November. The month of the year that everyone in the fashion world knows (and if you didn’t, then heaven knows you better remember in future) as the birth month of Anna Wintour. Those readers wondering whom I’m talking about: wonder no more because we at SCAN are here to educate you on fashion’s most influential name. The daughter of Charles Wintour, former editor of London’s Evening Standard, Anna was instructed by him at a young age that she would one day be editor of Vogue. In 1985, Wintour, succeeding Beatrix Miller, took the helm of British Vogue and revolutionised the magazine towards what she called the “new kind of woman out there who doesn’t have time to shop anymore.” Following a change in direction to House & Garden, she later stormed her way into leadership of Vogue.
Wintour, upon entering Vogue, made headlines when her first cover featured jeans – an untested boundary at the time considered to be a risk in the industry. In her earlier years, Anna Wintour became known as the ice queen of the industry, sometimes even referenced to as “Nuclear Wintour.” Often referred to as cold, Tom Florio, former senior VP-publishing director of American Vogue, has expressed this is on account of her being inaccessible. Perhaps Wintour’s defining moment against these claims was when she famously turned up to the New York premiere of The Devil Wears Prada in Prada, showcasing that, despite allegations, Anna isn’t the dragon lady she’d consistently been portrayed as. For anyone considering a career in fashion, Anna Wintour is the name you need to remember, and tabloid nicknames become irrelevant when considering her success. What Anna has done is revolutionise an era of fashion still at its peak, with Vogue’s circulation published at 1,237,939 copies.
Anna innately begins her preparations for work in the hours of five to six am. Weather allowing, she usually indulges in a round of tennis and arrives for work by eight. Anna has often stated her contempt for head to toe black. A genuine lady of chic often seen adorned in patterns, fur and statement necklaces, Anna’s style is vibrant and not to be understated. In fact, her very opinion of clothing is illuminating. When questioned about runway looks displaying a plethora of mournful collections, she delightfully retaliated with how she interpreted it as romanticism in fashion.
There’s no denying it, Anna Wintour really is a revolutionary lady.
