Queen Anna
C Z GUEST
Flip through the "inspiration" file that every designer keeps, and at some point you will find a picture of C.Z. Guest. Debutante, showgirl (briefly), model (painted nude by Diego Rivera), socialite, gardener, intimate of artists and writers; Guest had the kind of life that seems fiction, and the perfect patrician looks to illustrate it. She wore her designer clothes with thoroughbred elegance, keeping to simple lines, rich fabrics, and soft colors to suit her cool complexion. But perhaps what drew creative types to her most was Guest's down-to-earth personality, exemplified by her recent advice to would-be gardeners visiting her web site, "The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and have a good time."
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Wintour is also a noted philanthropist. She serves as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Wintour began the CFDA/Vogue Fund in order to encourage, support and mentor unknown fashion designers. She has also raised over $10 million for AIDS charities since 1990, by organizing various high profile benefits.
She rises daily before 6 a.m., plays tennis and has her hair and makeup done, then gets to Vogue's offices at 8. She always arrives at fashion shows at their scheduled starting time. "I use the waiting time to make phone calls and notes; I get some of my best ideas at the shows," she says. According to the BBC documentary Boss Woman, she is similarly efficient with her time elsewhere in her day, rarely staying at parties for more than 20 minutes at a time and getting to bed by 10:15 every night.
Her control over the magazine, particularly her strong suit, photo layouts, has long been industry legend. She has, since her first days as editor, required that photographers not begin until she has approved Polaroids of the setup and clothing. Afterwards, they must submit all their work to the magazine, not just their personal choices. But her control over the text is less certain. Her staffers swear she reads everything written for publication, but former editor Richard Story has claimed she rarely, if ever, read any of Vogue's arts coverage or book reviews. Similarly, in younger days she often left the task of writing the text accompanying her layouts to others, since, say many of those who did, she has minimal skills in that area. Today she writes little for the magazine save the monthly editor's letter. She reportedly has three full-time assistants but sometimes surprises callers by answering the phone herself. She often turns her cell phone off in order to eat lunch uninterrupted, and likes to have a good steak for her midday meal.Others who have known her likewise report that high-protein meals have been a habit of hers for a long time. "It was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs every single day" for lunch, says a coworker at Harpers & Queen. "She would eat nothing else".