Bitter rivalry of Vogue’s queen bees is laid bare
They are the queen bees of the fashion industry, who reign supreme on both sides of the Atlantic.
however, a forthcoming documentary reveals simmering tensions between Alexandra Shulman and Anna Wintour, editors-in-chief of UK and U.S. Vogue respectively, which are owned by Conde Nast. Shulman, editor since 1992, was piqued when, earlier this year, she learned her stateside rival was to feature pop star Rihanna on the magazine’s April cover.
Shulman, 58, had secured the 26-year- old as cover girl for her May issue and was under the impression she had first dibs on the singer.
With 24 hours to go before the presses rolled, Shulman dumped her April cover star, supermodel Kate Moss, and replaced her with Rihanna, thereby denying la Wintour her coup.
So intent was Shulman on concealing her combative move from Wintour, 66, that she threatened to pull the plug on the new BBC Vogue documentary, which airs next week, after film-maker Richard Macer admitted plans to confront Wintour about it on the show. ‘Alex phoned in a furious mood, threatening to pull the whole project,’ he says. ‘She’s angry that I might talk to Anna Wintour about the Rihanna cover; she thinks I might be about to betray confidential information. But the last thing I want to do is get on the wrong side of the editor-in-chief of British Vogue.’
Shulman seems to have got her way, as there is ultimately no mention of Rihanna during his chat with British-born Wintour.
But the documentary does reveal Shulman’s airy reaction to the prospect of being beaten by her competition.
‘I don’t know their exact publication date and I don’t know any of the details of that,’ she insists. ‘All I know is that we agreed that we would have Rihanna.’
Let’s hope Anna, nicknamed Nuclear Wintour on account of her icy demeanour, can forgive the upstart Shulman for her dastardly behaviour. Wintour, editor of U.S. Vogue since 1988, declined to comment.