Anna Wintour has been pictured for the first time since the bombshell news she will be stepping down from one of her roles at Vogue after 37 years.
The style icon was spotted attending Marc Jacobs‘ 2026 runway show at the New York Public Library on Monday – her first public appearance since the major shake-up.
Even after relinquishing one of her Vogue roles, Wintour, 75, didn’t let the career move impact her fashion sense as she took her usual place at the runway’s front row, looking sophisticated and poised as usual.
She had an air of mystique thanks to her ever-present sunglasses while adding a dash of chicness with a rose print white dress and colorful array of necklaces.
Wintour rubbed elbows with Marc’s husband Char Defrancesco while Bijou Phillips, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Valentina Ferrer watched the show on neighboring seats.
Her latest appearances also comes after she failed to attend one of the biggest celebrity soirees in recent memory – Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez‘s nuptials in Venice, and the bride even graced the latest cover of the fashion bible in her wedding dress.
Anna Wintour has been pictured for the first time since the bombshell news she will be stepping down from one of her roles at Vogue after 37 years
Page Six reports that Wintour was invited to the nuptials but could not make it due to travel plans.
Despite not being in attendance, she did play a role in Sanchez’s wedding dress, according to Page Six, with the outlet reporting Wintour had helped the former journalist select the dress she would ultimately walk down the aisle in.
Interestingly, it may not be the first time Wintour has offered her style expertise to Sanchez.
Last year, it was reported that Wintour decreed that Lauren – who is known for wearing flesh-flashing outfits – could only come to the Met Gala only if Wintour had a say in what she wears.
An insider told Wintour’s biographer Amy Odell that the famously exacting editor knows Sanchez has ‘poor taste’, and so is personally helping her select a dress.
‘Anna doesn’t always get personally involved in what guests wear,’ wrote Odell, adding that she was working with Sanchez to choose between custom designs by the classically stylish Oscar de la Renta and two other as-yet-unnamed designers.
This past week, meanwhile, Anna was engrossed in a major career move.
Last week, Wintour told staffers that she will be hiring a new head of editorial content at American Vogue.
She will continue to hold her position as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director at Vogue, and the new head of editorial content will report to her.
Wintour rubbed elbows with Marc’s husband Char Defrancesco
Bijou Phillips, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Valentina Ferrer watched the show on neighboring seats
As chief content officer, Wintour oversees every brand globally, including Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appetit, Tatler, World of Interiors and Allure – among others.
Wintour first became editor in chief of Vogue in 1988 and is credited with completely transforming the famed fashion magazine.
She is also behind making the Met Gala what it is today – a red carpet event attended by the fashion elite, as she handpicks the celebrities and makes sure to greet them personally.
Chief executive of Conde Nast, Roger Lynch, told Wall Street Journal that it made sense for Wintour to step back from American Vogue so that she can focus on her other roles at the company, pointing out that she’s been doing three jobs since 2020.
‘This will enable her to make time for everyone who needs her,’ he said.
Her shock decision has left the fashion world reeling, as there’s not a clear replacement who can step into her designer shoes – and she has left quite big shoes to fill.
Wintour is a frequent front row presence at the most high-end of fashion shows
She is also behind making the Met Gala what it is today – a red carpet event attended by the fashion elite, as she handpicks the celebrities and makes sure to greet them personally; pictured at the 2019 ball
Fashion fans have taken to X (previously Twitter) to voice their shock, calling it the ‘end of an era’ and saying it’s something they never thought they’d see, as she was tied so directly to the brand for so many years.
Wintour’s first job was on the now defunct Harpers & Queen. Before Wintour took over at Vogue as the EIC she was its creative director in 1983.
She then went back home to British Vogue, where she served as EIC from 1985 to 1987, before rejoining American Vogue.
Her famed covers included appearances from A-listers like Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Ivana Trump, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and more.
However, Wintour’s time at Conde Nast has not been without controversy.
Most recently, she left Vanity Fair staff ‘blindsided’ over her surprising decision to appoint her daughter’s friend to run the magazine.
She picked her daughter Bee Shaffer’s close pal Mark Guiducci, 36, to run Vanity Fair following a high-profile search for the publication’s next leader.
An insider alleged to the Daily Mail afterwards that the decision sparked immense outrage in the company, claiming that many Vanity Fair staffers feel like Guiducci is ‘not qualified’ for the job.
Wintour was also advised to step down from the Met Gala by a leading PR expert after this year’s event was blasted as ‘forgettable’ and declared ‘dead’ by spectators.
Wintour first became editor in chief of Vogue in 1988 and is credited with completely transforming the famed fashion magazine; pictured 2002
Earlier this month, the famed publication was bombarded with messages from angry followers after its publishers boldly decided to post Blake Lively at the front of a carousel of photos in an Instagram upload amid her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
Despite the controversies, the highly ambitious editor’s time at Vogue has been largely praised, as she was able to bring the magazine into the digital age while keeping the focus on fashion.
Wintour has long been a figure of fascination in the New York City media scene and is thought to be who the main character Miranda Priestly is based on.
She has surrounded herself with celebrity friends like Rihanna, and often picked designer favorites, including Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife Georgina Chapman’s brand Marchesa and the Proenza Schouler designers.
