Anna Wintour, OBE (Order of the British Empire) (born November 3, 1949) is the editor-in-chief of American (Media in the United States) Vogue (Vogue (magazine)), a position she has held since 1988. Like one of her predecessors, Diana Vreeland, she has become a fashion icon. Her pageboy bob haircut (bob cut) and frequently-worn sunglasses have become a common sight in the front row of many fashion shows. Away from the cameras, she has become as much an institution in the fashion world as her magazine. Widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and support for younger designers (fashion designer), her aloof and demanding persona has earned her the nickname "Nuclear Wintour" and alienated some associates. She has also drawn both praise and criticism for her willingness to use the magazine and its cachet to shape the industry as a whole. Animal rights activists have also singled her out for her continued promotion of fur (fur clothing), and other critics have charged her with using the magazine to promote elitist views of femininity and beauty, focusing on rich and thin women.

She became interested in fashion as a teenager in London. Her father, Charles (Charles Wintour), editor of the Evening Standard, often consulted with her on how to make the newspapers coverage relevant to the youth of the era. After dropping out of school at 16, she began a career in fashion journalism. Her career took her across the Atlantic (Atlantic Ocean), with stints at New York (New York (magazine)) and House & Garden (House & Garden (magazine)). She returned home for a year to turn around British Vogue, and later assumed control of the franchises magazine in New York. Her revival of a stagnant publication earned her wide acclaim in the industry.

A former personal assistant, Lauren Weisberger, wrote the 2003 bestselling (bestseller) roman � clef The Devil Wears Prada (The Devil Wears Prada (novel)), later made into a successful film (The Devil Wears Prada (film)) starring Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a fashion editor widely believed to be based on Wintour. In 2009 she was herself the focus of a film, R.J. Cutlers documentary The September Issue, a documentary about the making of the magazines landmark September 2007 issue.