Kiwi model Kylie Bax on Anna Wintour - 'She was so lovely and warm to me'
Behind the "massive sunglasses", retiring Vogue editor Anna Wintour can be kind and caring, says Kylie Bax.
After nearly four decades as editor-in-chief of American Vogue, formidable fashion icon Anna Wintour is exiting the top role.
Kylie Bax, who worked with Wintour multiple times on Vogue shoots in the 1990s, says that while the British-born magazine boss is a force to be reckoned with, she was very kind to a young New Zealand model.
"I've been to her place for dinner. It was a very warm atmosphere at her home... I saw a side of her that a lot of people wouldn't have seen - this kind, caring, soft, sweet side that she has," Bax told RNZ's Morning Report.
Former international model Kylie Bax is now a horse breeder in Cambridge.
@baxkylie
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The first time a "quite naive" Bax met Wintour was at a fancy dinner in New York after a Vogue shoot by photographer Stephen Meisel, she recalled.
Wintour personally invited Bax, but the young Kiwi didn't recognise her on the way in.
"I walked past her. She stopped me and said, 'Kylie, I'm Anna Wintour'. I was just like, 'Oh. Oh...' But she was so lovely about it. She was so lovely and warm to me. She introduced me to everyone, and she was just a wonderful person."
Wintour's reputation as a ruthless boss was significantly sharpened by the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada - an adaptation of a memoir by Wintour's former assistant Lauren Weisberger.
In the film, magazine editor Miranda Priestly - played by Meryl Streep, throws off lines to her subordinates like: 'Please bore someone else with your questions' and 'How many times do I have to scream your name?'
Anna Wintour at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
AFP
As Vogue's editor-in-chief since 1988, Wintour has created a fantastic women's magazine, Bax says.
"She was very determined to get what she wanted, and she knew what she wanted, and that's why Vogue has been so successful."
While Bax found Wintour "a wonderful, wonderful person to work with", she concedes that the "massive sunglasses" she usually wears can give the 75-year-old an intimidating appearance and to stay at the top, she likely couldn't be nice to everyone.
"When you are the head of a huge magazine like that, you're bound to have some enemies."
Anna Wintour will retain her role as Condé Nast's chief content officer and Vogue global editorial director.
After winning Miss NZ in 1992, Kylie Bax appeared on many international magazine covers - including Vogue Italia in July 1996.
Vogue Italia
Anna Wintour and English actor Bill Nighy attend the 2023 Met Gala.
Getty Images / Theo Wargo
