Anna Wintour: "I’m Not Thinking, I’m an Icon.”

The 'Vogue' editor-in-chief talks about the upcoming exhibition at the Costume Institute and her place in the industry.

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Complex Original

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The Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will kick off its largest exhibition ever with tonight's star-studded Met Gala. Anna Wintour sat down with New York Magazine to talk about the upcoming "China: Through the Looking Glass" exhibition, her favorite television shows, her relationship with First Lady Michelle Obama, and whether or not she sees herself as an icon in the fashion industry.

"I don’t think of myself in that way," said Wintour. "I try to do the best job I possibly can, whether it’s for Condé Nast or for the museum or anything else that I might be involved in, but you know, I’m not thinking, I’m an icon."

Of the Costume Institute exhibitions, Anna Wintour told Amy Larocco that they are "not just for fashion connoisseurs. People are not just whizzing by. They are really studying, they are looking at the captions, they’re standing back, and they’re spending real time in there." Of the costumes in the exhibition opening this week she explained that "you see, for example, a Valentino dress next to a bronze, it opens up a discussion...it lessens the distance between the East and the West, and you can start to free associate. They both inform each other."

The American Vogue editor-in-chief, who recently used her power to help make that epic Zoolander moment happen at the Valentino show, said that there are things that even she can't control when it comes to her public image. "You can’t be everything to everybody, and there are things that get into the public world that were never grounded in reality...It’s out in the public perception. And what can you do? Smile."

Even in her spare time, Anna Wintour is thinking about fashion. When asked about her favorite shows, she said that she enjoys Game of Thrones, but not for the reasons most people do. "I wonder how much one of those episodes costs! The costumes are so good," she added.

To read more of the interview, click through to New York Magazine's The Cut.

 

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