Dame Anna Wintour. Credit: Shutterstock
Dame Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of Vogue US after 37 years at the helm, she confirmed to staff on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Wintour is not leaving the fashion bible entirely. Instead, she’s shifting focus to global roles. The 75-year-old British fashion icon, known globally for her signature bob and sunglasses, will stay on as Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s chief content officer, overseeing major titles like Vanity Fair, GQ, and WIRED.
“Now, I find that my greatest pleasure is helping the next generation of impassioned editors storm the field with their own ideas,” she told staff during Thursday’s meeting, according to Vogue.
A new chapter for Vogue US
A new Head of Editorial Content (HOEC) will be appointed to run Vogue US, a role that will report directly to Wintour and manage the brand’s day-to-day output across all platforms.
This move, described by Wintour as “thrilling,” will give her more flexibility to focus on her expanded global responsibilities at Condé Nast. As she told Vogue staff:
“Anybody in a creative field knows how essential it is never to stop growing in one’s work… and that is exactly the kind of person we need to now look for to be HOEC for US Vogue.”
Legacy of a fashion powerhouse
Wintour took over Vogue US in 1988 after editing British Vogue for three years. Her influence is often credited with reviving the American edition by blending high fashion with street style and featuring celebrities on its covers.
During her reign, she also became the driving force behind the Met Gala, which she’s organised since 1995, raising more than $300 million (€280 million) for the fashion wing of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“When I became the editor of Vogue, I was eager to prove… that there was a new, exciting way to imagine an American fashion magazine,” she said.
Earlier this year, she was made a Companion of Honour by King Charles, having previously been awarded a Damehood by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017.
Despite the shift, Wintour is not retiring. She said that after receiving her latest royal honour, King Charles asked if she might stop working, to which she replied “firmly, no.”
Anna Wintour’s personal life
Wintour shares a son Charles, 40, and daughter Katherine, 37, with her ex-husband David Shaffer. She has one grandson and two granddaughters: Oliver, 7, Caroline, 5, and Ella Rose, 2. In an interview with Vogue in 2022, Wintour revealed that her grandchildren call her “Anna.”
The Devil Wears Prada
The character Miranda Priestly in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada is commonly thought to be based on Anna Wintour. Lauren Weisberger, the novel’s author, was Wintour’s former assistant, and the book and eventual movie are heavily based on Weisberger’s experiences while working for her.
With a new editorial lead on the horizon, all eyes are now on who might take on the challenge of steering one of the world’s most influential fashion titles. Will the next chapter embrace even bolder changes, or perhaps struggle under the shadow of Wintour’s iconic reign?
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