After nearly four decades at the helm of American Vogue, Anna Wintour has announced her successor: Chloe Malle, a longtime Vogue insider with deep roots in both fashion and pop culture. The official handover, confirmed on September 3, 2025, marks a seismic shift for one of the world’s most influential fashion publications, and perhaps signals a new era for an institution that has long defined style and culture in the United States.
Wintour’s decision to step aside as editor-in-chief after 37 years had been the subject of intense speculation within the fashion industry for weeks. But while she’s relinquishing the editor-in-chief title—a role she has occupied since 1988—Wintour isn’t exactly riding off into the sunset. Instead, she will remain as chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director of American Vogue, overseeing all 29 international editions. According to Straight Arrow News, the editor-in-chief title itself will be retired at the magazine, with Malle assuming the newly minted position of head of editorial content.
In announcing her successor, Wintour was effusive in her praise for Malle, stating, “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.” The transition, she noted, comes at a moment of profound change, both within the fashion world and beyond. “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,” Wintour shared, according to Grazia UK.
For those unfamiliar with Chloe Malle, her story is anything but conventional. The 39-year-old New Yorker has spent the last 15 years climbing the ranks within Vogue, starting as social editor in 2011 before moving on to become editor of Vogue.com in 2023. She also hosted the magazine’s popular podcast, The Run-Through, and has worked across every platform the publication offers. In her own words, “Vogue has already shaped who I am, now I’m excited at the prospect of shaping Vogue,” Malle said in her announcement, as reported by Straight Arrow News.
Malle’s background reads like a script for a modern fashion fairytale. She is the only child of two prominent figures: her mother is the acclaimed actor Candice Bergen, and her father, the late Louis Malle, was a celebrated film director. Malle’s upbringing in New York City, followed by her studies in comparative literature and writing at Brown University, set the stage for a career that would blend culture, storytelling, and an insider’s view of the creative world. She’s quick to acknowledge her privilege, telling The New York Times in a recent interview, “There is no question that I have 100 percent benefited from the privilege I grew up in. 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.”
Before joining Vogue, Malle cut her teeth as an intern at the New York Observer and contributed freelance pieces to publications like The New York Times Style and Vogue itself. Reflecting on her early days at the magazine, she once recalled to Into The Gloss, “You’re supposed to never wear black. I wore black. 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.”
But perhaps the most intriguing twist in Malle’s story is the peculiar overlap between fiction and reality. Her mother, Candice Bergen, famously portrayed Enid Frick, the fictional Vogue editor-in-chief in Sex and the City—a character who first appeared in season four, then returned for seasons five and six, the 2008 franchise movie, and the reboot And Just Like That... As Grazia UK and Straight Arrow News both point out, Bergen’s Enid Frick was a tough, exacting boss to Carrie Bradshaw, but eventually forged a nuanced, even empathetic relationship with the show’s heroine. Now, in a case of life imitating art, Bergen’s daughter will step into the real-life role her mother once played on screen. “Living for this crossover,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), capturing the delight of pop culture aficionados everywhere.
The connection between the Malle-Bergen family and Vogue doesn’t stop there. Candice Bergen herself appeared on the cover of Vogue in 1967 during her modeling career, cementing a legacy that spans generations. As for Chloe, her career at Vogue has been marked by a steady ascent, from her first editorial role to her most recent stint as editor of the magazine’s website, where she steered digital strategy and content.
Industry observers have been quick to note that Malle’s appointment is not simply a matter of family connections. While her lineage is undeniably noteworthy, her track record at Vogue is robust. She has interviewed high-profile figures, such as Lauren Sánchez ahead of her wedding to Jeff Bezos, and has earned a reputation for balancing tradition with innovation—precisely the qualities Wintour emphasized in her endorsement. As 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.”
Still, the optics of so-called "nepotism babies" in media and fashion have sparked conversation, especially given Malle’s own candor. By openly acknowledging her privilege and striving to prove her own merit, Malle appears determined to chart her own course. Her story, as she tells it, is one of working harder to overcome perceptions. “It has been a goal for a lot of my life to prove that I’m more than Candice Bergen’s daughter,” she said.
With the editor-in-chief title retired and a new structure in place, American Vogue finds itself at a crossroads. The magazine must continue to serve as both a tastemaker and a mirror to the shifting currents of fashion, society, and culture. Wintour, now overseeing a global portfolio, will remain a powerful force behind the scenes, while Malle steps into the spotlight to shape the magazine’s future day-to-day direction.
Whether Chloe Malle’s appointment signals a new chapter for Vogue or a seamless continuation of its legacy, one thing is clear: the eyes of the fashion world—and pop culture at large—will be watching closely as she takes the reins. For Malle, it’s a chance to prove that her story is about more than famous parents or a lucky break. It’s about legacy, hard work, and the ever-evolving world of American Vogue.
