Vogue's Winning Success

By Jade Washington

The woman who loves to shop while she drops is no longer around, instead she is replaced with a woman in a Prada dress pursuing business and money. Anna Wintour. The woman who gave Vogue are more vibrant, lively, and sassy new appearance demonstrated how she pursues people that can represent their ambitions and talents rather than rich people flaunting their money.Wintour also made sure to explain to people the new and improved woman’s lifestyle and the meaning behind fashion. Wintour, known for her snazzy trademark sunglasses and her fierce bob haircut, had started seeking the adventure and fashion industry at the age of fifteen. She later decided go for a bob look and witness the downtown London life to see The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. After these experiences, her father, Charles Wintour,  an editor in the London Evening Standard landed her a position in Vogue based in London. From there she began to rise in the ranks and even progressed herself to be Editor in Chief for the  edition in New York City. This woman would transform the magazine it is today by advocating “create your own style… let it be unique for yourself  and yet identifiable for others”. Wintour’s known trademark is her black sunglasses and her bob cut. She is known as a fierce woman who does not mind pushing the limits and pushing the Vogue edition forward no matter the cost. Like how she mixes new trends with low paid items in her photo shoots or collaborating with famous designers like Alexander Mcqueen. So, she made her style by being herself and not allowing people to push her down and that is what everyone should try to apply in their lives.
 
Before Wintour, editor Diana Vreeland (1963-71) brought exoticism, glamour, and unusual models to the magazine. After Vreeland was Grace Mirabella (1971-88) who  showcased lifestyle instead of fashion. Editors, Vreeland and Mirabella, did have great ideas for the magazine, but when it came to competitive sales they plummeted while other magazine brands skyrocketed. While  these editors made contributions to Vogue,  their ideas were both outdated and not effective enough to keep them in competition with the other magazines and showing the impact fashion has on individuals’ lives.
 
Now from 1988-today, Anna Wintour remodeled the magazine to showcase how fashion is not about clothes, but about their meaning. Wintour landed the job from the transition she made from being an Editor in Harper Bazaar ( New York). Wintour did not look for the elites to represent the magazine. She looked for influential people who represented something or who can enrich the magazine, Vogue. Wintour turned the outcome of Vogue’s progress around and now they are one of the most popular magazines to read and observe. Being an icon is a great title people can be given, but the title represents leading others with originality, honesty, and self-sacrifice rather than an a superficial title.  So, Wintour shows that everyday people are born icons by how people can lead others with different views and interests. Wintour is also right about creating your own style that is identifiable to others because in the end, she created a new edition of a magazine that is adored and highly influential to people in society. With her snazzy black sunglasses and her fierce bob cut, Wintour daily has a trademark that will be remembered in fashion’s history for the influential icon she is today.