Why does Anna Wintour wear sunglasses? Real story behind iconic accessory explained as Vogue Editor-in-Chief steps down

Vogue’s Anna Wintour, the British-American editor and fashion icon, announced to the staff at Vogue on June 26 that she is stepping down from her role as editor-in-chief. Wintour’s departure from the position comes after 37 years of guiding the magazine’s direction. Now 75 years old, Wintour began working as US Vogue’s editor-in-chief in 1988.

Wintour's signature look, featuring her bob hairstyle and prominent sunglasses, holds a special and recognizable place in the fashion world. In 2024, she revealed why she always wears her distinctive sunglasses, sharing that being behind the tinted glasses allows her to decide what she wants to see and how she wants to be seen. While speaking to the BBC at that time, Wintour said,

“They help me see and they help me not see. They help me be seen and not be seen. They are a prop, I would say”

Why Anna Wintour stepped down from her role as head of US Vogue

While announcing that she would be reducing her roles at Vogue and its parent company, Condé Nast, Anna Wintour discussed the importance of allowing new voices in fashion to emerge. Comparing this move to the beginning of her own tenure at Vogue, Wintour told the magazine's staff,

“Anybody in a creative field knows how essential it is never to stop growing in one’s work. When I became the editor of Vogue, I was eager to prove to all who might listen that there was a new, exciting way to imagine an American fashion magazine.”

Noting that the moment to support future talent has arrived, the renowned fashion icon said,

“Now, I find that my greatest pleasure is helping the next generation of impassioned editors storm the field with their own ideas, supported by a new, exciting view of what a major media company can be. And that is exactly the kind of person we need to now look for to be HOEC for US Vogue.”

Wintour stated that while the magazine searches for its new head of editorial content, she will still oversee key responsibilities at Vogue and Condé Nast, such as serving as the global editorial director for Vogue and the chief content officer for Condé Nast.

As per Wintour, who has been the co-chair of the Met Gala since 1995, she would also continue:

“paying very close attention to the fashion industry and the creative cultural force that is our extraordinary Met Ball and charting the course of future Vogue Worlds and any other original fearless ideas we may come up with. And it goes without saying that I plan to remain Vogue’s tennis and theater editor in perpetuity.”

Overall, Wintour maintained the magazine’s enthusiasm for highlighting change makers in fashion as she stepped down, and added,

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“But how thrilling it will be to work alongside someone new who will challenge us, inspire us, and make us all think about Vogue in a myriad of original ways.”

It is undoubtedly the end of an era. Anna Wintour, who was born in London, became editor of British Vogue in 1985, according to The Guardian. The publication noted that Wintour’s time at British Vogue was only a stepping stone to her role at US Vogue.

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