Anna: The Biography

Instantly recognizable for the haircut and sunglasses Anna Wintour is often reduced to the “chilly” caricature of her in Lauren Weisberger’s novel The Devil Wears Prada. Odell (Tales from the Back Row) interviewed more than 250 industry and personal contacts to assemble the most comprehensive biography of the media icon, although Wintour herself declined to be interviewed for the book. The biography sometimes reads more like a fashion history than a life story. Wintour held important positions before Vogue, but her 1988 appointment as the magazine’s editor in chief was what mattered; in 2013, she ascended to the role of artistic director of Condé Nast, Vogue’s parent company. Despite these accomplishments, Wintour has expressed a wish that her legacy be defined not by her editorship but by her philanthropy (including support of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund). The biography also includes 16 pages of full-color photographs.