It’s not a secret that the editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman and the editor of US Vogue, Anna Wintour, share an icy feud. But according to Shulman, it’s all purely professional.
It’s not a secret that the editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman and the editor of US Vogue, Anna Wintour, share an icy feud. But according to Shulman, it’s all purely professional.
Speaking to the Times magazine, the British editor said: “My rivalry with Anna Wintour is purely professional. When I first came to Vogue, Anna took me out to lunch and was very helpful.”
She also explained that both women have their own ambitions for their respective versions of the magazine. “We both have ambitions for our magazines and if we’re in competition about something, we’ll fight our corner.”
Rumours of this icy rivalry came to life after a documentary about the magazine surfaced last month. It revealed how in one particular scenario, Rihanna was put on the cover of British Vogue ahead of time to make sure the singer didn’t land on the cover of American Vogue first. Speaking on the matter, Shulman said: “I don’t know their exact publication date and I don’t know any of the details of that. All I know is that we agreed that we would have Rihanna.”
Dismissing the spat, a Condé Nast spokesman said that the issue was not personal. ‘The cover swap was purely to preserve an exclusive — the decision to do so would have been the same were it any other women’s monthly glossy. In the case of Alexandra and Anna, the editors only have the greatest respect for each other.”
According to reports, this rivalry was born when Shulman landed the job of editor for British Vogue in 1992. Wintour, on her part, did not approve of this appointment and felt that Shulman lacked the fashion pedigree despite the fact that she was formerly the editor of British GQ.
To know more about this famous feud and the long tenure of Shulman, look out for Richard Macer’s documentary, Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue, which aired last month in the UK.
