Anna Wintour has stepped down from her famed Vogue role in a shock career decision, according to WWD.
On Thursday, the 75-year-old told staffers that she will be seeking a new head of editorial content at American Vogue.
Wintour will continue to hold her position as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director at Vogue.
As chief content officer, Wintour oversees every brand globally, including Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appetit, Tatler, World of Interiors and Allure among others.
Wintour first became editor in chief of Vogue in 1988 and is credited with completely transforming the famed fashion magazine. She is also behind making the Met Gala what it is today – a red carpet today event attended by the fashion elite, as she handpicks the celebrities and makes sure to greet them personally.
Her shock decision has left the fashion world reeling, as there’s not a clear replacement who can step into her designer shoes, and she’s left quite big shoes to fill.
Anna Wintour has stepped down from her famed Vogue role in a shock career decision
Anna Wintour sits next to Queen Elizabeth II as they viewed Richard Quinn’s runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in February 2018
Fashion fans have taken to X (previously Twitter) to voice their shock, calling it the ‘end of an era’ and saying it’s something they never thought they’d see, as she was tied so directly to the brand for so many years.
Wintour’s first job was on the now defunct Harpers & Queen. Before Wintour took over at Vogue as the EIC she was its creative director in 1983.
She then went back home to British Vogue, where she served as EIC from 1985 to 1987, before rejoining American Vogue.
Her famed covers included appearances from A-listers like Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Ivana Trump, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and more.
However, Wintour’s time at Vogue was not without controversy. Most recently, she left Vanity Fair staff ‘blindsided‘ and fiercely unhappy with her surprising decision to appoint her daughter’s nepo-baby best friend to run the magazine.
She picked her daughter Bee Shaffer’s close pal Mark Guiducci, 36, to run Vanity Fair following a high-profile search for the publication’s next leader.
An insider has alleged that the decision sparked immense outrage in the company, claiming that many Vanity Fair staffers feel like Guiducci is ‘not qualified’ for the job.
Wintour was also advised to step down from the Met Gala by a leading PR expert after this year’s event was blasted as ‘forgettable’ and declared ‘dead’ by spectators.
She’s been at the helm of American Vogue since 1988 and now sits pretty near the summit of the $2.4 trillion fashion industry
Highly ambitious, Anna Wintour moved to New York in 1975 and after blistering through various magazines was appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue
Earlier this month, the famed publication was bombarded with messages from angry followers after its publishers boldly decided to post Blake Lively at the front of a carousel of photos in an Instagram upload amid her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
Despite the controversies, the highly ambitious editor’s time at Vogue has been largely praised, as she was able to bring the magazine into the digital age while keeping the focus on fashion.
Wintour has long been a figure of fascination in the New York City media scene and is thought to be who the main character Miranda Priestly is based on.
She has surrounded herself with celebrity friends like Rihanna, and often picked designer favorites, including Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife Georgina Chapman’s brand Marchesa and the Proenza Schouler designers.
