From My Scrapbook to Our Magazine: How Anna Wintour Shaped Generations of Dreamers

Collage by our graphic designer Francesca de Vita

Picture this: Waking up, exhausted, sore, and emotionally drained from the last few days of moving houses. Still, I was excited. Excited for this new chapter in my life, and even more so for the one I had just closed. But as I opened my eyes this morning, it turns out I wasn’t the only one stepping into something new while saying goodbye to something monumental.

Anna Wintour did the same.

Now, I’ve always felt, deep down, that we were somehow connected. After all these years of admiring her work, studying her moves, and chasing a dream she helped ignite in me, this news felt personal. Unexpectedly personal. And then it hit me. Anna Wintour, my idol and inspiration since I was merely nine years old, is stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue.

Yes, we all move forward. We all grow. And it’s time for her to step into a new role, a new chapter. But this? This marks more than just a professional transition. It marks a cultural shift in me. Anna has held the role for nearly four decades. I kid you not, since 1988, she hasn’t just shaped a magazine. She has shaped a mindset. A way of seeing. A way of dreaming. For me and for so many women, she didn’t just validate our ambitions. She gave birth to them.

The epitome of who I aspire to be, and the career I’m building, exist because of her. Her vision, her determination, her discipline, her values, and her work ethic have been a guiding force in my life. Silently present in every decision I’ve made.

And to clarify, yes, she will remain Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue. But for those of us who grew up seeing her name at the top of every masthead, who devoured every issue like scripture, her departure still feels like the closing of a deeply personal era.

“Anybody in a creative field knows how essential it is never to stop growing in one’s work,” she told her team. “When I became the editor of Vogue, I was eager to prove to all who might listen that there was a new, exciting way to imagine an American fashion magazine… Now, I find that my greatest pleasure is helping the next generation of impassioned editors storm the field with their own ideas… How thrilling it will be to work alongside someone new who will challenge us, inspire us, and make us all think about Vogue in a myriad of original ways.”

Her words are forward-looking, gracious, full of poise. So very Anna. But for 9-year-old me, this news landed like a punch to the heart. A punch I haven’t felt since my last breakup.

From the beginning, I dreamed of running a magazine. Not for the title, but for the purpose. Because of Anna, I believed it was possible. This news saddens me deeply. But more than anything, it fills me with gratitude. Gratitude for the way she paved the path for girls like me to grow up believing we could lead, create, and speak to the world through a printed page.

A Cover That Changed Everything

Her very first cover in November 1988 was a quiet revolution. Model Michaela Bercu appeared smiling in a $50 pair of Guess jeans and a jewelled Christian Lacroix couture sweater, photographed by Peter Lindbergh. It was the first time denim had ever appeared on the cover of Vogue.

It was relaxed. Bold. Unfiltered. And it was Anna stepping into her power. That image wasn’t just a cover. It was a manifesto. It shattered the pristine, over-posed aesthetic of decades past and ushered in a new vision. One where street met couture, where fashion could be both aspirational and real, and where individuality reigned.

She went on to bring celebrities onto covers before it was mainstream. She championed new designers. She featured lesser-known models. She taught us that elegance and edge could exist side by side, and that fashion was never just about clothes. It was about voice.

She expanded Vogue into something far greater than a fashion publication. It became a cultural institution. A political platform. A force.

A Reign Like No Other

For 37 years, Anna Wintour has been the immovable center of the fashion universe. Her seat at any show was never in question. Her bob, her sunglasses, her name. Instantly recognizable. Instantly iconic. She ruled with a rare combination of steel and grace. Yes, she was intimidating. Swift. Exacting. But that sharpness protected the integrity of a brand that became more than a brand. It became a movement. Vogue under Anna wasn’t just a magazine. It was a mirror. A moodboard. A mission statement for women across the world. And now, a new chapter begins. A new Head of Editorial Content will step into a legacy. And a standard. One that Anna built with precision and brilliance.

With Love, Always, Anna

Anna Wintour showed us how to lead with vision. How to dare with elegance. How to build something timeless. She inspired countless editors, creatives, and dreamers. Myself included. She taught us that fashion isn’t frivolous. It’s storytelling. It’s power. It’s identity. It’s art. As she steps back from her editorial throne, her influence doesn’t fade. It lives on. In every girl with a notebook, a scrapbook, and a dream. In every stylist daring to break the mold. In every young editor who believes in the power of a page.

So, thank you, Anna. Without your voice echoing in my mind, none of this would be possible. Roe Magazine would not be born. So with endless admiration, again, thank you.

Camille Roe Schmidt

Co-Founder, Roe Magazine