Pulling Fashion Strings - WSJ Anna Wintour Interview

Astrid21 · Sep 16, 2003

Originally posted by WSJ.com
Pulling Fashion's Strings

Vogue Editor Anna Wintour
Is Arbiter, Adviser, Kingmaker;
'I Like the Fun and the Fancy'

By TERI AGINS
<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Fashion editors have wielded enormous influence over the way Americans dressed at least since Harper's Bazaar editor Carmel Snow dubbed Christian Dior's 1947 silhouette, "The New Look." From the 1950s through the 1980s, Diana Vreeland at Vogue and John Fairchild at Women's Wear Daily became powerful arbiters of chic at a time when fashion trickled down slowly from elite European haute couture to the masses.

Anna Wintour has taken the job further. Over the past 15 years, the editor in chief of Vogue has become the leading behind-the-scenes kingmaker in international fashion today. As the industry shifted from a clutch of exclusive designer salons to an international marketing machine, Ms. Wintour concluded early on that to keep Vogue strong, she would have to actively promote the fashion industry.

Today, her reach extends far beyond that of editor to industry consiglieri and deal broker, providing advice to designers, business executives and financial backers and injecting pizzazz into New York social events such as the Metropolitan Museum's annual Costume Institute gala.

Estee Lauder Cos., which took the bold step of hiring its first black spokesmodel, Liya Kebede, last month, consulted Ms. Wintour before announcing its decision. Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton, sought her blessing before hiring Marc Jacobs to design for Louis Vuitton and John Galliano for Dior.

"More than other fashion editors, she has a broader vision," says Mr. Arnault. "She has a very sharp eye about the U.S. culture in the business sense."

Her influence is felt in many ways. When the 2001 terrorist attacks interrupted the American fashion shows, she had Vogue step in to help foot the bill for a special runway show, allowing younger designers a venue to display their wares. She has kept fur in fashion, despite personal attacks from antifur activists, and she stopped the grunge look in its tracks by declaring a "return to chic."

Ms. Wintour's power flows in part from Vogue's consistent ranking as the No. 1 fashion magazine in the U.S., in both circulation and advertising. Despite a growing number of competitors -- including W, Harper's Bazaar, Elle and In Style -- Vogue, with its balance of high fashion and accessibility, remains the industry bible.

Before taking her customary front-row seat at designer fashion shows this week, Ms. Wintour, 53, talked with The Wall Street Journal about her career, her influence in the industry and the future of young designers vying to become the next Calvin Klein. Excerpts:

WSJ: Is this your dream job?

MS. WINTOUR: It has always been my dream job. I remember when I was maybe 10 and I was sent this form from school. It said, what is your career choice? My dad was an editor in London and he said, 'You should just write out you want to be the editor of Vogue.' So he knew it before I did. But the minute he said that, I thought, that's right. That's it, I am going to do that.

WSJ: What are some of the biggest ways you have influenced the fashion industry?

MS. WINTOUR: I am really proud of my role this year at the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Ball. Here was an opportunity for all of the fabulous girls in New York to dress up, to look like a goddess, and celebrate fashion. And obviously the other important thing is to stimulate interest in fashion, to stimulate interest in the Costume Institute, which is a fantastic organization.

WSJ: How many fashion shows have you been to over the years? All those shows, all those designers. Is it still exciting?

MS. WINTOUR: Some of them you sit there and you make your laundry list. But then you go to others and you see new talent, or you see a new silhouette, and you get an idea. Just being out there and talking to people, seeing what girls are wearing on the street, you come back with 5,000 new ideas. You can't do this job sitting in an office.

WSJ: How do you stay ahead of the curve?

MS.WINTOUR: It's about surrounding yourself with talented people. I rely heavily on my wonderful editors and photographers and contributors at Vogue. We don't always agree. They are always pushing me to be more on the forefront of fashion than I am. I am always trying to bring it back so that it is accessible and understandable to the reader.

WSJ: The American fashion industry has really been challenged in today's tough economy. Cheap chic fashions, casual dressing, clothes that don't go out of style. How concerned are you about this?

MS. WINTOUR: I think it's great that there is fashion on every level. And I think there is good fashion in the casual market, you see all those young kids running around in cargo pants and camouflage -- that came from [Dior designer] John Galliano. You need the designers at a certain level to make that casual fashion as good as it is. Fashion is for everybody. I take my hat off to somebody like the Gap. Or Marc Jacobs with his young Marc line. And everybody who is doing fashion at a less expensive level that still has real design.

WSJ: All things being equal in terms of talent, which young designers do you decide to promote?

MS. WINTOUR: You really just have an instinctive feel about who has that special extra bit of talent. And that passion is going to make them into someone that we really think is going to have an impact on fashion.

WSJ: How do you nurture these young talents?

We help them in all sorts of ways. It is about putting people together. We put them in contact with people who can help them put the shows on. We put them in contact with possible sponsorship programs. We always know which houses are looking for people on a consulting basis.

WSJ: What's the biggest mistake that these young up-and-coming talents make?

MS. WINTOUR: You have got to plan. You have to understand that it is not only being in the pages of Vogue. Art and commerce go very well together. You need a business partner.

WSJ: When you see famous designers like Todd Oldham and Isaac Mizrahi, who are now selling at Target, do you think that dilutes high fashion in general?

MS. WINTOUR: No. It's not like these are the '80s when everybody was slapping their name all over everything, which I do think diluted the image of a designer. Isaac is doing two things really well. He is doing fabulous inexpensive fashion for Target, and he's doing his couture, which is completely the other end of the spectrum.

WSJ: You don't think that waters down the designer cachet?

MS. WINTOUR: Not at all. I think it could actually push the designers make the higher end of fashion better. Couture has to be even more original, more individual. That's what a lot of women crave -- women who can afford that kind of fashion. They don't want to look the same as everybody else.

WSJ: Vogue has added a lot of popularly priced clothing in its pages as more consumers build their wardrobes mixing designer with mass-marketed styles. Where do you draw the line between practical and aspirational?

MS. WINTOUR: If [Vogue] feels it is design worthy or an incredible look at a price, and if we feel it has a place in the magazine, it will be in there at whatever price point. We don't care where the label comes from.

WSJ: Do you think the consolidation in the luxury-goods companies has been positive for the industry and for young designers who they hire?

MS. WINTOUR: I think the designers need the support. My God, they should be thrilled that these companies are calling them and offering their support and their point of view. And it can really help the dead-in-the-water houses to have the input of young talent, get rid of the cobwebs and make everybody sit up and pay attention.

This is a commercial business. We want to sell clothes, we want to sell fashion. When you have a genius of a [Gucci Group designer] Tom Ford or [Gucci CEO] Domenico DeSole, they understand that the designer needs the freedom to design a couture gown or an exuberant runway show. But at the same time, they need to do the handbag and shoes that are going to sell. If you talk to John Galliano at Dior, look at how he has matured and changed over the years. He totally understands and appreciates that.

The discipline these companies are bringing to these designers and an understanding of the reality of the commercial world is fantastic for them. The ones that choose to remain on their own, they are going to struggle and disappear.

WSJ: Designers often ask your advice on what colors and styles work in their collections. Some say your influence is so pervasive that you're more of a player than top designers. What are the limits of your role?

MS. WINTOUR: There are times you can offer advice. I get calls every day from people I know very well or people out of the blue. I really consider it a part of my job description. I'm not signing checks or offering the contract. And sometimes my advice is taken. It's an honor to be asked. But it's their company, we're just a sounding board. In a world where you get a lot of fluff, a lot of 'aren't you wonderful,' we are realistic. We try hard to be truthful.

WSJ: You have a magazine that you have to edit. But what do you think your role is beyond that in terms of the industry?

MS. WINTOUR: I think Vogue is a lightning rod for the industry. Not only do we report on fashion, and show fashion, and help women to shop, but we are provocative, we are journalistic. We always try and have some surprise in an issue just so that people will say 'Oh my God, did you see that in Vogue?' You need that fantasy and insanity that makes this world as special as it is.

WSJ: How have you endured the relentless campaign by PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] against you personally as a symbol of the fashion industry?

MS. WINTOUR: It goes with the territory when you are in a high profile position. ... I certainly don't care. I never did. So I think to ignore it is the best way to deal with it.

WSJ: Do you think the fact that you personally wore fur made it safe for more women to wear fur?

MS. WINTOUR: I hope so. I think Vogue's support of fur absolutely helped the fur industry. And at the time when fur sales were really suffering, we put [supermodel] Linda Evangelista on the cover in a blue fur. I think fur is an important part of our business. I love fur. I love the fancy of it. I love what designers are doing with it in terms of accessories and colors. We totally supported it and will continue to support it.

WSJ: When you decide that there is a trend in fashion that you don't like, such as grunge, what do you do to rally against it?

MS. WINTOUR: We certainly showed grunge. I don't want to pretend it didn't happen. We did a big Steven Meisel portfolio that showed the look, and the feedback from all the stores and the consumers is that they hated this look, and it wasn't working. We sat down and we talked about it. I said, 'OK, we are going to do an issue about the return to chic.' (May, 1994) We did a whole Helmut Newton-esque spread of women in fabulous suits and high heels.

It kind of rallied the whole industry behind us because grunge just wasn't working. It was a battle cry, 'let's move on.' And readers loved it. Stores loved it. Then things turned around.

WSJ: What did you find repulsive about grunge?

MS. WINTOUR: I never really subscribed to the emaciated, depressed, frumpy look of fashion. It is just not something that has ever appealed to me personally. I like the fun and the fancy and avant-garde of fashion. I think that was at a down time in our economy and the world. Obviously the designers were reflecting a movement. I think fashion should be a joy, not a downer.

WSJ: Where did the idea for Teen Vogue come from?

MS. WINTOUR: It is something I have been interested in for some years. ... I didn't feel there was a magazine in the marketplace that was addressing the sophisticated teen. We are an upscale magazine. There were a lot of other magazines that would deal with relationships, celebrities, but not one that was more sophisticated for the fashion teenager.

WSJ: Diana Vreeland and Grace Mirabella both served as Vogue editors for a long time and they both were suddenly fired unceremoniously. What do you think is in store for you?

MS. WINTOUR: I just get up every day and I am so excited to be here. Every day there is something new and challenging and possibly other ways to expand the Vogue brand in different ways. ... And I work for a man (S.I. Newhouse Jr., chairman of Advance Publications Inc. which owns Conde Nast, publisher of Vogue) who is very interested in what I do. I think that's very important. I think people respond and produce in a much better way when the person they work for is involved. I try to be that way with the people I work with. I don't let them alone that much.

WSJ: Who do you seek advice from outside of the fashion industry.

MS. WINTOUR: I talk to a lot of people, and my toughest critics are my children. I have friends in the entertainment industry. I am a huge fan of [director] Baz Luhrmann, who is a good friend and I am always interested in what he has to say. I am in awe of a Nicole [Kidman]. I am always interested to hear what she has to say. I listen to the readers.

WSJ: Who are your personal advisers outside the fashion industry? I know that at one time you were very close with Katharine Graham.

MS. WINTOUR: She was such a mentor to me. I became very close to Kate just when my own mother died. And she was such a support to me in so many different ways in so many different times in my career and my personal life. To me, Kate was a woman who represented the history of women through the second part of this century. As a housewife, and a working woman, a philanthropist, she represented the way women's roles changed in the last 50 years, the last century. And she was so much fun. I miss her so much. You can't replace a friend like that.

WSJ: Name a few high-profile people who you think are influential today in fashion.

MS. WINTOUR: Sarah Jessica Parker. I think her quirkiness and her sense of style has been fantastic for fashion. I think Venus and Serena Williams are great. I just love their outrageousness and their sense of style and how they completely turned around the way women look on the court.

On the highest couture level, I think Nicole [Kidman] can never put a step wrong. Going on to the red carpet for Nicole, she really thinks about it, she understands it, she knows what she represents to fashion.

WSJ: The stereotype is that all fashion people wear black all the time. Why is that?

MS. WINTOUR: My editors say it makes them kind of anonymous when they go to shows. They can sort of black themselves out. It makes them think about fashion on the runway in a clearer way. And when they travel, it makes sense to take a black wardrobe. I understand that. But I personally love color. I think everyone should have one piece of color in their wardrobe.

WSJ: I have just been dying to ask -- why don't you carry a handbag? The most we see you carry is an agenda or a notebook.

MS. WINTOUR: Handbags weigh you down.

WSJ: Where do you keep your keys and lipstick?

MS. WINTOUR: In the car. And then I stuff the money inside the little notebook. As long as you have a $20 bill, a phone and a notebook you are fine, you can go anywhere.

WSJ: And I've got to ask -- why do you wear sunglasses all the time?

MS. WINTOUR: I have horrible eyesight, bad eyes. The sunglasses are prescription. I started to wear them when I first started to go to the shows because my eyes started to water and I would get the most awful headaches. I really wear them for the shows most of the time, or when I am tired.

WSJ: The speculation is that you wear sunglasses at the shows because you don't want people to see what you are looking at.

MS. WINTOUR: I am probably taking a nap. But it is really the light.

Write to Teri Agins at [email protected]</span>
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Meg · Sep 16, 2003

Did she pay for the article too? seriously.

Astrid21 · Sep 16, 2003

I thought she sounded very gracious.

Meg · Sep 17, 2003

pfff. I'm not a fan of Wintour nor this article. It appears to be rather one-sided IMO.

Serena · Sep 17, 2003

i think that was an interesting interview of Anna Wintour. Too bad they did not ask what she thought of "Devil Wears Prada"
i also think she over-estimates a bit the influence & power of US Vogue. with Internet, different TV shows like SATC or Style Network, European mags sold everywhere, and people travelling all over the world now more than ever, it's a different ball game these days than 10 or 15 years ago.

Thank you for sharing this piece, Astrid

estevairevana · Sep 17, 2003

That was really something. Well, I admire her to taking the reins of the tradition which is Vogue US. She is not that unemotional about fashion, however. There very well may have to be someone that charismatic at the helm of an American institution like Vogue.

LolitaLuxe · Sep 17, 2003

WSJ: The speculation is that you wear sunglasses at the shows because you don't want people to see what you are looking at.

MS. WINTOUR: I am probably taking a nap. But it is really the light.
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hmmmmmmm, interesting exuse. ive sat 2 rows behind 1 seat over from Wintour at a few fashion shows and noticed the shades..but i aslo notised, just like ALT, her eyes were shut, but then again i do not blame her it was tommy hilfigger, i wanted to nap myself. ALT does the same. does us vogue advertise vigorelle??? just wondering.

Spacemiu · Sep 17, 2003

WSJ: Is this your dream job?

MS. WINTOUR: It has always been my dream job. I remember when I was maybe 10 and I was sent this form from school. It said, what is your career choice? My dad was an editor in London and he said, 'You should just write out you want to be the editor of Vogue.' So he knew it before I did. But the minute he said that, I thought, that's right. That's it, I am going to do that.
Click to expand...

im shr

TheSweetest · Jun 10, 2005

thanx for the article. i like reading about people and she didn't seem to make a rear end of herself so that was nice. today is june 9th and and 3 am this morning i just finished read The Devil Wears Prada. i like it and it was kind of funny and a bit sad.

StyleIsInUs · Jul 18, 2005

I'm scared she won't get older and she won't retrie I know it's funny, but now she's 55 and nothing. Editor of Harper's died at 51 ( )and I hope she won't be an editor of Vogue forever

manuels · Aug 1, 2005

Hilarious interview !
She's so funny and ridiculous at the same time !
I hope Meryl Streep will do a great performance of "La Wintour" in the filming of
"The devil wears Prada".

Looking forward to this !

Cicciolina · Aug 21, 2005

I thought it was an alright article. I've always admired Teri Agins to be perceptive and not biased with any of her work so I'm inclined to think it's not too one sided - other than being an interview which cannot be helped.

fullfrontal · Aug 23, 2005

MS. WINTOUR: Some of them you sit there and you make your laundry list.
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I could help but think of the book, The Devil Wears Prada and the insane laundry list when I read this line.

shop_gal567 · Aug 24, 2005

Personally i think its unfortunate for one woman to have control over the whole fashion industry, it seems that what ever anna wants anna gets, and i end up wearing it.

DaraKaye · Aug 25, 2005

shop_gal567 said:

Personally i think its unfortunate for one woman to have control over the whole fashion industry, it seems that what ever anna wants anna gets, and i end up wearing it.
Click to expand...

I totally see where you are coming from, but it is not neccesarily true. When anna revamped vogue everyone hated her for climbing to the top and making fashion more accesible to everyday women, so if it werent for her, i dont think many people on this board would even have access to designers that they could afford. It wasnt untill her designers were making more moderatly priced clothing, because that was what Anna wanted in Vogue.

impossibleprincess · Oct 9, 2005

that interview changed my perception of her a little.

Fabulyss · Oct 9, 2005

Someone needs to fill me in. Why is she so abhorred? I haven't read the Devil Wears Prada and refuse to waste my time reading books of the sort. But I am curious why everyone hates her. She seemed decent enough in the above interview (thanks for posting by the way! )

DaraKaye · Oct 9, 2005

Fabulyss said:

Someone needs to fill me in. Why is she so abhorred? I haven't read the Devil Wears Prada and refuse to waste my time reading books of the sort. But I am curious why everyone hates her. She seemed decent enough in the above interview (thanks for posting by the way! )
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Let me see...well i read the devil wears prada, but that wasnt supposed to be about "anna wintour"- but it definatley was. I also read her Biography and know a little about Conde Nast and basicaly she just is really nasty to people, will fire people for being fat or ugly. Demands the people that work for her to be thin and dress a certain way. I would reccomend reading her biograpgy it is very interesting,e ven if it is trash.

jackieonassis · Oct 11, 2005

Charming artcile! Theres not many things about her on the web- so i was glad to finally read something. She rocks!

DaraKaye · Oct 11, 2005

TheSuperficial OCT 11

"Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue magazine, was hit with a tofu pie by PETA demonstrators as she left the Chloe ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris on Saturday. The attack - the second of its kind on Wintour in the past year - was in response to Vogue's support of the fur industry and, if you ask me, totally counter-productive. The only nourishment and nutrition people like Anna Wintour get is from food that's forcibly thrown at them. If you would stop throwing pies at her bi-annually, she'd eventually just turn to dust and you could start to focus all your attention on J.Lo. Except I hear she can store water in her ass and survive off it for years at a time, so she may be tougher hide to skin. No offense."

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