Anna Wintour on What She’s Grateful for Now
When life changes, you notice things in new ways. I’m sure we’ve all, for instance, become very aware of every inch of our homes in recent weeks. And I hope that you’ve discovered what it feels like to wear a face mask when you go out. As we are learning from health officials, this is one of the most important steps we can take to slow the spread of this virus. If you don’t have a mask, a simple fabric covering will do. Please follow this new guideline; it couldn’t be more important.
Face masks, social distancing, weeks spent at home: everything about life feels different now. I think of the simple pleasures we once took for granted—like going to the theater, dinner with friends, coming into the office—and they seem to me like impossible luxuries. It’s true that this is a time of anxiety and sadness, and that there is more of both to come, but I also believe it’s a time of gratitude. I feel so grateful for the people whom I have been in touch with in recent days—friends and acquaintances that I have known for years but perhaps not kept up with as well as I should. As we’ve reconnected by email and phone and Zoom, I’ve been struck, again and again, at how open and unguarded everyone is, how grateful we are to talk. Isolation is a reminder that we need one another.
I am grateful for a few other things too: Generosity most of all. I have been so moved by acts of philanthropy in the fashion community in particular, and, of course, by the many donors large and small who have supported A Common Thread, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund we’ve created to help American designers in this challenging time. If you haven’t yet watched the testimonials these designers have been sending to Vogue, I urge you to. Listening to these incredible talents talk without pretense about what they’re going through is a profoundly emotional experience. It reminds you that our fashion community is exactly that—a community of people, who need our help as never before.
What else am I grateful for? My granddaughter, who celebrated her third birthday through a virtual party the other day. A lot of people Zoomed in and it was just a joy seeing how happy that made her.
And I’m not the first one to say this, but I’m grateful for New York’s governor. Governor Cuomo goes in front of cameras every day and simply levels with us about the crisis we’re in. He tells us the truth without sugar coating it—a feat our president cannot bring himself to do. How incredibly reassuring that is. How lucky we are to have him.
And I am grateful for my team at Vogue, who have been working in difficult circumstances, producing stories on our website that I’m so proud of and devising a new issue that I couldn’t be more excited about. Finding ways to truly collaborate right now is difficult, but my colleagues have been rising to the occasion, some while taking care of young children and caring for loved ones who need it. I’m incredibly thankful to them.
And finally—I am grateful for daffodils! David Hockney’s in particular. The 82-year-old artist, whose work I have always loved, has been producing new paintings on his iPad and they couldn’t be more glorious. His daffodils are extraordinary—a vision of color, optimism and hope—a reminder that these days of isolation won’t last forever and that new ideas are growing all the while.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
