Anna Wintour

By 2008, Anna discovered fashion was just her vehicle.

Power was the destination.

She backed Obama, but not with just checks.

She created events mixing fashion, entertainment, and political elites.

Anna positioned herself as the essential connector.

First principle of real power is don't join other people's networks.

Create your own and be the one everything flows through.

When ambassador rumors swirled, Anna stayed silent.

The speculation alone increased her value.

Why confirm or deny when mystery multiplies the leverage?

She didn't get the ambassadorship.

She got something better.

Artistic director of all of Condé Nast, not just Vogue, everything.

But the Met Gala has been her masterpiece of power.

In 1999, Anna inherits a stuffy charity dinner, wealthy New Yorkers writing checks, patting themselves on the back.

By 2018, she's running a $12 million cultural phenomenon that determines who matters in America.

The transformation reveals everything.

Anna didn't just change an event.

She created a new currency.

Met Gala invitations became more valuable than money.