Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of the American edition of Vogue, was born on November 3, 1949, in London, England. Her father was an editor at the Evening Standard, and under his influence, she became interested in fashion as a teenager. At age 14, she began taking care of her appearance by going to beauty salons and hair salons. Through her father's introduction, she began working at Biba, a fashion hub, at age 15. At age 16, she dropped out of high school and enrolled in a training program at the long-established department store Harrods. She reportedly dropped out after being told the length of her skirt was too short. She entered the fashion industry in 1970 as an editorial assistant at Harper's & Queen, and in 1975 moved to New York and was promoted to fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar, but was fired after nine months. She subsequently worked as an editor for various magazines, and in 1983 was appointed creative director of American Vogue.

In 1986, she became editor-in-chief of British Vogue, transforming the previously conservative magazine into a cutting-edge trend magazine. In 1988, at the age of 38, she was appointed editor-in-chief of American Vogue. She appears at fashion shows wearing cutting-edge brands and sits in the front row. Her trademark bob cut and sunglasses consistently attract attention as a fashion icon.

She is said to be the model for the fiendish editor-in-chief played by Meryl Streep in the 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada." The 2009 documentary "What Fashion Teaches" closely follows her work as a magazine editor and her personal life.