Anna Wintour has been the editor of American edition of Vogue since 1988. Now you don’t even say it but simply know that she is the most powerful woman in fashion. Now her influence has grown much beyond the magazine and the fashion world and industry. Her fully connected network extends from Hollywood to Washington and across both Oceans. It is an intricate web of powerful friends and allies and she has worked with some of them for decades now.
Harvey Weinstein is a perfect example. When he wasn’t doing well, Anna would throw a party and seat him next to Bernard Arnault that generated several business deals. Harvey returned the favor by helping Anna produce a Bruce Springsteen/Billy Joel benefit concert for then Senator Barack Obama. Her support for the film Moulin Rouge and director Baz Luhrmann is another story that illustrates why her network of friends are fiercely loyal to her.
Anna dropped out of school at age 17 in 1967 to join London’s wild fashion dance. Her father was an Englishman named Charles Wintour who was editor of the Evening Standard newspaper in London. Anna worked for several fashion magazines before going for her interview at Vogue in 1982. When Grace Mirabella, then editor of Vogue asked her what job she would like at the magazine, her instant reply was “your jobâ€. And it took Anna only six years to replace Mirabella at the magazine. Vogue is a huge global brand today and Anna Wintour is determined to enhance it.
Via: online.wsj
