Anna Wintour, Behind The Shades

(CBS)  This story was first published on May 17, 2009. It was updated on Sept. 17, 2009.

She is said to be the most powerful woman in fashion and she does nothing to dispel that belief. Her name is Anna Wintour, a name that strikes terror in some, loathing in others, and transforms yet others into obsequious toadies.

It should also be said she commands a loyal band of friends and admirers. Nevertheless, she was the inspiration for the novel and movie "The Devil Wears Prada."

For 21 years, this divorced mother of two has been editor of Vogue, the last word in sophisticated fashion and fantasy.

The aura of mystery that surrounds the 59-year-old Wintour is palpable. She is a paparazzi and gossip column magnet. Every twitch, every frown, every suppressed smile is recorded.

She's been portrayed as Darth Vader in a frock, or less harshly, as "Nuclear Wintour." Or is she really just peaches and cream, with a touch of arsenic?

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Watch exclusive videos and outtakes of Morley Safer's interview with Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

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"The blurb on your unauthorized biography reads 'She's ambitious, driven, needy, a perfectionist. An inside look at the competitive bitch-eat-bitch world of fashion' Accurate?" 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer asked Wintour.

"Well, I am very driven by what I do. I am certainly very competitive. What else? Am I needy?" she replied. "I'm probably very needy, yes. I'm, a bitch…."

"Perfectionist?" Safer asked.

"Perfectionist?" she asked.

"Well, let's try bitch first," Safer said.

"Well, I hope I'm not. I try not to be. But I like people who represent the best of what they do and if that turns you into a perfectionist than maybe I am," she replied.

High above Times Square, Anna Wintour oversees a small army of girls - coiffed, skinny, beautiful and running scared - the worker bees whose job it is to inspire women to dream.

The pages of Vogue conjure up a never-never land of beauty, of the sweet life. The unattainable comes to glossy life. Under Wintour's direction, Vogue has been hugely successful.

"Vogue is the best of everything that fashion can offer, and I think we point the way. We are, you know, a glamorous girlfriend," she told Safer.

But the glamorous girlfriend, like Vogue readers, is facing leaner times: "I do wanna make the point that September really has to be about value. But we don't want to give up completely the dream and the fantasy but I also feel like we need to have a sense of being more grounded," she told her staff during an editorial meeting.

Wintour is involved in every detail of the magazine: the clothes, editing the pictures and articles. She is decisive, impatient and bears a look that says "I'm the boss, and you're boring."

"Should I do the faces of the moment because that's what we have on the cover or should I just still keep thinking?" one editor asked her, presenting a spread.

"Keep thinking," Wintour curtly replied.

"An editor in the final analysis is a kind of the dictator - a magazine is not a democracy?" Safer asked.

"It's a group of people coming together and presenting ideas from which I pick what I think is the best mix for each particular issue but in the end the final decision has to be mine," she explained.

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[hawkeyes11a]

A warning should of been posted before this segment " SMUG ALEART " You have some 60 year old Woman that scares the Bejesus out of young women that work for her,gay fashion designers and comes across as being puckered on both ends. Who anoints these people to these pompously conceited positions that they lord over everyone who has the misfortune to have to deal with them?

[joaniekarencox]

Ice Ice Baby, Anna Wintour is a frosty treat in The September Issue...http://southflorida.metromix.com/style/article/glamazon-the-wintour-of/1435490/content

[Taureau77]

Very disappointing journalism. Again the same sad, old clichés are rolled out. Seems more like he is pandering to middle America's dismissal of the fashion industry. Is this supposed to be quality journalist? Has he opened our eyes any more or brought any new insight into this topic. I don't think so. The reporter has stamped his snide and condescending opinion all over this report. What ever happened to objective journalism? Even if you have your own opinions on certain types of clothing, people and events, including them in your report is totally irrelevant and points the viewer in a certain direction. Stick to the facts, his view has not contributed anything to opening our eyes to the inside world of fashion and has not increased our understanding of this billion-dollar industry, in the end. If the reporter is so ready to dismiss this world before the eyes of the world why bother reporting on it in the first place then? In the end nobody has learnt from this report, we have only managed to be exposed to this journalist's own sad bias and prejudice.

[davidcc472]

Great job Morley, it was a very insightful story that keeps 60 Minutes being the show that I grew up watching, not all glooom and economic bloom. Morley Safer puts together with his producers a story that perks up your curiousity. When your age lets see what your contributing to the world... he's the bomb! Still.

David

[barbararkerr]

I have admired Morley Safer's work for many years. However, it was deeply disappointing to watch his story on Anna Wintour which was dismissive both of her work and, it seemed, fashion today. And it was ironic that a discerning man who enjoys and appreciates various styles of art didn't extend the same sensibilities to fashion. Just as individuals may be moved or inspired by different kinds of arts (or not), the same is true regarding fashion. An admirer of Ralph Lauren or Valentino may not be enthusiastic about the work of Marc Jacobs. And, echoing sentiments expressed by others, I found myself wondering if an interview with a male executive of the same passions and temperament -- namely, a relentless pursuit of excellence -- would have been treated in the same manner.

[cliffps]

Fun interview, great to have a peek behind the scenes. I just can't believe this woman is 59 years old, she looks so much younger! And yes, so she has it all, where's the problem here? Let her be, people need to find something better to do than criticize successful, attractive women. Just watch the show, enjoy the behind-the-scenes angle and get on with your life - Cliff in Palm Springs (still not believeing she's 59, lol).

[AnnOl]

Morley Safer - the next time you're interviewing the CEO of Microsoft, GM, Chrysler, Citi, GE, etc. etc please remember to ask them about how "mean" they are. Your interview was ridiculous for 2009 with a female executive. Shame on CBS for continuing to propagate the "*****" accusation to women in power.

[myanna555]

Guys, check the spelling in your article. What a shame for CBS news. Absolute shame.

[Judy202]

You've got to be kidding me with this segment. She's newsworthy? A full-of-herself fashion editor who things the world revolves around her? To glorify this type of excess during this economy (or any time, really) is ridiculous. Is she proud of the fact that she's a b*tch, sitting there with that smirk on her face? There are so many other people out there worthy of being on your show...but she's not one of them. Telling Oprah to lose weight? Saying people in Minnesota are the size of small houses? Get the hair our of your face and get real. PLEASE stop making this ego-maniacal self-important fear-inducing woman any more important than she is (or isn't).

[ViewingNan]

When did we fall back to calling females over 13 "girls." Morley Safer, who certainly should know better, stated that Anna Wintour's office is filled with girls. I did not see one female under 13 anywhere. Shame on you, Morley. Women have fought hard for respect, advancement and fair treatment. Now, please give it to us. Thank you.

Nancy