Anna: The Biography
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- Create Date：2022-05-20 09:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Amy Odell
- ISBN：1838957251
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Summary
The life and career of one of the most important women in media—Anna Wintour， the iconic editor in chief of Vogue who has changed the face of fashion—are expertly explored in this definitive biography featuring exclusive interviews and untold revelations。
As a child， Anna Wintour was a tomboy with no apparent interest in fashion but， seduced by the miniskirts and bob haircuts of swinging 1960s London， she grew into a fashion-obsessed teenager。 Her father， an influential newspaper editor， loomed large in her life， and once he decided she should become editor in chief of Vogue， she never looked back。
Impatient to start her career， she left high school and got a job at a trendy boutique in London—an experience which would be the first of many defeats。 Undeterred， she found work within the competitive world of magazines， eventually moving to New York to leave behind an association with her well-known father。 Before long， Anna’s journey to Vogue became a battle to ascend， no matter who or what stood in her way。 Once she was crowned editor in chief—in one of the most vicious transitions in fashion magazine history—she continued the fight to retain her enviable position， ultimately rising to dominate all of Condé Nast itself。
Based on extensive interviews with Anna Wintour’s closest friends and collaborators， including some of the biggest names in fashion， journalist Amy Odell has crafted the most revealing portrait of Wintour ever published。 Weaving Anna’s personal story within a larger narrative about the hierarchical dynamics of the fashion industry and the complex world of Condé Nast， Anna charts the relentless ambition of the woman who would become an icon。
As a child， Anna Wintour was a tomboy with no apparent interest in fashion but， seduced by the miniskirts and bob haircuts of swinging 1960s London， she grew into a fashion-obsessed teenager。 Her father， an influential newspaper editor， loomed large in her life， and once he decided she should become editor in chief of Vogue， she never looked back。
Impatient to start her career， she left high school and got a job at a trendy boutique in London—an experience which would be the first of many defeats。 Undeterred， she found work within the competitive world of magazines， eventually moving to New York to leave behind an association with her well-known father。 Before long， Anna’s journey to Vogue became a battle to ascend， no matter who or what stood in her way。 Once she was crowned editor in chief—in one of the most vicious transitions in fashion magazine history—she continued the fight to retain her enviable position， ultimately rising to dominate all of Condé Nast itself。
Based on extensive interviews with Anna Wintour’s closest friends and collaborators， including some of the biggest names in fashion， journalist Amy Odell has crafted the most revealing portrait of Wintour ever published。 Weaving Anna’s personal story within a larger narrative about the hierarchical dynamics of the fashion industry and the complex world of Condé Nast， Anna charts the relentless ambition of the woman who would become an icon。
Reviews
Carrie
，
Fascinating subject and given approval… but with no direct contact with Anna Wintour。 And as mysterious as she is， I felt this book felt a bit flat。
Diana
，
A must-read for anyone who's worked in fashion over the last 50 years or who wants to work in the industry。 A must-read for anyone who's worked in fashion over the last 50 years or who wants to work in the industry。 。。。more
Diane Bateman
，
This was a good book 。 It kept reminding me of a devil in disguise 。 It was very powerfully written 。 It had just the right about of the life experience and was written well 。
Jill Meyer
，
I read a lot of biographies and memoirs and I just finished “Anna: The Biography” by Amy Odell。 “Anna” is Anna Wintour， the most famous person in the fashion industry and one of the most famous in the publishing business。 She’s been editor of Vogue for 25 years， and in addition， she’s high up in the grander Condé Nast empire。 She’s been employed by other magazines on her way up to publishing pinnacle， Vogue editor。Amy Odell has written a good， serviceable biography of Wintour。 I’m not sure if it I read a lot of biographies and memoirs and I just finished “Anna: The Biography” by Amy Odell。 “Anna” is Anna Wintour， the most famous person in the fashion industry and one of the most famous in the publishing business。 She’s been editor of Vogue for 25 years， and in addition， she’s high up in the grander Condé Nast empire。 She’s been employed by other magazines on her way up to publishing pinnacle， Vogue editor。Amy Odell has written a good， serviceable biography of Wintour。 I’m not sure if it is an “authorized” bio but I think Anna Wintour offered the cooperation of people close to her to Odell。 This is important because Wintour is famously a private person。 Much of the info within the book has been gathered from other sources， other interviews， other memoirs…。 For instance， Odell takes much from Andre Leon Talley and his second memoir， “The Chiffon Chronicles” （which is also worth reading）。 Other friends and detractors also contribute。Getting back to reading a biography; a book can be written as either “pro” or “con” towards the subject。 This is particularly true of bios of the Royal Family， which in particular， are examples of the “pro” Charles or “pro” Diana， “pro” Meghan or “pro” The Queen。 Those bios tend to be quite boring after a while because they are so relentlessly…biased。But Amy Odell’s bio is written pretty much straight down the line。 I honestly couldn’t tell how Odell felt about either the fashion world， in general or about Anna Wintour， in particular。 And that ambiguous writing style is a boon to the reader， who doesn’t feel the need to mentally defend or castigate the book’s subject。 It’s a good book and there are pictures in the back。 If you like fashion， you’ll probably like this book。 。。。more
Kimberly Wilkerson
，
Loved it。
Raquel
，
I helped with some of the research in this book， so I may be biased， but this is really a delicious， entertaining read that is at once unsparring but also sympathetic toward its subject - or at least really tries to understand her。 It's fair but also fun。 And by investigating Anna， it also delves into the fashion industry， pop culture， publishing， politics and how all these things are intertwined （and Anna's role in intertwining them， or at least further intertwining them）。 The Met Gala stuff wa I helped with some of the research in this book， so I may be biased， but this is really a delicious， entertaining read that is at once unsparring but also sympathetic toward its subject - or at least really tries to understand her。 It's fair but also fun。 And by investigating Anna， it also delves into the fashion industry， pop culture， publishing， politics and how all these things are intertwined （and Anna's role in intertwining them， or at least further intertwining them）。 The Met Gala stuff was particularly fascinating。 Lately， I've read lots of nonfiction/bios that feel so padded and florid， and this book definitely does not have that problem — every single detail， anecdote is so well chosen， so illustrative， and the writing is so clear。 After I read it I simultaneously felt I understood Anna and her importance and hold on the industry better than ever while also feeling more baffled by her and her power。 I think it's a testament to this book that after 300 + pages I actually walked away more intrigued by her than before。 。。。more
Roberta
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Never clear on exactly what made Anna so revolutionary or savvy when she started。 Perhaps it’s the person herself， but this seemed to tell a surface story。 I still an clueless on what Anna is as a person。 It was interesting regarding fashion and the magazine industry。
Nicole Barbaro
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Really loved reading this book。 Odell gives a very detailed and intimate look into the life of a secretive and powerful woman。 The book itself was well written and I loved the shorter chapters that allowed me to breeze through this。 Would recommend。
cluedupreader
，
This FABULOUS read endeared me to dog lover and voracious reader Wintour。 Anyone with a background/interest in journalism， magazine publishing， fashion， and the industry players and Who's Who will love it！ This FABULOUS read endeared me to dog lover and voracious reader Wintour。 Anyone with a background/interest in journalism， magazine publishing， fashion， and the industry players and Who's Who will love it！ 。。。more
Mia Kagehiro
，
There wasn’t much new to learn from from this book。 Tina Browns autobiography is more interesting and inspiring。
JS
，
Author organized it in a great way。 Not sure how else to review a biography。
katie
，
Breezy and delightful read though stumbles a bit trying to deal fully with the failings of a woman the biographer clearly came to admire。 Also I don’t know if it was a personal fascination or just required post Chiffon Trenches but the book goes out of its way to talk about ALT in a way it doesn’t with any other collaborator or friend。 A++ for getting through childhood / early life quickly - that part is always dull for me。
Shelly
，
I really enjoyed this。 I worked in the fashion industry for years and the stories about Anna are legendary。 I suspect it will only be interesting for fashion insiders though - a lot of shop talk in this。
Lisa Sweeney
，
🕶🕶🕶🕶🕶
Susan
，
It was just okay。 I didn't really learn anything earth-shattering and it seemed to hop around between years which I found confusing at times。 Anna sounds like an interesting and very complex person。 And a challenge to work for。 It was just okay。 I didn't really learn anything earth-shattering and it seemed to hop around between years which I found confusing at times。 Anna sounds like an interesting and very complex person。 And a challenge to work for。 。。。more
Shadira
，
The longtime Vogue editor-in-chief and Condé Nast global editorial director and global chief content officer seems to exist in her own eco-system 。。。 How did that come to be？ Well， if you want answers， you won’t find them in this book 。。。 [Anna] is deadly serious in her ambitions， and her creation of her own mythology is fascinating。 She deserves a more acute analysis of her life。 But perhaps she didn’t want it 。。。 To what degree she collaborated in the writing of this book is unclear 。。。 While The longtime Vogue editor-in-chief and Condé Nast global editorial director and global chief content officer seems to exist in her own eco-system 。。。 How did that come to be？ Well， if you want answers， you won’t find them in this book 。。。 [Anna] is deadly serious in her ambitions， and her creation of her own mythology is fascinating。 She deserves a more acute analysis of her life。 But perhaps she didn’t want it 。。。 To what degree she collaborated in the writing of this book is unclear 。。。 While we get some delightful glimpses into her home life。。。there is little examination of her professional skills， or of her weaknesses， from people operating at a similar level 。。。 I would have loved to hear what the big-name designers—Giorgio Armani， Ralph Lauren， Donatella Versace—could add to this portrait 。。。 She survives not because she is an excellent magazine editor， which she is， but because she understands power and what other powerful people want and need。 How frustrating it is then not to get a greater understanding of how this enigmatic woman operates 。。。 What is her opinion of … well， actually， anything？ For that we will， unfortunately， have to wait for another book。 。。。more
Lisa
，
I was a Vogue subscriber for years and have always been fascinated by Anna Wintour。 The moment I saw Amy Odell was writing Wintour's biography， I pre-ordered the Kindle edition。 I plunged in on publication day。 The early chapters about Anna， her family （particularly her journalist father） and her life before Vogue made for interesting reading。 However， as I continued onward， I felt like I wasn't getting behind Wintour's ever-present sunglasses。 In a number of instances， I could have sworn I had I was a Vogue subscriber for years and have always been fascinated by Anna Wintour。 The moment I saw Amy Odell was writing Wintour's biography， I pre-ordered the Kindle edition。 I plunged in on publication day。 The early chapters about Anna， her family （particularly her journalist father） and her life before Vogue made for interesting reading。 However， as I continued onward， I felt like I wasn't getting behind Wintour's ever-present sunglasses。 In a number of instances， I could have sworn I had already read this story， only to realize the source material was Grace Coddington， Andre Leon Talley or Grace Mirabella and/or their memoirs。Wintour comes off as rather flat and two dimensional; however， there were aspects of magazine publishing， Met Gala planning and Conde Nast that redeemed the narrative。 Worth a read if you have followed Wintour's career and enjoy/enjoyed reading Vogue。 。。。more
Georgia Threadgold
，
Absolutely loved this！ Although， I did sort of think the author was trying a bit too hard to present Anna as warm。 I couldn’t bear reading ‘in the rare instance that she cried’ about 50 times （obviously not that rare？？） but other than that it was brilliant and a great introduction to a total icon。 Would recommend！
Wendy Collieson
，
NOT VERY Interesting，infact boring Nothing new that wasn't available all ready。I would think Anna wouldn't be much interested in this，the author just rehashed what was all ready out there。 NOT VERY Interesting，infact boring Nothing new that wasn't available all ready。I would think Anna wouldn't be much interested in this，the author just rehashed what was all ready out there。 。。。more
=^。^= Janet
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What I got from this book。。。Anna acts like she is the most powerful woman in the world 。。。 in your dreams， honey。 She is vapid， evil and a downright evil c-word。 One cannot have any sympathy for her as she hates anyone who eats， is above a size 00 and acts like Vogue is a political force。 Get real: it is full of clothing that no one 。。。 well no normal person 。。。 can afford or look good in。 You are the perfect anorexic goal 。。。 seriously 。。。 your lack of food must have skewed your brain function。 What I got from this book。。。Anna acts like she is the most powerful woman in the world 。。。 in your dreams， honey。 She is vapid， evil and a downright evil c-word。 One cannot have any sympathy for her as she hates anyone who eats， is above a size 00 and acts like Vogue is a political force。 Get real: it is full of clothing that no one 。。。 well no normal person 。。。 can afford or look good in。 You are the perfect anorexic goal 。。。 seriously 。。。 your lack of food must have skewed your brain function。I did not think I could think less of her， but Amy Odell， who wrote one helluva book， but the subject soured me and my rating。 （Please DO NOT PUT Me-Again Markle on the cover of any edition， ever 。。。 she is the only other woman on the planet as ridiculous as Wintour is！！。。。at least Miranda Priestly showed her human side in the end。 。。。more
Meredith Goldberg
，
Fascinating subject and wonderfully written
Tyler McCall
，
Anna Wintour isn't just the most powerful person in fashion today; she's one of the most powerful women in the world。 And yet， we know so little about the woman behind the blunt bob and dark sunglasses — until now。When I saw that Amy Odell was working on a biography of Anna Wintour， I knew it was going to be good。 Odell has a reputation in the fashion and media industries for having a sharp mind and tough questions， so this was never going to be a puff piece。 Indeed， Odell put in the grunt work， Anna Wintour isn't just the most powerful person in fashion today; she's one of the most powerful women in the world。 And yet， we know so little about the woman behind the blunt bob and dark sunglasses — until now。When I saw that Amy Odell was working on a biography of Anna Wintour， I knew it was going to be good。 Odell has a reputation in the fashion and media industries for having a sharp mind and tough questions， so this was never going to be a puff piece。 Indeed， Odell put in the grunt work， accumulating over 250 interviews and a thick index。 While Wintour herself declined to be interviewed， Odell got unprecedented access to people around Wintour， from childhood family friends to current industry titans， and assembled it into one biography。What I was most impressed by was the way Odell manages to humanize Wintour， a figure who has carried the reputation of being an ice queen for over four decades and who is rather famously private。 Especially since "The Devil Wears Prada，" she's become a kind of pop culture icon about whom we know very little。 Odell doesn't shy away from discussing Wintour's many missteps — whether cutting people out of her life with no notice or explanation， or creating racially or politically insensitive content for Vogue， it's all in here — but aims to add context to the system and circumstances surrounding Wintour which might lead to those decisions。 That's an incredibly hard line to walk。If you're looking for something gossip-y （and early reviews seem to indicate this was the case for a lot of people）， this probably isn't for you; Odell treats her subject quite seriously and only offers a few kernels of Daily Mail-worthy tidbits。 （Though they're always fun to receive， obviously。） But if you're a serious fashion fan， this is a foundational text to understanding the industry's current landscape。 And since Wintour never plans to write a memoir， it's guaranteed to become the definitive resource on Wintour's life。 Disclosure: I was given an ARC by Gallery to cover "Anna: The Biography" for my job！ 。。。more
Cazlam
，
Loved。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Anna: The Biography
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Anna: The Biography&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Anna: The Biography&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0