Anna Wintour Quotes & Sayings

The Trump Card is appealing, grounded, smart, and has a sense of humor. Ivanka Trump proves that believing in yourself and working hard never go out of style. — Anna Wintour

Just be true to yourself, and listen as much as one is able to to other people whose opinions you respect and look up to but in the end it has to come from you. You can't really worry too much by looking to the left and the right about what the competition is doing or what other people in your field are doing. It has to be a true vision. — Anna Wintour

Go get a job. Whether it's working as a designer or working in a restaurant and then doing your own thing in your own time, it's a reality of life. In the end it's going to be helpful to you and so many others. — Anna Wintour

I don't really follow market research. In the end, I respond to my own instincts. — Anna Wintour

I'm horribly hands-on, I'm afraid. I like to read every caption. — Anna Wintour

It's very important to take risks. I think that research is very important, but in the end you have to work from your instinct and feeling and take those risks and be fearless. When I hear a company is being run by a team, my heart sinks, because you need to have that leader with a vision and heart that can move things forward. — Anna Wintour

'Vogue' is the best of everything that fashion can offer, and I think we point the way. We are, you know, a glamorous girlfriend. — Anna Wintour

I love coming in and changing magazines. — Anna Wintour

I look for strong people. I don't like people who'll say yes to everything I might bring up. I want people who can argue and disagree and have a point of view that's reflected in the magazine. My dad believed in the cult of personality. He brought great writers and columnists to 'The Standard.' — Anna Wintour

It's important for young women and men coming out of the fashion schools to think seriously before starting their own collections. — Anna Wintour

I'm interested in seeing just the girl on the street because she is unlike any other. I'm inspired by whatever it is she might be wearing. — Anna Wintour

I worked for Harper's Bazaar. They fired me. I recommend that you all get fired; it's a great learning experience. — Anna Wintour

Fashion's not about looking back. It's always about looking forward. — Anna Wintour

They (fashion editors) have always been our secret weapon. — Anna Wintour

It is so important for designers not to run scared, and not to be too worried about what's safe and what's commercial. — Anna Wintour

We are devastated to learn of the death of Alexander McQueen, one of the greatest talents of his generation. He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen's influence was astonishing - from street style, to music culture and the world's museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss. — Anna Wintour

I'd just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as little houses. — Anna Wintour

The notion that a contemporary woman must look mannish in order to be taken seriously as a seeker of power is frankly dismaying. This is America, not Saudi Arabia. — Anna Wintour

[The democratization of luxury] means more people are going to get better fashion. And the more people who can have fashion, the better. — Anna Wintour

I wasn't academically successful. And maybe I've spent a lot of my career trying to make up for that. — Anna Wintour

Create your own individual style. I'm not interested in the girl who walks into my office in a HEAD-to-TOE LABEL look that's straight off the runway. I'm interested in a Girl who puts herself together in an ORIGINAL INDEPENDENT Way — Anna Wintour

Part of the pleasure of editing 'Vogue,' one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it. — Anna Wintour

The notion that Anna would want something done "now" and not "shortly" is accurate. — Anna Wintour

There is something about fashion that can make people really nervous. — Anna Wintour

The Fashion Fund celebrates the real passion that underlies the fashion business, not the frothy world of glamour and celebrity that so often surrounds it. — Anna Wintour

By the time I came to the States, I really understood how a magazine works. I came to 'Vogue' as creative director, and three years later I went back to London to be editor in chief of British 'Vogue.' — Anna Wintour

One doesn't want fashion to look ridiculous, silly, or out of step with the times - but you do want designers that make you think, that make you look at fashion differently. That's how fashion changes. If it doesn't change, it's not looking forward. And that's important to me. — Anna Wintour

There's barely a strand of the modern media that the Kardashian-Wests haven't been able to master, and for good reason: Kanye is an amazing performer and cultural provocateur, while Kim, through her strength of character, has created a place for herself in the glare of the world's spotlight, and it takes real guts to do that. — Anna Wintour

Create your own style ... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others. — Anna Wintour

'Vogue' is a fashion magazine, and a fashion magazine is about change. — Anna Wintour

I've never taken a selfie and I don't plan to start now, — Anna Wintour

In today's world you have to interact. You can't be some difficult, shy person who is not able to look somebody in the face; you have to present yourself. You have to know how to talk about your vision, your focus and what you believe in. — Anna Wintour

Gisele Bundchen is a bit of a jock. 1 of my fave shoots is her playing football — Anna Wintour

To be in 'Vogue' has to mean something. It's an endorsement. It's a validation. — Anna Wintour

I surround myself with a talented group of people that are opinionated and interesting. I try to remain very open to what others have to say. — Anna Wintour

I'm always looking for a cover subject that reflects the magazine, an interest in fashion, in culture, in society. We're trying to bring the world into the pages of 'Vogue.' We do that by tapping into the zeitgeists with our cover subjects. — Anna Wintour

Everyone should be sacked at least once in their career because perfection doesn't exist. It's important to have setbacks, because that is the reality of life. — Anna Wintour

I'm very good at delegating - people work much better when they have a real sense of responsibility. But at the same time, I don't like surprises. I don't pore over every shoot, but I do like to be aware at all times of what's going on. — Anna Wintour

It is important always to have really original talent. There are lots of good designers that make attractive clothes and make women look beautiful. But at the same time, one doesn't want to lose the idea that there is someone out there who can change the way you look at fashion. — Anna Wintour

It's very important to me that I look good when I go out publicly. I like looking at my clothes rack in the morning and deciding what to pick out. I enjoy fashion. — Anna Wintour

There's always a way to wear fur, — Anna Wintour

I'm very driven by what I do. I am certainly very competitive. I like people who represent the best at what they do, and if that turns you into a perfectionist, then maybe I am. — Anna Wintour

Even if I'm completely unsure, I'll pretend I know exactly what I'm talking about and make a decision. — Anna Wintour

I think possibly what people working for one hate the most is indecision. Even if I'm completely unsure, I'll pretend I know exactly what I'm talking about and make a decision. The most important thing I can do is try and make myself very clearly understood. — Anna Wintour

I've been very lucky to put women that I sincerely admire on the cover of 'Vogue:' the then First Lady and now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and, more recently, First Lady Michelle Obama. Those were benchmarks for the magazine, and certainly covers that I've been very, very proud of. — Anna Wintour

It's always about timing. If it's too soon, no one understands. If it's too late, everyone's forgotten. — Anna Wintour

I saw young women in the street dressing in a way that I thought was influencing the designers. Fashion was being influenced by all sorts of different people, and culture and also across the street. So I saw more as a trickle up, than a trickle down influence. When I came to Vogue, that's what I wanted it to reflect. — Anna Wintour

The gossip might make better reading, but the simple fact of the matter is that it isn't true. — Anna Wintour

I don't think I am that hands-on. I'm much more of a believer in finding a great team of people and trusting them to follow their instincts. They work better when they feel they have freedom and they are trusted. — Anna Wintour

Fashion today is available to everybody in a way that it's never been before: you've got every designer you've ever heard of working for H& or Target. That's fantastic. — Anna Wintour

She had no time for anything humdrum, banal, or mundane - to the extent that the task of cleaning her desk at every night had to be done with a bottle of Perrier water and Chanel No. 5. — Anna Wintour

It's possible in today's world to be instantly famous, whether it's through Instagram or whatever platform it may be, but it's a very different matter to be successful financially and in the long-term — Anna Wintour

I want 'Vogue' to be pacy, sharp, and sexy - I'm not interested in the super-rich or infinitely leisured. I want our readers to be energetic executive women, with money of their own and a wide range of interests. There is a new kind of woman out there. She's interested in business and money. — Anna Wintour

With all the new media outlets out there, with all the noise, a voice of authority and calm like Vogue becomes more important than ever. The more eyes on fashion, the more opinions about fashion, the more exploration of fashion around the world, the better it is for Vogue. Vogue is like Nike or Coca-Cola - this huge global brand. I want to enhance it, I want to protect it, and I want it to be part of the conversation. — Anna Wintour

Fashion goes in only one direction -forward- and I am a firm believer in thinking that way too. — Anna Wintour

The best way to make dream come true is to wake up. — Anna Wintour

My father was a newspaper editor, so I was surrounded by journalists my entire life. I think the fact that he was so well known may be why I chose to go into magazines and move to the States at a young age. — Anna Wintour

I'm an ice queen, I'm the Sun King, I'm an alien fleeing from District 9 and I'm a dominatrix. So I reckon that makes me a lukewarm royalty with a whip from outer space. — Anna Wintour

Previous first ladies seemed to feel the need to wear a sort of uniform, whereas Michelle Obama likes fashion and is very comfortable in fashion. She's happy to mix high and low, and she loves emerging designers. That will do nothing but good for our industry. — Anna Wintour

It is a family; it's a slightly dysfunctional family, but it's also very close and warm and loving family. — Anna Wintour

Fashion is not beautiful, neither is it ugly. Why should it be either? Fashion is fashion. — Anna Wintour

Gisele Bundchen, along w Kate Moss, is a phenomenon. I wish models knew they have to have a personality — Anna Wintour

One should look forward rather than backwards. — Anna Wintour

I never pay any attention. I'm sure it's not such a good way to be, but I don't really follow market research. — Anna Wintour

Some people have the Bible. I have Vogue. — Anna Wintour

Tears? Are you going for a Barbara Walters moment? — Anna Wintour

It's not so much about powerful women. In some cases, there are stereotypes about women. I often don't hear men talked about in the same way. It's more a sexist stereotype than a powerful stereotype. — Anna Wintour

To be in Vogue has to mean something — Anna Wintour

It's the mishaps that make it fun, and brings you the surprise. — Anna Wintour

You either know fashion or you don't. — Anna Wintour

People respond well to those that are sure of what they want. — Anna Wintour

Models today, she explained, don't understand that to be successful you have to have a personality, intelligence, and issues that you support, and Gisele embodies these qualities. — Anna Wintour

Well it just looks so ugly. Is it a boy or is it a girl? — Anna Wintour

Because of reality television and all these celebrities thinking they can be designers, everyone imagines that they can just become a designer, photographer, or model, but that's not the way things work. People have to go to school, learn their craft, and build a brand - that's the right, healthy way to do things. — Anna Wintour

If you can't be better than your competition, just dress better. — Anna Wintour

People constantly make the mistake of comparing London with New York, Milan and Paris and that's not what it's about. London has its own fashion identity. You come here to find the next Alexander McQueen or John Galliano. — Anna Wintour

If one comes across sometimes as being cold or brusque, it's simply because I'm striving for the best. — Anna Wintour

Fashion is a reflection of our times. Fashion can tell you everything that's going on in the world with a strong fashion image. — Anna Wintour

I went to Wimbledon before I could walk. It's just been a lifelong passion. — Anna Wintour

If you look at any great fashion photograph out of context, it will tell you just as much about what's going on in the world as a headline in The New York Times. — Anna Wintour

There's a new kind of woman out there ... She doesn't have time to shop anymore. She wants to know what and why and where and how. — Anna Wintour

I like having young assistants in my office; they have energy, and I spend time with them to make sure they understand what we're doing. By investing in them, I'm investing in the magazine. All over 'Vogue,' 'Teen Vogue,' and 'Men's Vogue,' there are people who have been through not only my office but also many other offices at 'Vogue.' — Anna Wintour

In the end I do respond to my own instincts. Sometimes they're successful, and obviously sometimes they're not. But you have to, I think, remain true to what you believe in. — Anna Wintour

I'd always been extremely fascinated by the French Nuit Blanche, which is a weekend that they have in Paris where they keep all the museums open until dawn. You can go and hang out in Versailles in the middle of the night and watch the sun come up. — Anna Wintour

I don't think of myself as a powerful person. — Anna Wintour

I don't like people who are late. — Anna Wintour