Anna Wintour

Whenever the name of the famous and mysterious editor-in-chief of Vogue U.S. comes up in conversation, it evokes many reactions. Everyone has something to say about her. She is alternately called an artist, a genius, a despot, a hero, or an ice priestess; whatever the comparison, Anna Wintour intrigues. Even if she claims to do nothing to maintain her iconic status, everything she does reinforces it. She is above fashion because she is and makes fashion.

Is it possible to talk about the woman who for almost 20 years has been at the helm of Vogue U.S. succumbing to caricature, without bringing up The Devil Wears Prada, from an objective point of view, free of preconceived ideas?

Because if the woman in question has lasted this long and continues to make Vogue what it is - a magazine offering a real view on the evolution of fashion, a Bible of the fashion religion- this woman deserves to be judged for what she is and not for what she is made out to be.

Anna Wintour is the daughter of Charles Wintour, an English newspaper editor. At 21, she was offered the chance to work in the fashion section of the English magazine, Harpers & Queen, which she chose over university. In 1976, six years later, she left for New York where she got a job as the head of fashion for Harpers Bazaar.

After a quick stop at New York Magazine, she was recruited by Vogue U.K. for the position of artistic director. She accepted and was quickly promoted to editor-in-chief. During the next two years, Wintour gained experience as a decision maker and team leader. Her former colleagues may not speak of her with warmth, but they do admit respecting her work ethic and eye for detail.

In 1988, she was lured back to New York by an offer to become the editor-in-chief of Vogue U.S. In 18 years, Wintour has gone from a freelancer to fashion's worshipped and feared prophetess. In 20 years since she has been at the head of Vogue U.S., from 1988 to the present, she has been the one who created the fashion of tomorrow, the force that can make or break young designers. It is even said that she "made" Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen.

Even though her talent, insight, unwavering faith in innovation and support of avant-garde made her a figure respected by the entire fashion universe, Wintour developed a reputation for being haughty and cold. Working with her is far from easy; e.g. she insists that her team reflect as close as possible the Vogue aesthetic -- thinness is a work requirement in the magazine's New York offices.

Lauren Weisberger (Wintour's assistant for one year), author of the book, The Devil Wears Prada, may tell an amusing story full of caricatures, yet we cannot help but wonder how much of what she tells is true. One thing we do know: Weisberger's "Devil" may be an insensitive woman with no sense of humor, but the real Wintour appeared at the film's premiere dressed head to toe in Prada.

Is this monolith of fashion aware of what she exudes and does she use it to lead a business that requires nerves of steel? Is she not like any other big decision maker obliged to cut to the chase because the days are only 24 hours long?

Madame Wintour's days are timed down to the minute. At 5:45 am, the alarm sounds in her Manhattan apartment. She begins the day with an hour of tennis. She is then made up and coiffed before being driven to the offices of Vogue where she directs her staff with an iron fist and personally decides on everything that will appear in the next edition of the magazine, from the contents of the fashion editorial to the news page layout, including the fonts for the titles.

In high demand, she never stays longer than 10 minutes at an opening or other event, which allows her to see as much as possible in very little time. She rarely goes to bed after 10 pm, and begins all over again the next day at 5:45 am.

Outside of her work as editor-in-chief, Wintour is a philanthropist. She created the CFDA/Vogue fund to encourage, support and mentor unknown fashion designers. She also amassed a large amount of money for the families of the 9/11 victims and makes it a priority to work with AIDS charities. Wintour grants very few interviews; however, in 2006, she gave one to a journalist from the Guardian. In his words, she spoke as if bored, as if speaking was a tiresome chore for her, yet she has always said she was timid, not aloof.

When asked about her glacial aura and her reputation as a dictator, she responded that these are things that might be considered shocking in a woman, yet completely acceptable in a man, and that all the criticism on her management style does not matter because the results are clear: Vogue is invincible.

She also says she admires the talent of today's designers, that her passion is to help them grow. Ethics and freedom of thought in fashion are not abstract ideas, especially at Vogue: e.g. when Armani hinted that they might change their advertising budgets for certain magazines unless their clothes were used more often in them, she was the only one to say no. Anna Wintour cannot be bought.

Her unchanging look - square cut hair with bangs and oversized glasses - combined with her reclusiveness have made her into an image in the collective unconsciousness. Since then, she closed many doors to her real personality, made herself a suit of armor and a mask, saying, "People do not need to know me - what counts is Vogue."

A journalist questioned her in 1986 when she began as the editor-in-chief of Vogue U.K. while her husband, David Shaffer, stayed in New York with their baby. This was not the cold and pragmatic Wintour who replied: "The logistics are terrible. I wake up at night in a cold sweat. Endlessly, parts of one think, 'I'm crazy. I should stay home, look after my baby, have a nice quiet life.' But I didn't think I wanted to have a kid in New York. I've worked so hard for 15 years here - and British Vogue was always the magazine I wanted to edit. Will it work? Ask me in six months."

Twenty-two years, two children and two marriages later, Wintour has followed her career dreams and has become an intrepid businesswoman, an icon of fashion, and a character of fiction, leaving no idea of who is hiding behind the façade of this mysterious woman.

However, although she is discreet about her private life, she is more and more seen with her daughter, Bee Shaffer, at the fashion shows, galas, and other related events. Has Madame Wintour decided to expose herself a bit more? Or is she thinking about her succession? To be continued.