US Vogue has been synonymous with Anna Wintour for as long as most of us can remember. Now, Wintour has ended weeks of industry speculation by naming Chloe Malle as her successor.
In June, Wintour announced she was stepping aside as editor-in-chief after holding the position for 37 years. She isn't going far though - Wintour will remain as chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director of American Vogue, while Malle will take on the role as head of editorial content.
In a statement about Malle's appointment, Wintour said: 'Chloe has proven often that she can find the balance between American Vogue's long, singular history and its future on the front lines of the new.'
You might not have heard of Chloe Malle, but we guarantee you will have heard of her very famous parents....
Who is Chloe Malle?
Chloe Malle is 39, and has worked her way up through the fashion industry to become head of editorial content for US Vogue. She previously held the role of social editor, podcast host of The Run Through, and editor of Vogue.com.
In a statement announcing the news of her new role, Malle said she had worked across every platform during her time at Vogue. 'Vogue has already shaped who I am, now I'm excited at the prospect of shaping Vogue,' she said.
Chloe is originally from New York, and she studied comparative literature and writing at Brown University. She is an only child, and has some very famous parents - her mother is actor Candice Bergen and her father is the film director Louis Malle. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Malle described herself as a 'proud nepo baby.'
'There is no question that I have 100 percent benefited from the privilege I grew up in,' she told the outlet 'It’s delusional to say otherwise. I will say, though, that it has always made me work much harder. It has been a goal for a lot of my life to prove that I’m more than Candice Bergen’s daughter, or someone who grew up in Beverly Hills.'
Her first role came when she landed an internship at the New York Observer. She went on to be a freelance writer for publications such as New York Times Style and Vogue. In 2011, she landed the social editor role at Vogue.
In a piece on Into The Gloss from 2014, Chloe reflected on landing the job. 'You’re supposed to never wear black. I wore black,' she said. 'It was in March and so cold, so I wore black tights and these black J. Crew suede booties, which were fine, but were sort of falling apart. And then I wore this very boring, short—not super short, but short-ish—Diane von Furstenberg collared dress with a gray and white striped blazer.'
How is Chloe Malle linked to Sex And The City?
It might surprise you to find out that Chloe's Mum, Candice Bergen, played Enid Frick, the fictional Vogue editor-in-chief in Sex And The City - and now, Chloe will step into that role for real. We first meet Enid in season four, when Carrie Bradshaw secures a job at Vogue. The pair had a tumultuous relationship - Enid was critical of Carrie's writing, and pushed her to meet Vogue's high-standards.
However, over time the pair's relationship blossoms, with the pair connecting over struggles such as dating in New York and aging. Bergen portrays Enid throughout season four, five and six, and also in the first Sex And The City movie in 2008. She also reprised the character in season 2 of And Just Like That...
What has Anna Wintour said about Chloe Malle?
Wintour reflected on her choice of a successor for Vogue in her announcement, acknowledging she had 'one chance to get it right.' 'At a moment of change both within fashion and outside it, Vogue must continue to be both the standard-bearer and the boundary-pushing leader,' she shared. 'Chloe has proven often that she can find the balance between American Vogue’'s long, singular history and its future on the front lines of the new. I am so excited to continue working with her ... while she leads us and our audiences where we’ve never been before.'
Alice Hall is the Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She was previously a Junior Features Writer for The Daily Telegraph. At Grazia, she writes news and features about pop culture, dating, health, politics and interiors.