Anna Wintour

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Anna Wintour was born in Hampstead, London, on 3 November 1949 to Charles Wintour, editor of the Evening Standard from 1959 to 1976, and Eleanor 'Nonie' Trego Baker. Her father regularly consulted her on how to make the newspaper relevant to the youth of the era. She became interested in fashion as a teenager, inspired by watching Cathy McGowan on Ready Steady Go! and reading Seventeen, which her grandmother sent from the United States. At age 14, she began wearing her hair in a bob. Her father arranged her first job at the influential Biba boutique when she was 15; the next year she left North London Collegiate School and began a training program at Harrods. Her career in fashion journalism began at two British magazines: in 1970 she was hired as one of the first editorial assistants at Harper's & Queen, where she told co-workers she wanted to edit Vogue. After moving to the United States, she held stints at New York and House & Garden. She returned to London and was editor of British Vogue between 1985 and 1987. A year later, she assumed control of the franchise's magazine in New York, reviving what many saw as a stagnating publication. Her use of the magazine to shape the fashion industry has been the subject of debate. Animal rights activists have attacked her for promoting fur, while other critics have charged her with using the magazine to promote elitist and unattainable views of femininity and beauty. A former personal assistant, Lauren Weisberger, wrote the bestselling 2003 roman à clef The Devil Wears Prada, adapted into a 2006 film starring Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, believed to be based on Wintour. Wintour's editorship of Vogue was also featured in R. J. Cutler's 2009 documentary The September Issue.

Reader's Guide

Anna Wintour's significance stems from her long tenure as editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1988 to 2025, during which she revived a stagnating publication and became a central figure in the fashion world. She is praised for her skill in identifying emerging fashion trends but criticised for her reportedly aloof and demanding personality. Her role as lead chairperson of the annual haute couture Met Gala in Manhattan since the 1990s cemented her influence. The debate over her use of Vogue to shape the fashion industry, along with controversies over promoting fur and unattainable beauty standards, marks her legacy. The Devil Wears Prada and The September Issue brought her editorship into popular culture. Currently, she serves as global chief content officer and artist director at Condé Nast. Her first cover as editor of U.S. Vogue, November 1988, featured a Peter Lindbergh photograph of 19-year-old Michaela Bercu in a $50 pair of faded jeans and a bejeweled T-shirt by Christian Lacroix worth $10,000—the first time a Vogue cover model had worn jeans. Wintour later reflected: 'It was so unlike the studied and elegant close-ups that were typical of Vogue's covers back then... This one broke all the rules.'

Did You Know?

• Wintour's father, Charles Wintour, was editor of the London-based Evening Standard from 1959 to 1976 and regularly consulted her on how to make the newspaper relevant to youth.
• At age 14, she began wearing her hair in a bob, which became her trademark.
• Her first job in fashion was at the Biba boutique, arranged by her father when she was 15.
• The first cover she oversaw as editor of U.S. Vogue (November 1988) featured model Michaela Bercu in a $50 pair of faded jeans and a $10,000 bejeweled Christian Lacroix T-shirt—the first Vogue cover model to wear jeans.
• A former personal assistant, Lauren Weisberger, wrote the 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada, believed to be based on Wintour, which was adapted into a 2006 film starring Meryl Streep.