Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is defending her decision to put Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on the cover — but isn’t actually defending the people.
Speaking to new designers at The Museum of Metropolitan Art this week, Anna conceded that putting “The World’s Most Talked About Couple” on the April 2014 cover didn’t raise the palette.
“I think if we just remain deeply tasteful and just put deeply tasteful people on the cover, it would be a rather boring magazine,” she said specifically of the Kimye cover, according to Fashionista. “Nobody would talk about us. It’s very important that people do talk about us.”
Anna said she first learned that lesson after putting Madonna on the cover in 1989.
“I see the role of Vogue to reflect what’s going on in the culture,” she said. “The first celebrity that I put on the cover of Vogue was Madonna, and that was considered completely controversial at the time, too. It’s such a long time ago probably no one remembers, but she was a very controversial figure. Now she’s part of the establishment.”
She also praised Estée Lauder for recently naming Kendall Jenner their “new face.”
“What a fantastic decision that was! They have a wonderful brand that’s very traditionally American, and they decided they want to shake it up and reach a different audience. Now and again one has to do things like that,” she said. “I think it’s part of the excitement and part of being a journalist. I hope another Kim Kardashian comes along this year!”
