The Four-Letter Word Anna Wintour Uses As A Seal Of Approval

Anna Wintour

by Rebecca Cope |
Published on

What goes on behind the hallowed doors of US Vogue is the stuff of legend. Ever since Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada a thinly-veiled tell-all about her former life as an assistant to editor-in-chief Anna Wintour - the rumours about what it's like to work there have been endless (and often ridiculous).

Now, we're getting even more insight into the famous glossy, but this time it's straight from the horse's mouth. To celebrate Vogue's 125th birthday, the magazine has released a series of digital stickers designed by Jean Jullien about life working for the prestigious title. Included is a cartoon post-it that simply says 'AWOK' - which apparently means 'Anna Wintour OK-ed'.

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'No writer/editor/stylist/art director ever forgets their first AWOK,' writes Chioma Nnadi, Vogue.com’s fashion news director. 'Seven years later, and I still have that piece of paper—now sun-bleached and dog-eared from age—pinned to my desk like a prize.'

But an AWOK is of course no means to be expected. Nnadi goes on to describe the various levels of Wintour's disapproval - including grading work as 'keep trying', 'no', or worst of all, 'boring'. Gulp.

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