Anna Wintour

She married child psychiatrist David Shaffer in 1984 and the couple has two children - Charles, born in 1985 and Katherine born in 1987. The couple divorced in 1999.

She was born on November 3, 1949, in the family of Charles Wintour and Eleanor "Nonie" Trego Baker as one of their five children. Her father was editor of a free daily newspaper, the ‘London Evening Standard’ and her mother was a philanthropist. Her parents were divorced in 1979.

She studied at the ‘North London Collegiate School’. She showcased an independent mind since her early days and often revolted against the dress code of her school by shortening her skirt. At fifteen she got first job through her father at the renowned boutique, ‘Biba’. She decided to give up her academics and dropped out of her finishing school and took a training program at ‘Harrods’. She enrolled in a school to attend fashion classes at the insistence of her parents but soon dropped out.

From fifteen years of age she flaunted a bob hairstyle. Eventually she became a part of the tony London life that she admired and frequented the London clubs that were visited by some of the biggest pop stars including ‘Rolling Stones’ and ‘Beatles’.

She went out with older men who had good connections. She dated English novelist and historian Piers Paul Read during that time and later became a common face in the London club circuit along with Nigel Dempster, a gossip columnist.

She was a fashion enthusiast from her teenage and regularly viewed Cathy McGowan on ‘Ready Steady Go!’ She also remained keen for the issues of ‘Seventeen’ that were sent by her grandmother from America.

Her first job in the field of fashion journalism happened in 1970 when she was inducted as an editorial assistant at the ‘Harper's & Queen ‘. Here she worked with path-breaking photographers like Jim Lee and Helmut Newtown among others. Her well-connected network paved her way in getting good and creative locations for photo shoots.

After quitting the job she shifted to New York along with her freelance journalist boyfriend Jon Bradshaw and in 1975 took the job of a junior fashion editor at the ‘Harper's Bazaar’s’ wing there. She was fired by Editor Tony Mazzola after nine months.

With the aid of Jon Bradshaw she joined a women’s adult magazine, ‘Viva’ as its fashion editor but the magazine was shut down in 1978.

In 1980 she became the fashion editor of ‘Savvy’, a women’s magazine and in 1981 she was working with ‘New York’ as its fashion editor. Here under the instruction of Editor Edward Kosner she worked on different sections and eventually learned how a celebrity cover plays an instrumental role in selling copies.

She became the creative director of ‘Vogue’ in 1983 accepting an offer by the editorial director of ‘Condé Nast’, Alex Liberman, following a bargain that doubled her remuneration.

Her determination and zeal to upsurge the American ‘Vogue’ after becoming its editor-in-chief in 1988 bore fruit and the magazine regained its position as the frontrunner beating three of its competition, ‘Harper’s Bazaar’, ‘Mirabella’ and ‘Elle’. She successfully accomplished her goal of restoring the position of ‘Vogue’ in her over two decade long career with the magazine.