Anna Wintour Quotes

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Some people have the Bible. I have Vogue.

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.

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

I don't like people who are late.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

There's always a way to wear fur,

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.'

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

I love coming in and changing magazines.

'Vogue' is a fashion magazine, and a fashion magazine is about change.

One should look forward rather than backwards.

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.

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

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.

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

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.'

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.

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

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