While Anna Wintour’s ‘Legacy Will Be One Of A Woman Who Shaped Fashion,’ Says Fashion Insider Breck Graham, ‘It’s Also Shaped By A Woman Who Had A Fallible Sense of Herself’
Anna Wintour at the SS24 Chloe Women’s fashion show in Paris | Photo Credit: SEELE
The fashion world got hit by a seismic earthquake this week. After 37 years, Anna Wintour resigned as head of US Vogue. The London born Editor in Chief stepped away from the daily work flow of producing the Fashion Bible
Since 1988 Wintour held a grip on the glossy clothing trade, positioning the renowned page publication as the last word in fashion, blending celebrity and culture. A world where at the very least, everyone wanted to peek in the window at an out of reach aspirational existence.
Hailing from a newspaper dynasty, Wintour's father Charles Wintour, headed the London Evening Standard. Her mother Audrey Slaughter founded Working Woman magazine, while her brother Patrick is the current Diplomatic editor of The Guardian. The moment Wintour, the Louboutin wearer took over “the ultimate corner office,” she set about transforming the Conde Nast master title. Instead of model covers, famous A-listers regularly appeared on the monthly magazine’s shiny paper.
As Vogue’s stature grew, so did Wintour’s brand. The two were joined at the hip. Where did the person end and the magazine begin? Such was Anna Wintour’s stature, as her influence grew, it extended to sitting next to Royalty, Presidents and First Ladies.
Taking over the Costume Institute’s fundraising night, the Met Gala gave the 75-year-old the ultimate power flexing Red Carpet muscle. The industry gathered to pay tribute on the first Monday of May to the sunglasses adorned hostess.
What could threaten Anna’s or Vogue’s position on the fashion mountain top? Well, social media arrived. Younger readers no longer looked to magazines for style tips, instead they scrolled on screens and searched for hashtags. Algorithms seized the moment as 20th century mass media became outdated, just like typewriters in the Age of Apple Computers. Once in the driver’s seat for setting trends, print magazines found themselves in the rear spot to Instagram and TikTok playing catch up.
As parent company Conde Nast faced slowing sales, fewer ad dollars, layoffs, staff salary cuts, fewer editions, and streamlined content productions, the company gave Miss Wintour the titles of Chief Content Office and Global Editor with the responsibility of overseeing all global titles except The New Yorker. But now, after June 26th, the multi-titled boss will only have two headings.
As Vogue US turns a page, it’s now searching to fill the position Head of Editorial Content. Anna Wintour’s legacy will be one of a woman who shaped fashion with a keen, at times fallible sense of herself.