It’s been a busy week for Anna Wintour. Hot on the heels of this year’s Met Gala, held at New York’s Costume Institute on Monday evening, today at Buckingham Palace Wintour was made a Dame by the Queen, recognising her remarkable contribution to fashion and journalism.
The editor of US Vogue since 1988, Wintour began her prestigious career in the fashion industry in 1970, when she held the role of editorial assistant at Harper’s & Queen, before a move to New York where she swiftly became fashion editor of New York. Editing British Vogue between 1985-1987, she returned to the States to breathe new life into the American edition of Condé Nast’s publication, revitalising it with more of a fashion focus, much like it had under the legendary direction of Diana Vreeland, as well as introducing iconic celebrity covers.
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Not only one of the most influential people in fashion journalism, Wintour has also made an unparalleled contribution to the arts. According to the BBC, Wintour has raised over £116 million for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute through the annual Met Gala, which she organises. Arguably the fashion calendar’s most anticipated date, this year’s theme was Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons and saw the biggest names in the business come together to pay homage (or not) to the avant-garde designer.
Wintour was joined today at Buckingham Palace by her daughter Bee Shaffer, who is engaged to the son of Vogue Italia’s late Franca Sozzani, a close friend of Wintour’s. Thankfully, Wintour removed her trademark sunglasses before she entered the royal rooms, however, according to the BBC, there was a slight wardrobe malfunction as the Queen struggled to fasten the insignia to Wintour’s pink Chanel couture spring 2017 coat, which she wore with tan Manolo Blahnik heels. This is the third occasion this week at which Wintour has worn Chanel: she chose a feather and gold-flecked number for the Met Gala and a double-breasted cream tweed dress for yesterday’s Chanel Cruise show in Paris.
It's clearly been a hectic week for Wintour but it's also been a big week for the Palace, with the news that Prince Philip is stepping down from his public duties come autumn. "I congratulated her on Prince Philip's service because obviously that's so remarkable and such an inspiration to us all," Wintour told the BBC.
Wintour added: "Obviously this is a city that I grew up in, a city that I have so much affection and love for. It's always wonderful to get an award but this one is extra special."