Anna Wintour leaves Vogue: why her figure revolutionized the fashion world

Anna Wintour is arguably one of the most important figures in the fashion industry in recent decades. Now, the 72-year-old media director announces her retirement, leaving the sector orphaned. This gap will be difficult to fill in a world that owes so much to the British fashion designer. During her years at the helm of American Vogue , her covers have served as a launching pad for celebrities, singers, and designers. Her role goes beyond that of an editor, as she is frequently seen on the front row of the most prestigious fashion shows and is well-known for her friendship with numerous designers.

The iconic journalist got her start in fashion at a very young age, just 20. She took her first steps at Harper's & Queen magazine in London, but soon moved to New York to take a position at Harper's Bazaar. It wasn't until 1983 that she began her career at Vogue, and two years later, she became editor-in-chief of British Vogue , where she made significant changes.

In 1987, she returned to the city of skyscrapers to take over House & Garden , part of the same group as Vogue. Her first cover of the fashion magazine was a huge revolution for the industry: a model on the street wearing jeans and a Lacroix sweater. Something that is considered normal today, but at the time, it changed the course of many publications. About ten months later, Vogue's former editor, Grace Mirabella , was dismissed, and Wintour took over the position that would take her to the top of the fashion world.

Since 1988 , Wintour has been defending her position, becoming a major reference. Her covers were a surefire success , as was her eagerly awaited September issue , a huge sales success. The editor created impossible looks that stood out for their great ingenuity and will undoubtedly go down in history, featuring such popular and unfashionable faces as Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama , Hollywood greats and even influencers like Kim Kardashian . In 1992, it was Richard Gere who starred on the cover, becoming the first of eight men to hold this spot, including Harry Styles .

In 1995, she took the reins of the Met Gala , one of the most prominent events in the fashion world, held annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Wintour restored the prestige of this event, which features numerous guests of all kinds, from soccer players to singers, models, designers, and actors and actresses. Her impact and importance are such that the museum's costume department bears her name.

A mother of two children, Charles and Katherine , from her first marriage, Wintour is in a relationship with British "Love Actually" actor Bill Nighty . Despite living in the United States, she hasn't forgotten her homeland. In 2017, she was named a Dame of the British Empire for her outstanding contributions to fashion and journalism.

Despite being known for having the power to destroy or elevate a designer's career with a single gesture and only appearing at the shows she considers most important, the journalist has close friends within the industry. A close friend of the late Karl Lagerfeld and Oscar de la Renta , Wintour also maintains friendships off the catwalk, with celebrities like Swiss tennis player Roger Federer , one of the hosts of the 2023 Met Gala.

It has always been believed that she is the real-life protagonist of the book " The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberg, a former assistant to Wintour, who drew on her experience to tell a story that was made into a big screen in 2006. Meryl Streep took on the role of Miranda Priestly , the character who represented the British actress in the book. Moreover, she herself decided to wear Prada to the film's premiere, which was a box office success.

Wintour also stars in the documentary " The September Issue," a film that followed the publication of one of the magazine's most important pieces, the September issue. This documentary shows the editor and her team in the process of bringing this issue to life, including their step-by-step editorial process.

Wintour left the position that made her an icon this Thursday, but her legacy will be indelible. She will continue as chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue, overseeing all brands worldwide. Her influence will always be present, and the fashion world will undoubtedly remember her as the driving force behind what fashion journalism is today.