The announcement of her nearly 40-year tenure ending shocked many in the fashion world.
NEW YORK — Anna Wintour is stepping down from her lead editor Vogue role, according to multiple reports Thursday.
The fashion magazine is currently searching for a new head of editorial content, a role previously known as the editor-in-chief, to manage more of the day-to-day operations, as reported by Women’s Wear Daily and the Associated Press.
According to AP, this shift will give Wintour more time to focus on other titles in her portfolio. However, the Daily Mail mentions that she recently left Vanity Fair staff feeling ‘blindsided’ and unhappy after she decided to appoint her daughter’s “best friend to run the magazine.”
With this unexpected announcement, 75-year-old Wintour will continue to operate in the same sphere by retaining her position as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director at American Vogue, according to the Daily Mail.
As chief content officer, Wintour will continue to oversee every Condé Nast brand globally, including American Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appétit, Tatler, World of Interiors, Allure and more, with the exception of The New Yorker.
Wintour started as editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine in 1988, taking over after Grace Mirabella. Her decades-long tenure has remade Vogue into what it is today: an industry leader in the fashion world.
She’s credited with putting celebrities on the cover of Vogue and publishing “fun and relaxed shots,” among other things, according to People.
The announcement of her nearly 40-year tenure ending shocked many in the space, leaving folks reeling on social media with the news.
“Anna Wintour & her bob stepping down from vogue while Fashion week is taking place is so wild to me,” wrote one user on X. “Like wow. Idk how I feel about this.”
Wintour also oversees the annual Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night and a major fundraiser for the fashion wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Her longtime position and reputation for being intimidating is thought to have inspired the book, then turned movie, “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Wintour’s replacement, temporary or otherwise, has not yet been announced. It’s also not entirely clear when she will stop serving in her current role.
