Who is Anna Wintour, the iconic Vogue editor-in-chief stepping down after nearly 40 years?

Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of American Vogue, is stepping down after nearly four decades at the helm. The 75-year-old fashion powerhouse announced her departure during an executive meeting on Thursday, a move first reported by The Times Magazine.

Wintour has led Vogue since 1988, transforming it into a global fashion authority. Since 2020, she has also served as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer. While she is stepping down from her American Vogue editor-in-chief role, Wintour will continue as Vogue’s global director and maintain her executive position at Condé Nast.

Over her 37-year tenure, Wintour redefined fashion journalism—popularizing celebrity covers, setting trends, and serving as the face of Vogue. She also became a central figure in fashion’s biggest night, the Met Gala, serving as its lead chairperson.


Born in the Hampstead neighborhood of London, Anna Wintour is the eldest of five children. Her father, Charles Wintour, was editor of The Evening Standard, and her American mother, Eleanor “Nonie” Trego Baker, was a philanthropist.

Wintour began her career in London before moving to New York in the mid-1970s. She worked briefly at Harper’s Bazaar before joining American Vogue in 1983 as its first creative director. In 1988, she succeeded Grace Mirabella as editor-in-chief.

Her personal life includes two marriages. She wed psychiatrist David Shaffer in 1984, with whom she had two children: Charles, now a psychiatrist, and Bee, a television and theatre producer. The couple divorced in 1999. In 2004, she married investor Shelby Bryan. The couple separated in 2020.

Anna Wintour’s retirement marks the end of an era in fashion publishing—an era shaped by her sharp vision, bold decisions, and undeniable influence on global style.