wintour wonderland

Anna Wintour ‘Is No Patsy’ and ‘Can Easily Cope’ With Budget Cuts

In an updated rehashing of portions of his Anna Wintour biography, Front Row, Jerry Oppenheimer writes in the Post today that Anna Wintour is worried about losing her eyesight since her father went blind at a “relatively young age.” But apparently she won’t fret too much about losing money for Vogue amid cutbacks at Condé Nast. Polly Mellen, who worked at Vogue for three decades, spoke to Oppenheimer:


“Moving on in a tough economy is something Anna can easily cope with,” Mellen says.

“She’s a very modern woman, and she understands what [dire] situations are. She’ll go along with whatever Si needs done, but Anna is no patsy. She has her own point of view. Regarding cuts, she’ll ask to see where and how. She would say yes to this and no to that, and Si would absolutely respect her judgment.”


Anna is expected to cut back on travel expenses, sending fewer people to fewer places and putting them in less expensive hotels. Highly paid freelancers and photographers will see less money, and departments could be combined or axed altogether. Bud Konheim, the CEO of Nicole Miller, a Vogue advertiser, naturally had good things to say about Anna, too:

“Anna’s created a Rolls-Royce of magazines,” he offers. “Now all of a sudden they’re telling her that she can’t fill up the tank and to use regular, not premium, and to buy it at a no-name gas station. They’re telling her to do that, but she’s still driving the Rolls-Royce. It’s a tough time out there. If nothing else, Anna’s shown the ability to adjust to her surroundings and master them.”


As for turning 60 last week, that’s no big deal because, as her friends say, “60 is the new 40.”

And maybe pumping your own gas is the new summering, and camping is the new shopping, and Lady Gaga is the new Nicole Kidman.

At 60, Wintour is in her spring [NYP]

Anna Wintour ‘Is No Patsy’ and ‘Can Easily Cope’ With Budget Cuts