Anna Wintour

**Dame Anna Wintour** <small>CH</small> <small>DBE</small> (born 3 November 1949) is a British-American media businesswoman. She was editor-in-chief of _Vogue_ from 1988 until 2025.

## Life

Anna Wintour stopped going to school at 16 and started her career in fashion. She worked on magazines in America called _New York_ and _Home & Garden_. She then went back to Britain and worked on a British magazine known as _Vogue_. She later worked on the American version, making them both more popular and successful. Wintour supports young fashion designers and is sometimes called "Nuclear Wintour" because of her demanding personality.

Wintour was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2023 Birthday Honours]for services to fashion. In 2025, she was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.

Wintour stepped down as editor-in-chief of _Vogue_ in June 2025. On 1 September 2025, Vogue announced she would be replaced by Chloe Malle, who was promoted from editor of _vogue.com_.

### _The Devil Wears Prada_

It is thought that Anna Wintour was the inspiration behind the demanding editor, Miranda Priestly, in the novel _The Devil Wears Prada_. The author of the book, Lauren Weisberger, had worked as the personal assistant of Anna Wintour at _Vogue_. It has been suggested that the setting and Priestly were based on _Vogue_ and Wintour, but Weisberger denies this, and says that Wintour is given her own appearance near the end of the book.

The similarities between Priestly and Wintour are:
- They both have two children
- They both serve on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Miranda Priestly is a mean person who makes impossible demands of the people who work for her, and Wintour is also a very strict boss.

Before the book started selling, Wintour told the _New York Times_, "I always enjoy a great piece of fiction. I haven't decided whether I am going to read it or not."

### Ugly Betty

It is also said that a character in the TV series of _Ugly Betty_ is based on Wintour. The character Fey Sommers, is very similar to Anna Wintour:
- They both have a bob haircut
- They both wear sunglasses indoors
- Their surnames are both homophones for seasons (Sommers=Summer, Wintour=Winter)
- They were both targeted by animal rights activists for using fur in their fashion
- Both Sommers and Wintour were involved in some way with fashion magazines. (Sommers with _MODE_, Wintour with _Vogue_).

Wintour is also mentioned in _Ugly Betty_ when Wilhelmina Slater is going to get a better job at _MODE_ (the magazine) after Bradford Meade is arrested. She does not accept a lunch invitation from Anna Wintour, saying she should have called back in 1998, not 2007.

### Politics

Wintour has been a supporter of the Democratic Party going back to Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate run and John Kerry's 2004 presidential run and serving Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 presidential runs as a lot of contributions. In 2008 and 2012, she co-hosted fundraisers with Sarah Jessica Parker, the latter being a 50-person, $40,000-a-plate dinner at Parker's West Village town house with Meryl Streep, Michael Kors, and Trey Laird, an advertising executive, among the attendees. She has also teamed with Calvin Klein and Harvey Weinstein on fundraisers during Obama's first term and Donna Karan has been amongst the attendees.

## Infobox (person)

- **honorific prefix**: Dame
- **name**: Anna Wintour
- **image**: Anna Wintour in 2024 (cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Wintour in 2024
- **birth place**: London, England
- **years active**: 1975–present
- **employer**: Condé Nast
- **predecessor**: Grace Mirabella
- **successor**: Chloe Malle
- **boards**: Metropolitan Museum of Art
- **children**: 2
- **father**: Charles Wintour
- **signature**: Anna Wintour signature.png