Anna Wintour – does the name ring a bell? The name itself grants an onslaught of opinions. The combination of a bob and oversized sunglasses imediately becomes personified as one of fashion’s most influential people. Anna Wintour was the editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1988 – and announced in June of last year – to 2025. She may have stepped away from her iconic role, but that hardly means stepping down. Wintour is continuing her role as chief content officer for Condé Nast as well as global editorial director for Vogue. In other words, her successor (Chloe Malle) will still look to Wintour as her boss. All this to say, who really is Anna Wintour and how did she get her start?

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Born on a dreary November day in 1949, like any other day in London, Anna was born to a newspaper editor father and a philanthropist mother. In other words, it was guaranteed from the beginning that Anna was born into privilege and would be capable of great career strides due to her built-in connections. Wintour attended prestigious schools, but learned as a teenager that academics wasn’t her style. She chose, instead, to spend her time soaking in the culture of the mid 60s by attending London clubs.

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Anna’s fashion magazine journey started at Harper’s and Queen Magazine in London, in which she rose up the editorial ladder swiftly. Does the magazine sound familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time? Well it might be because it was rebranded as Harper’s Bazaar, in which Anna took over as Fashion Editor at only 27 years old. From there she jumped from magazine to magazine in New York, gaining high esteem due to her experience and – let’s be real – Newspaper editing royalty. In 1986, Wintour returned to London to take over as chief editor for British Vogue, in which she changed the image of the publication from traditional bold and pop-culture-focused which granted her the name "Nuclear Wintour.”

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In 1988, returned to New York permanently now with her being named editor-in-chief of Vogue. Wintour was specifically called upon as a last effort for the survival of Vogue as a publication. At the time, Elle was projected to overtake Vogue, so the publisher at the time placed Wintour atop the editorial masthead with every ounce of freedom, and all of the financial backing. Cut to three decades later, Wintour achieved beyond of what was asked of her.