Anna Wintour Finally Reveals Very Bizarre Reason For Wearing Sunglasses Indoors After Decades of Rumors About Trademark Look
Anna Wintour has opened up about her decision to wear dark-framed sunglasses for many of her appearances.
Dec. 4 2024, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has shaped the fashion world for decades behind the lenses of her oversized designer shades.
Now RadarOnline.com can reveal the bizarre reason she does it – and it's nothing like what fans of the style icon would expect.
The Vogue editor-in-chief said the glasses serve as a 'prop' and allow her to be 'seen and unseen'.
The 75-year-old, who has worn sunglasses indoors since the beginning of her career in fashion journalism, said the dark frames serve as a "prop" for her wish to be both "seen and unseen".
Wintour, who is currently in London, spoke to BBC Breakfast's Culture and Media editor Katie Razzall about her unchanged appearance over the past few decades – which also includes a classic bob hairstyle and bangs.
While the fashion icon refused to comment on her overall style, saying she preferred to focus on creativity in her work, a persistent Razzell finally got her to reveal the secret behind the glasses.
Wintour has been rocking her signature bob hairstyle and dark shades for decades.
Wintour said: "They help me see and they help me not see. They help me be seen and not be seen. They are a prop, I would say."
She also opened up about wearing the fashion accessory during a CNN interview in 2019, saying she finds the eyewear "incredibly useful because you avoid people knowing what you're thinking about".
She added: "They help me when I'm feeling a bit tired or sleepy. And maybe they've just become a crutch in part of who I am."
Back in 2009, Wintour similarly said of her glasses: "They are seriously useful. I can sit in a show and if I am bored out of my mind, nobody will notice … At this point, they have become, really, armor."
Elsewhere in her recent interview, Wintour – who also serves as the global chief content officer of Condé Nast – was asked if people are often scared of her, to which she replied: "I hope not."
The British editor also pointed out that many people turn her down, debunking the industry myth that "no one says no to Anna Wintour".
She told Razzell: "That is absolutely untrue. They often say no, but that’s a good thing. No is a wonderful word."
Wintour joined Vogue in 1981 and has become synonymous with the magazine ever since.
When asked about retirement or continuing into her ninth decade, Wintour made it clear she has no plans to leave the fashion bible anytime soon – saying she focuses on "today, not tomorrow".
In Disney+'s new In Vogue: The 90s documentary, Wintour reflected on her early career, including her time at Harpers & Queen and Harper's Bazaar before joining Vogue in 1981.
Now, 40 years later, she is synonymous with the magazine.
Wintour shared that her promotion to editor-in-chief was driven by a need for change, as Vogue's previous covers had become too uniform, and it was time to "tear everything up and start over".
The fashion icon recently said she has no plans on leaving the industry anytime soon and is focused on 'today'.
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She admitted she had "no plan" when starting at Vogue but quickly surrounded herself with a team of "brilliantly creative people".
In 1989, during a flight from London to New York, a conversation with a conservative man praising past covers featuring Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly led to a "lightbulb moment" for the fashion icon.
After he joked that Madonna would never appear on the cover, she decided to feature the controversial pop star.
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