Fashion Book Fridays: Anna – A Biography By Amy Odell

July 25, 2025 | 1:15 pm

Anna Wintour Steps Aside – But Not Off the Stage

Darling readers, we knew the day was coming that Anna Wintour would step aside. Yes, Anna Wintour — she of the signature shades and steely gaze — has officially stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue after nearly four decades at the helm. Gasp, right? But before you start weeping into your silk scarves, know this: she’s not leaving the building, far from it. She's simply reshuffling the deck — passing the US Vogue reins while staying firmly in her power perch as Chief Content Officer at Condé Nast and Global Editorial Director of Vogue.

In other words, she may no longer be the day-to-day high priestess of American fashion publishing, but she's still running the temple. Let's give credit where it's long overdue — she didn't just lead Vogue, she made it the glittering monolith of taste and trend we obsess over today. And in typical Anna style, she's leaving the editor's chair not with a farewell, but with a strategic pivot — from daily edits to global influence.

So what better time than now to revisit her life and legacy through the pages of Amy Odell's whip-smart and thoroughly researched biography? I read this book for the first time when it was first published in 2022. However, this time I listened to the book and with Anna everywhere at the moment, I found it more relevant. At the present moment, they are shooting The Devil Wears Prada 2, which is also contributing to the media hype surrounding Anna, with Anna everywhere. Let me add to the media frenzy with this post!

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ANNA by Amy Odell

Who's Amy Odell?

Amy Odell is a fashion journalist with bite — a Texas-raised, NYC-honed writer who brings both wit and rigour to her subjects. After stints at Cosmopolitan and New York Magazine, Odell made her name as a sharp cultural critic who knows fashion is never just about clothes. She's also the author of Tales From the Back Row, a hilarious and savvy look at life behind the scenes in the fashion world. With Anna, she shifts gears into serious biographer mode — but don't worry, she hasn't lost her sparkle.

The Book: A Glimpse Behind the Glasses

Odell's Anna is as layered as a Comme des Garçons runway look — intricately constructed, full of detail, and quietly daring. Based on over 250 interviews with designers, editors, assistants, frenemies, and exes, the book reveals a woman who is far more strategic — and at times vulnerable — than her famously frosty image suggests. And while Wintour herself declined to be interviewed (a classic Anna move), Odell does a remarkable job filling in the blanks with insight, evidence, and a journalist's astonishing precision. The result? A fashion biography that's both juicy and deeply informative.

Anna Wintour: From retail to Big Boss

We follow Anna’s early career hustle — from rebellious teenager in 1960s London, to assistant at Harper’s & Queen, then a series of short-lived but formative gigs at Viva, New York, and House & Garden. By the mid-80s, she’d clawed her way to the top of British Vogue, and in 1988, she took over American Vogue, bringing with her a radical new aesthetic: glossy, celebrity-driven covers (hello, Madonna and Nicole Kidman), a laser-sharp eye for talent (Galliano, McQueen, and later, the likes of Thom Browne), and a deep understanding of fashion as cultural currency.

Odell also details Wintour’s relationships — professional and personal — with iconic figures like André Leon Talley, Karl Lagerfeld, and her Condé Nast mentor Alexander Liberman. There are insights into her marriage, her two children, and the inner workings of the Met Gala machine she transformed from a fundraiser into fashion’s Oscars. It’s less a tell-all and more a case study in power — how it’s built, how it’s maintained, and how it wears Prada.

ANNA

The Vibe

Odell doesn't write with malice — this isn't a takedown — but she doesn't flinch either. We see the woman behind the sunnies: exacting, ambitious, sometimes unknowable, and always ahead of the curve. The prose is polished, the pace brisk, and the scope massive — perfect for fashion nerds who want more than fluff and gloss.

If you've ever wondered how one woman became the high priestess of print media and managed to stay at the top through a digital revolution, cultural reckonings, and TikTok kids who think Vogue is a filter… this is your book.

ANNA

Final Thoughts

Reading Anna: A Biography is like attending the chicest masterclass on fashion power — and the woman who practically invented the genre. As Anna moves into her next act (still queen, just more global), this book feels less like a retrospective and more like a manual for cultural dominance. Amy Odell does what few writers have: she pulls back the Chanel tweed curtain without snatching the crown.

So whether you admire Anna Wintour, fear her, or aspire to her level of laser-sharp influence, this biography is essential reading.

As for me? I’ll be keeping a copy right next to my stack of September issues and my Met Gala wish list.

CIAO FOR NOW, J. ANDREW JACKSON

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