Review of ANNA
The biography of fashions most powerful woman: Anna Wintour
I wouldn’t consider myself a fashion-y person. I dress nice enough but am rarely glammed up with makeup or super trendy clothing. I’ve really leaned into the athleisure movement of the pandemic WFH life. I don’t read fashion magazines or follow the industry.
But I know who Anna Wintour is.
I’m honestly not sure why I know about her or from where, but I suspect I learned of her at some point in my high school and college phase of celebrity obsession. Anna is the most powerful woman in fashion and is the sole person that can make or break new designers. Celebrities vie for her approval and hope for an invite to “fashions biggest night” -- the annual Met Gala she’s been hosting for over 20 years.
But who is this woman? She’s quite private despite her fame, and has a cold, intimidating reputation. Until now I knew of Wintour only by her signature bob cut and sunglasses sitting front-row at fashion shows. In the new unauthorized biography, Anna: The Biography, Amy Odell pulls back the curtain to shed light on the woman behind the sunglasses.
I absolutely loved this book, and learned so much about Anna and her role in the fashion industry. Growing up as a privileged girl in England, she was able to afford taking low-pay entry work and take risks that (more than once) led her to get fired. She could afford not to work when she needed. She eventually got footing as an editor at major magazines before dethroning longtime Vogue editor Grace Mirabella in 1988. Since then, Anna has sat atop the Vogue empire – and the entire fashion industry.
A few things stood out to me about Anna. First, she is unapologetic in her authenticity. She does not apologize for who she is, what she thinks, and how she does things. Always respectable.
Second, she really has driven key shifts in fashion. For example, early in her editorship at Vogue, she transitioned to putting major celebrities on the cover, like Madonna when she was at the height of her controversy. Celebrities as the face of fashion is now standard, but until Anna, models always graced the cover.
Finally, her stance on diversity, and body size in particular, is regressive — even today. As diversity of body shapes are gracing covers of top magazines like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Anna remains set on classic thinness. When Oprah first appeared on the cover of Vogue, she suggested she lose 20lbs to be more beautiful. Anna herself has remained the same thin stature for her entire life.
Odell did a fantastic job with this book. What I loved about the book itself was the organization of it. It was broken down into short chapters which I love because it allows me to easily blow through books. I devoured this 300+ page biography in three days. Go get yourself a copy!
Published: May 2022
Format: Hardcover
If you think this sounds interesting, bookmark these other great reads:
Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer (2021)
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson (2011)
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