 she was appointed artistic director of Conde Nast leading all 17 titles and 27 websites the following year she also added the post of editorial director to her business card Anna worked tremendously hard it's reported that in 2000 after a facelift she still went back into the office with yellow bruises visible because winter never wants to miss work she was never afraid to break the rules either as we've learned in her personal life Anna Rules by Leading not by following in 2014 she made the controversial decision to place the reality television Supernova Kim Kardashian and her fiance rapper Kanye West undercover a Vogue this sent the fashion worlds spinning and sparked huge backlash as many readers were upset that such a controversial artist and a woman merely famous for being famous were awarded defeat of scoring a vote cover to this nationally an accomplishment reserved for Hollywood a-listers an award-winning top fashion industry figures Facebook uses at the time were feral and unafraid to voice their dismay one user commented well it's official you don't need to have an actual respectable talent to be on the cover you just have to be able to take a dick or be one another saying we all know Vogue was dying but this is it the official death of Vogue but like always Anna proved their instincts were correct she was ahead of her time and a force for change no publicity is bad publicity right the cover ended up selling 500 000 copies in mere weeks compared to only 350 000 for Beyonce's cover and three hundred thousand for First Lady Michelle Obama's cover in 2014 Anna was bestowed one of the most fashionable honors as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York renamed its costume Institute the Anna winter costume Institute after it had been newly renovated using the money she'd raised by hosting the metcala when First Lady Michelle Obama opened the center she said I'm here because I have such respect and admiration for this woman who I am proud to call my friend despite this Anna has found herself entangled in a lot of controversy during her career she free daily Warfare and featured it in Vogue even when there were Pizza demonstrations outside the office and graffiti on their house one day when she was having lunch at the Four Seasons a woman went up to her table and dumped a dead raccoon on her plate in Paris in 2005 she was hit with a tofu pie to the face whilst waiting to get into the Chloe show she once retaliated to a protest outside Conde Nast offices during the company's annual Christmas party by sending down a plate of roast beef and it also took a long time to embrace diversity she didn't use a black photographer for a cover shoot until 2018 and only then because Beyonce had insisted at the time Mitchell was the publication's only black photographer in its 150 years of business however following the murder of George Floyd and the BLM movement that followed in 2020 and it was reported to have issued an apology to staff for those complicity in racism stating the magazine has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors writers photographers designers and other creators on the 9th of November 2016 Anna Let Her emotions show in a very unusual performance as she apparently cried in front of her entire staff when Hillary Clinton lost the election it was rumored that had she been elected as president winter would have become the United States ambassador to the UK an incredible honor in 2018 Amy O'Dell published a biography of Anna winter titled Anna it's a balanced humanizing poetry if the most powerful woman working in fashion she spoke to over 250 sources to generate the book over 18 months before Anna's team heard about the project and helped sending over a list of names and contacts although Anna Wintour herself did not want to be involved in 2020 Conde Nas promoted Anna to the role of Chief content officer worldwide as part of the company's restructuring this is alongside her role as Global editorial director of Vogue despite Anna's harsh exterior she is largely acclaimed for support and young designers she tells the story of provenza Schuler saying I was on an airplane from Miami to New York when I received a note on a napkin from a young man who I was able to help get an internship for Michael course he then went on to meet his partner at college and became a company called provenza Schuler it's been so rewarding to see them grow into a globally renowned label she's also supported the young John Galliano back in London many many years ago saying he had no ideas how to run a business and we were able to help him get a job at Christian Dior her influence even extends outside of just fashion she persuaded Donald Trump to let Marc Jacobs use a ballroom at the Plaza hotel for a show when Jacobs and his partner were sure some cash and in 2006 she persuaded Brooks Brothers to hire the relatively unknown Tom Brown in 2001 after the 9 11 disaster Vogue advised everybody to reschedule New York Fashion Week Anna then called the Young designers who didn't have any money and offered to help them re-plan their shows through the generosity of Carolina designers showed their collections in their showroom a lot of press and editors were present creating the sense of a great Community this experience ultimately led to the Fountain of the cfda Vogue fashion fund Anna said I went to the cfda and I said we need to create a fund that is going to support young designers in America not just for a time of tragedy but in perpetuity the winner of this fund gets four hundred thousand dollars and there are two runners-up who get a hundred and fifty thousand dollars all winners also get a mentorship with a leader in the fashion industry Anna Wintour has an incredibly iconic look it's one of a caricature unchanged for almost 60 years she has never seen without her Sleek Bob and famous dark sunglasses the Chanel sunglasses do indeed serve a purpose not only are they prescribed lenses but in a 2009 interview Anna reveals that they allow her to keep her reactions to fashion shows private I can sit in a show and if I'm bored out of my mind nobody will notice and if I'm enjoying it nobody will notice winter said I think at this point they've become you know really armor Anna has also been wearing the same style Manolo Blahnik shoes for almost 20 years a nude cross front slingback kitten heel it's rumored she has multiple pairs fit in different shades for when she has a suntan as the infamous film title suggests the devil does indeed wear Prada in fact she's a huge fan Anna loves her Prada dresses so much so she's not afraid to repeat an outfit and recycle her looks we often see Anna pictured wearing the same items time and time again one thing she rarely wears though a back and as usual clothing allowance for Conde Nast is around two hundred thousand dollars along with free gifting from many many high-end designers she also receives a chauffeured Mercedes no matter where in the world she is when attending shows in Europe she's allocated the best sweets including the Coco Chanel suite at the Ritz in Paris his salary is in the millions and Conde nasty even loans here 1.6 million interest free so she could purchase her New York townhouse and I put a poll on this in the luck Circle the other day which by the way is where we have our daily conversations with you guys in our community about all things luxury fashion anyway we asked how much you guys saw Anna's clothing allowance would be and here are the results if you want to join the conversation next time subscribe to see our posts so what does a normal day look like for the most powerful woman in the fashion industry typically she gets up around 4 or 5 a.m and starts her day by reading the British and U.S newspapers the New York Times The Wall Street Journal and the guardian before looking at Twitter and Instagram first off of the day is off to play tennis she loves the sport and it's always irregular in the stands at the US Open Wimbledon and the French Open tournaments for breakfast she often grabs a Starbucks while responding to emails and mapping out the rest of her day what's she wearing well with a Wardrobe full of print dresses Anna admits making the decision is a lot easier as she always grabs one of them and a jumper or trench if it's cold obviously don't get the Chanel sunglasses she'll arrive at the office between 8 and 8 30 where her day consists of meetings of various sizes and intimacy sometimes one-to-ones with editors and others up to 40 people but she does prefer smaller more efficient meetings throughout the day Anna will often have meetings outside of the office at the Met or at designer Studios although she still makes a point of responding quickly to emails and queries from her entire vote team no matter where she is and for lunch she said to eat mainly high protein meals steak hamburgers smoked salmon or egg are usual options in order for Anna to stay on top of things that require her attention she has a take-home bag which she calls her magic box of Tricks filled with a variety of things that need Anna's feedback or approval this can include a mock-up of those issue called the dummy that they're working on she'll go through this and make comments using Post-its there's also articles pictures portfolios resumes invitations and scheduling questions all to be done after an already jump that day it's super important to me that everything gets done at night so I can keep on top of my work and nobody is waiting for my feedback Anna then heads off to bed at 10 15 PM where she gets between six to seven hours sleep a night for many people Vogue is viewed as their Bible and winter as its high priestess but of course this is a print Empire and as mentioned at the start this means Anna could be the last of their kind with their incredible tenure at Vogue her work ethic is insurmountable after being fired countless times following her determination and continually pushing boundaries Anna is undoubtedly a Powerhouse but as the saying goes all good things must come to an end will Anna Wintour remain as the spearhead of the industry for the rest of her life or do you think it's time for her to take her foot off the pedal and hand control over to somebody new is there time finally up after being the longest reigning queen of fashion we've ever seen let me know all your thoughts in the comment section below if the past present and future of Vogue and Anna winter if you want to know more about fashion history I definitely recommend clicking this video right here thank you very much for watching and I will see you next time [Music]

Channel: Luxe Collective

Views: 89,898

Keywords: The story of anna wintour, How anna wintour become the chief and editor of vogue, How anna wintour became the chief and editor at vogue, Anna wintour, vogue, amy odell, Condenast, Anna wintour daily routine, anna wintour controversial moments, anna wintour first job, anna wintour and bob marley, anna wintour childhood, anna wintour boyfriends, Anna wintour and tina brown, The devil wears prada, Anna wintour met gala, kim and kanye cover

Id: Ry8UGEFbXrU

Length: 31min 24sec (1884 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 23 2023