Anna Wintour has stepped down from her famed Vogue role in a shock career decision.

On Thursday, the 75-year-old told staffers that she will be seeking a new head of editorial content at American Vogue.

Wintour will continue to hold her position as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director at Vogue. 

Overseeing every brand globally, Wintour holds the role of chief content officer, managing a diverse portfolio that includes Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, and more.

In 1988, Wintour assumed the position of editor in chief at Vogue, where she successfully revamped the magazine. She is notably responsible for the evolution of the Met Gala into a premier event on the fashion calendar, with her personal involvement in selecting attendees. 

Her recent unexpected departure has sent shockwaves through the fashion industry, leaving a void that will be challenging to fill. Finding a successor who can match her influence and reputation will be no small task. 

Anna Wintour has stepped down from her famed Vogue role in a shock career decision

Anna Wintour sits next to Queen Elizabeth II as they viewed Richard Quinn’s runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in February 2018

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 Vogue was not without controversy. Most recently, she left Vanity Fair staff ‘blindsided’ and fiercely unhappy with her surprising decision to appoint her daughter’s nepo-baby best 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 has alleged 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.

She’s been at the helm of American Vogue since 1988 and now sits pretty near the summit of the $2.4 trillion fashion industry

Highly ambitious, Anna Wintour moved to New York in 1975 and after blistering through various magazines was appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue

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. 

Now, the folks at Condé Nast will be left scrambling to find a replacement for Manhattan’s most famous editor.