Anna Wintour

June 28th, 1988.

Mirabella's husband calls her.

He just saw gossip columnist Liz Smith on television.

Anna Wintour will replace his wife as editor-in-chief of Vogue.

Mirabella goes to Lieberman's office.

He's waiting.

Grace, he says, I'm afraid it's true.

37 years dismissed via gossip column.

Power transitions are never elegant.

They're either swift or sloppy.

Never both.

Anna was prepared.

She spent three years studying Vogue's operations from the inside, learning its weaknesses, building her network.

While Mirabella finished her final two weeks, Anna summoned all 120 Vogue staff to her HG office.

One by one, brief interviews.

Three days later, 90 people remained.

When you finally get power, use it immediately.

Hesitation invites resistance.

17 years after her father wrote Editor of Vogue on that career form, after getting fired for being too European, after crying in Andy Warhol's office, after transforming two other magazines, Anna had the job she'd wanted since she was 16.

Now the real work could begin.