How much is Anna Wintour worth?
| Net Worth: | $50 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Journalist |
| Date of Birth: | November 3, 1949 (age 73) |
| Country: | United Kingdom (American) |
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) |
About Anna Wintour
Dame Anna Wintour is a British-American journalist, artistic director, and editor who rose to prominence in the late 1980s after she began editing for Vogue magazine. Since then, Anna became an editor-in-chief and an artist director for Vogue’s publisher, Conde Nast, since 2013. In addition to her work for this and many other magazines, she also became an international sensation thanks to her fashion and style.
Known for her dark sunglasses and trademark pageboy bob haircut, Wintour became an important figure in the fashion world. She is praised for her eye for fashion trends and is cited as an inspiration by many young designers. In the late 2000s, Wintour even inspired a character in the successful film The Devil Wears Prada, portrayed by Meryl Streep. Ironically, the film is based on a best-selling roman a clef is written by Wintour’s former personal assistant – Lauren Weisberger.
Anna Wintour is famous mainly because of her extraordinary work as a journalist and editor for multiple magazines, especially Vogue. She was born on 3 November 1949, in Hampstead, London. Her father, Charles Wintour, worked as an editor for Evening Standard – one of the most eminent newspapers in Britain. Her mother, Eleanor Trego Baker was an American who was the daughter of a Harvard Law School professor.
During her teen years, Anna developed an interest in fashion and writing and began wearing her hair in a bob. Also at that time, she dated older and well-connected men such as Piers Paul Read and Nigel Dempster. Prior to her graduation from North London Collegiate School, Anna consulted with her father who at the time was working for Evening Standard. Soon, she received opportunities to work as a fashion journalist in two British magazines.
The first major magazine that she worked for was Harper’s Bazaar UK in 1970 when it was merged with Queen. Prior to her association with Vogue, the skilled editor moved to the United States where she worked for magazines such as New York and House & Garden. Towards the mid-1980s, the British-American moved back to London and secured million-dollar deals with both Vogue and the magazine’s publisher Conde Nast.
The editor-in-chief of Vogue became rich immediately after signing a contract with Conde Nast in 1983. At the time, she met the then-editorial director Alex Lieberman, who offered her a position and even doubled her salary expectations. Wintour, who became the first creative director of Vogue in 1985 began earning an estimated $100,000 per year. Or about $275,000 adjusted for inflation.
Simultaneously with joining Vogue, she began dating David Shaffer, a child psychiatrist, whom she married in 1984. One year later, she attained her first editorship and, after Beatrix Miller announced her retirement, she took over the UK edition of the magazine.
In 1987, she returned to New York City to take over the aforementioned House & Garden. Just like she did with Vogue, in her first week as an editor, she canceled multiple articles and photo spreads worth an estimated $2 million, thanks to which she earned the monicker “Nuclear Wintour”. Shortly after, the magazine was renamed to HG and it began including fashion and interior decoration.
In 1988, Wintour received an offer to become an editor-in-chief for Vogue and she left her position in HG. Around that time, her net worth was estimated at $1 million after adjusting for inflation. Not only was she responsible for where Vogue would go creatively, but her role also included the advertisements, commercials, and sponsorships with various beauty and fashion companies.
At the peak of her career, in 2006, the comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada was released.
The film is based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, Wintour’s former personal assistant. The protagonist, portrayed by Meryl Streep, was reportedly based on Anna’s character and personality, which further boosted her popularity and caused a lot of controversies. Other productions that drew inspiration from her personality are Ugly Betty and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In 2013, while remaining at Vogue, it was announced that Wintour would move on to another role in Conde Nast. She was given the role of an artistic director, because of which she would assume some of the responsibilities of Su Newhouse. A few years later, in May 2017, mainly because of her contributions for the fashion and journalism for the past 30 years, she was created a Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire medal. The ceremony took place at the Buckingham Palace and she was once again awarded by Queen Elizabeth II.
In the last decade Anna Wintour continues to serve as editor-in-Chief of Vogue and in 2020 she became the Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast. As of 2023, Wintour’s net worth is estimated to be $50 million.
What makes Anna Wintour so successful are her spectacular abilities to be in charge of a magazine and turn it into a global phenomenon. During the 1990s, when she was an editor, Vogue was able to focus on fashion and return to the prominence that it had under Vreeland. At that time, the magazine was also far more successful against its rivals Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marbella.
Since then, with 23 international editions and a total circulation of 1.2 million, it remains of the most successful magazines of all time. In the early years of the 21st century, Anna oversaw the introduction of three spinoffs of Vogue – Teen Vogue, Men’s Vogue, and Vogue Living.
Since its creation in January 2003, Teen Vogue has earned more advertiser revenue and published more ad pages than the likes of Cosmo Girl and Elle Girl. From her skills and contribution to the country, in 2008, Wintour was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II during the 2008 Birthday Honours.
Summing-Up
Ever since the late 20th century, Anna Wintour has been one of the most followed names in the fashion industry. Thanks to her demanding personality, unique appearance, and daring style, she has been heavily included in hundreds of blogs, magazines, and newspapers. Her personality has also inspired multiple other characters in television series and films such as Ugly Betty and The Devil Wears Prada. The editor-in-chief is often praised for contributing to the success of Vogue and Conde Nast in general. To this day, she remains an influential figure and her name is often highlighted by the media.
