Anna. This first name, people evolving in the world of fashion only know him. At 73, Anna Wintour is the editor-in-chief of the American edition of vogue for more than three decades. Of her, the general public knows especially the fictitious version embodied by Meryl Streep in the film The devil wears Prada (2006), by David Frankel. A version not so far from the truth, if we are to believe the anecdotes distilled throughout the unauthorized biography, obviously titled Annapublished in November by Flammarion.
The approach of its author, the American journalist Amy Odell, passed through the editorial staff of New YorkMagazine and Time, strives to reveal the contours of the life and career of a personality as opaque as it is romantic. “Few big bosses have a longevity like his. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, left his company after twenty-seven years, for example. She has been there for thirty-four years! », insists Amy Odell.
An unexpected call
The writer therefore embarked, in 2018, on an investigation that was a priori impossible: to decipher the existence of a woman known for her desire not to tell herself – she refused all of Amy’s interview requests. Odell – and known to terrorize its collaborators. “The idea came from my editor. I accepted a bit like a challenge, amused Amy Odell. I had no idea it would be so difficult. I knew long moments of loneliness, where, for weeks, no one agreed to speak to me. »
After a fruitless year, the author receives an unexpected phone call: “His teams heard about my project and, from there, everything settled down. Anna sent me a list of people to interview, including creators Tom Ford or Tory Burch. But without ever agreeing to meet me, says Amy Odell.
A very clever move. Without officially authorizing her biography, but providing the journalist with a list of people approved by her, Anna Wintour controls, to a certain extent, what will be said. A clever way to give your version of your own story without seeming to. Finally, Amy Odell met more than 250 people, close friends, collaborators or fashion designers.
Extended Power
Extremely documented – twenty-two pages of bibliographical references – the book takes up the chronological thread of Anna Wintour’s life. From her privileged childhood in London, where her father, Charles Wintour, was the highly respected editor of theEvening Standard, when she started in fashion as a saleswoman in the cult boutique Biba, at the age of 15, then her first steps in the magazine press.
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