Anna Wintour has been in charge of the US Vogue magazine for over 26 years, and ran British Vogue for two years before that. As one of the most influential people in fashion, Wintour’s position as Vogue Editor-in-Chief is one of the most envied positions in the world.
The first retirement rumors began in 2020, but since Anna Wintour has taken a bigger position at Condé Nast, created especially for her, as artistic director for the company’s magazines in 2020.
Sarah Jessica Parker is the latest name to make the list of top replacements for Anna Wintour as Vogue Editor-in-Chief, but she’d have a lot of competition. Here are the most likely choices to fill Wintour’s shoes on her departure.
Sarah Jessica Parker
After elevating Manolo Blahnik to a household name during her “Sex and the City” days, Sarah Jessica Parker has created her own fashion bussiness, launching two perfumes and a shoe line with Nordstrom. While her publishing experience is limited, the actress is a close friend of Anna Wintour and her fashion sense might give her a real shot at the job.
Grace Coddington
The clock might be ticking for Grace Coddington. At 72 years old, she could be the most obvious choice to replace Wintour, but she might not be interested in the job if the Editor-in-Chief’s retirement doesn’t come soon. A former model, Coddington has been American Vogue’s Chief Creative Director since 1988.
Amy Astley
One of the top replacements for Anna Wintour as Vogue Editor-in-Chief is the current Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue. After working on Vogue as a beauty editor under Wintour’s supervision, Astley has managed to increase Teen Vogue’s circulation and her reputation is excellent. If Condé Nast is looking for a fresh voice, she might be it.
Joanna Coles
After helping transition Marie Claire into the digital age, Joanna Coles was named Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan in 2020. Her appearances as a judge and mentor on Project Runway and Project Runway All-Stars have shown a softer side, but her biggest advantage in the race is her determination to get always get results.
Robbie Myers
Another of the top replacement possibilities for Anna Wintour at Vogue, Roberta Myers is Editor-in-chief of the US Elle magazine. Her CV includes plenty of awards and achievements and she was even voted No. 2 on the Forbes list of Most Powerful U.S. Fashion Magazine Editors in 2020. The only downside is that she could be hard to convince to move to Condé Nast.
Natalie Massenet
As the founder of Net-A-Porter, Natalie Massanet definitely has the business savvy in the fashion world and she’s even received public compliments from Anna Wintour. She’s the Chairman of the British Fashion Council and has had a major impact on London Fashion Week, so her appointment as Vogue Editor-in-Chief is a real possibility.
Eva Chen
Some have called Eva Chen Anna Wintour’s protegée since the beauty editor was promoted to editor of Lucky as soon as Wintour’s responsibilities in the publishing empire were expanded. Eva Chen is the first Asian-American Editor-in-Chief of a Condé Nast title and she’s also hugely influential on Instagram and Twitter.
Lucy Yeomans
After 12 years as the head of the British Harper’s Bazaar, Lucy Yomans took the position of Editor-in-Chief at Net-a-Porter. With experience in both print and online, she might be one of the top replacement possibilities for Anna Wintour as the head of American Vogue. She also launched Net-A-Porter’s first print magazine, Porter, so she’s still interested in the print business.
Stefano Tonchi
After working at Esquie, T: The New York Times Style Magazine and L’Uomo Vogue, Tonchi is now the editor of W magazine. With an interest in niche publications, Stefano Tonchi certainly has the editorial touch to keep Vogue cutting edge and his style might be just what the magazine needs to keep things fresh.
Emmanuelle Alt
A few years ago, Carine Roitfeld was one of the top replacements for Anna Wintour as Vogue Editor-in-Chief. Roitfield left her similar position at the French Vogue and has been replaced by Emmanuelle Alt, who was the fashion editor of the magazine for 11 years. Since she’s only been at the helm of French Vogue since 2020, Alt might be hard to convince to head to New York, but if Wintour remains in her position for a few more years, she just might take over the American magazine.
