After 37 years, Anna Wintour to step down as US Vogue editor

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, steps down after 37 years. The company is seeking a replacement, which was confirmed by the publisher, Condé Nast. The 75-year-old disclosed this news to the staff on Thursday (June 26).

Wintour has exited from the top role at Vogue, but will not be leaving Condé Nast, though she will be scaling back her duties. She will continue to remain the chief of content for the publisher globally and with that, she will continue to be Vogue’s global editorial director. During her tenure, she transformed the publication. Her editorial capabilities helped to change the face of the magazine.

British-born Wintour came to wider public renown as the inspiration for "The Devil Wears Prada," a hit 2003 novel and 2006 movie, in which Meryl Streep played the role of a tyrannical magazine editor.

Wintour, who took the helm at US Vogue in 1988, announced at a staff meeting in New York that the publication would seek a new head of editorial content, several US media reported.

She was made a British dame in 2017 and in February this year was made a companion of honour, joining a select group never numbering more than 65 recognized for major contributions in their field.

At the ceremony in London in February, Wintour removed her trademark sunglasses to receive the award and said she had told King Charles III that she had no plans to stop working.

Wintour, who was raised in the UK by a British father and an American mother, reigned over Vogue in the heyday of glossy magazines. She took the title global, with huge budgets to spend on models, design, photographs and journalism funded by lavish advertisements and high subscription rates. Wintour was known for axing work without discussion, and was a fixture in the front row at catwalk shows with her unchanging bob haircut.

A 2015 documentary about her life pointed to her ice queen image and steely ambition but also revealed her warmer human side. As Conde Nast's chief content officer, she will continue to oversee publications including Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Conde Nast Traveler and Glamour.

(With agency inputs)