Anna Wintour sporting her signature sunglasses
Anna Wintour walks into our interview with her trademark dark glasses firmly on.
I’m meeting the woman who has been editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine since 1988 at VOGUE: Inventing the Runway, the show dreamt up by Wintour about the history of the catwalk.
Our rendezvous is in a large underground space and we’re surrounded by three vast screens. It’s fairly dark inside but the sunglasses remain in place during our conversation.
I tentatively ask what they’re for. Are they a shield or for something more prosaic, short-sightedness perhaps?
“They help me see and they help me not see,” Wintour tells me, somewhat enigmatically. “They help me be seen and not be seen. They are a prop, I would say”.
The Lightroom in London uses digital projection and audio technology in a high-walled space to generate an immersive experience for visitors.
To insiders, Wintour has been one of the most significant players in fashion for the best part of 40 years – a maker of careers, an advocate for the power of fashion to meld with the A-list of entertainment.
She’s the driving force behind the annual Met Gala in New York, which sees the worlds of fashion and fame collide and go viral in a spectacle of outrageous outfits and celebrity appearances on the first Monday of every May.
Those not on the inside are more likely to wonder just how closely Wintour resembles Miranda Priestly, the fictional tyrannical magazine boss from the film The Devil Wears Prada, whose portrayal by Meryl Streep is seared into the memories of fans.
Under her leadership, through talent, force of personality and an eye for what sells, Wintour has tried to future proof Vogue, turning it into a global brand.
In the modern era, when influencers can take photos of fashion moments and pump them out immediately, Wintour has successfully positioned Vogue as an arbiter of taste and style.
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