Fashion veteran Anna Wintour, 75, is stepping down from her role as editor-in-chief of American Vogue, ending a historic 37-year run that helped redefine fashion publishing.
The announcement was made during a staff meeting on Wednesday morning.
Despite her departure from American Vogue, Wintour will stay on as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and Vogue’s global editorial director.
Highlights
- Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years.
- The unexpected announcement was made during a staff meeting.
- She will remain Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and Vogue’s global editorial director.
Wintour’s decision comes as a surprise after years of denying retirement rumors
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The news caught many in the fashion industry off guard. Anna Wintour has been the face and force behind Vogue for decades, shaping not just covers but the direction of fashion publishing.
The idea of her leaving the top role at American Vogue had long been the subject of speculation, though she consistently shut down rumors, according to the New York Post.
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Just earlier this year, Wintour was honored by King Charles III during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, where she was asked if she was planning to retire.
“This morning, His Majesty asked me if this meant I was going to stop working and I said firmly, no. It makes me even more convinced that I have so much more to achieve,” she said.
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With Wintour’s departure, Condé Nast, American Vogue’s owner, will be looking for her replacement. A new head of editorial content for the American fashion publication is yet to be named.
She will continue to hold two major roles within Condé Nast
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Although Wintour is leaving her post as editor-in-chief at American Vogue, she is not retiring from the fashion publication industry at all.
She will still serve as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer, a role that gives her oversight over titles such as WIRED, GQ, Glamour, Vanity Fair, and Bon Appétit.
She will also retain her title as Vogue’s global editorial director, which means that she will still be influencing the magazine on an international scale.
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Wintour’s announcement comes on the heels of another major shakeup at Condé Nast.
Radhika Jones, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, stepped down in April after seven years at the helm of the celebrity news magazine.
Her 37-year tenure at Vogue reshaped the industry
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Wintour began her Vogue career as creative director in 1983 and became editor-in-chief of British Vogue before taking over the American edition in 1988.
Her disruption of the American magazine came quickly. Wintour’s first cover was for US Vogue’s November 1988 issue, and it featured model Michaela Bercu, according to People.
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Instead of the highly stylized, close-up portraits typical of the time, the image was relaxed, modern, and even controversial.
Bercu wore a $10,000 Christian Lacroix couture sweater with a $50 pair of jeans, marking the first time denim appeared on a Vogue cover.
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“It was so unlike the studied and elegant close-ups that were typical of Vogue’s covers back then, with tons of makeup and major jewelry. This one broke all the rules,” Wintour recalled in a 2012 interview with the magazine.
Wintour’s intimidating presence has also become cultural lore.
Image credits: Vogue
Her influence allegedly inspired the fictional Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, which happened to be written by her former assistant Lauren Weisberger.
When the film premiered in 2006, Wintour arrived wearing Prada, cementing her role as both a real-life icon and a character larger than life.
Wintour's retirement from American Vogue received polarizing reactions from netizens
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