It’s no secret that Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is the Darth Vader of fashion. (Remember that “60 Minutes” segment where she fessed up to telling Oprah to drop twenty pounds for her 1998 Vogue cover and then called chubby Minnesotans “little houses.”) But Anna has reached a whole new level of meaniness. According to Rihanna’s close friend, Wintour had been talking to Rihanna about doing a Vogue cover for weeks. At the Met Costume Gala on May 4th, Wintour supposedly told RiRi that Vogue “absolutely loves her and really wanted to work with her.” But as soon as nude photographs of Rihanna (maybe?) were leaked on the internet, Wintour stopped returning Rihanna’s calls.

Hear us out. We can see your fingers poised over the “comment” button already! Allow us to make a case for the argument that maybe it wasn’t such a thing for Anna Wintour to suggest Oprah lose weight before she ended up on the cover of Vogue:

Designer dress? Check. Perfect hair? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Fur? Check. Anna brought everything to the American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala. [NYC, 5/18/09]

We’ve been on the fence about Anna Wintour and her persona, wondering whether she puts on a bitch front because she can. However, after seeing her speak last Tuesday and watching the “60 Minutes” special and its outtakes, the Vogue editor-in-chief has our respect. And, she’s taught us a few valuable lessons that explain and defy her reputation.

“60 Minutes” devoted a 13-minute segment to profiling Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, this weekend. Journalist Morley Safer described Wintour as “a name that strikes terror in some, loathing in others, and transforms some into obsequious toadies.” Not that his observation is incorrect, but, geez, what a way to introduce someone.

It didn’t stop there. If the “60 Minutes” profile didn’t have you squealing at the high-profile cameos (Karl Lagerfeld! Andre Leon Talley!), maybe you’re a bigger ice queen than this supposed queen of the ice queens herself. Clip after the jump ...

We normally don’t have plans on Sunday night, but this week, we’re booked. At long last, the Anna Wintour “60 Minutes” segment will air on CBS at 7 p.m. ET. Recently, Anna has been opening herself up to the public much more than usual. Not only is “The September Issue” documentary being released this September, but she also spoke in New York earlier this week. I attended her Q&A on Tuesday, and most of the discussion focused on the business of fashion and publishing (though she did divulge that she “hasn’t been able to look at brown the same way” since wearing that color school uniform growing up). We’re hoping the “60 Minutes” segment will let us into her life a little more, and we know we’ll get to hear her talk about her ever-present sunglasses: “They are seriously useful. I can sit in a show and if I am bored out of my mind, nobody will notice… At this point, they have become, really, armor.” [CBS News]

“As you see, fashion means different things to different people.”

—Anna Wintour responds to PETA members who yelled at her during a talk last night at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. [NY Mag]

• We love clear accessories, but this Chanel bag is ridiculous. [My Fashion Life]
• Lindsay Lohan’s self-tanner, Sevin Nyne, debuts next month and counts caramel, sugar, coconut, Chardonnay and goji berries amongst the ingredients.  So if it doesn’t turn you Lilo Orange, at the very least you can expect to smell like one very weird bag of groceries. [Daily Mail]
• Rumor has it, Vogue‘s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, actually shook hands with the vice president of PETA, who has lobbed red paint and eggs at her and her fur-wearing ways for years. Is the end of the Israel-Palestine conflict next? [NY Post]

Desirée Rogers, 49, is the White House social secretary and a longtime friend of President and Michelle Obama. This former Chicago business executive and fashion lover is bringing fun to the White House. After the jump, a primer on this smart and stylish woman.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is not known for loving larger women. In fact, she even got Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy to see a trainer and go on a diet for a story in the magazine’s April 2008 issue. But it seems as though Wintour is changing her tune. The British, Grammy-nominated singer Adele was recently photographed by Annie Liebovitz for an issue of Vogue, and Wintour took such a liking to her that the editor offered to style her for the Grammy Awards. Hmm… This sounds a lot like the time when Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley took Jennifer Hudson under his Balenciaga-designed wing, after she was nominated for an Oscar for “Dreamgirls.” Could it be possible that Vogue has, at last, realized that amazing women come in double-digit sizes? We certainly hope so, because most of us look a whole lot more like Adele in clothes than we do Kate Moss. Now, if Wintour can aid Adele in landing a deal as the face of some fashion house, then we’ll really know that change has come.

If those Rachel Zoe ringtones weren’t enough to satisfy your fashion-for-your-phone appetite (or if they weren’t compatible with your iPhone), now you can get Anna Wintour and André Leon Talley on your cell, thanks to Cityfile. The Vogue editor-in-chief gives you style advice: “Jeans and T-shirts can be equally fashionable as an Oscar de la Renta ballgown.” And the editor-at-large has a few words for those trying to get into the fashion biz: “Don’t be so fabulous that you can’t Xerox!” which would be an excellent ringtone for when your boss calls. [Cityfile via Refinery 29]

Over the past few months, the rumor mill has been churning out gossip about Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour being replaced. While Condé Nast, which owns the magazine, has denied this, many are taking the opportunity to criticize the magazine. In Thursday’s New York Times, fashion critic Cathy Horyn writes that the magazine has become “stale and predictable” over the last few years. Vogue hasn’t changed with the times or the technology, and it covers the same set of people every month.

Vanity Fair has posted the latest version of its annual New Establishment list. But, hey! Where are all the women? Out of the 100 moguls, entertainers, and businessfolk who made the list as the top 100 “leaders of the information age,” just how many are women? A whopping nine. Who are they, you ask? Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, Arianna Huffington, Miuccia Prada,  Diane Sawyer, Anna Wintour, Annette de la Renta, Donatella Versace, and Diane Von Furstenberg. So, what have we learned? If you’re a woman who wants to be considered a player in the New Media era by the media, you better be an entertainer, work in fashion, or have really, really great hair.

If you haven’t heard already, the July issue of Italian Vogue was unprecedented. All the models in it were black. Amidst the buzz that followed, the much-hyped “Black Issue” became such a popular success that distribution was increased by 40-percent, an amazing feat. Some (including me) saw the concept—race as an “issue”—as a gimmick, an attempt to shush critics who frequently point out how little page-time the fashion industry gives to anything other than white faces. But, without a doubt, the issue got people talking about the issues. Now, let’s hope their attention isn’t squandered.

I could honestly not give a poop about tennis, but I did go to a US Open game once and it was kind of amazing how hushed the crowd gets during a match—you can hear a pin drop, not to mention every grunt out of the players’ mouths. Anyway, I was kind of interested in Wimbledon this year though, mainly because I am so sick of reading about Roger Federer in Vogue and seeing him sitting front row at every fashion show because of the crush Anna Wintour has on him. I kind of hate a guy who always wins, except maybe Tiger Woods, because he is too sexy to hate. So when Rafael Nadal engaged in the battle to end all battles with Federer yesterday and managed to pull out a win, I was like, “Damn, that is one fine piece of chorizo.” He’s Spanish. Spanish sausage. Get it?

She has a long list of celebrity clients, a book out, a bitter diva battle with Vogue’s Anna Wintour, and now fashionista Rachel Zoe is about to take on television. The lean, mean stylin’ machine has been criticized for promoting tanorexia [Not to mention anorexia.—Editor], but now Bravo is going to let you judge her yourself with a serial docu-drama that will watch her every move. “The Rachel Zoe Project” is currently in development at the network and the other characters will include her hubby, Rodger, her two assistants, Taylor and Brad, and some of her celeb clientele. [NBC]

Holy controversy Batman! I am an unabashed lover of toe cleavage—that little to major peek of toe that sometimes shows in low-cut high heels—and usually prefer a little cleave rather than none at all. But I was surprised to discover that there are people out there who are avidly opposed to toe cleavage in all it’s forms, from just a hint of big toe crook to all five toe bases exposed in all their glory. Of course, there are others who totally fetishize toe cleavage, like the person behind the blog Perversions of the High-Heeled Pump, who posts tons of celebrity pictures of celebrity toe cleave, not to mention vaguely creepy videos. In my opinion, I think a little toe cleavage is very sexy, and the fashion industry agrees with me. According to Wikipedia, “‘toe-cleavage shoes sans stockings’ are part of the ‘unwritten dress code’ of the ‘Voguette’, as dictated by the magazine’s longtime editor in chief Anna Wintour—‘even in the bitter New York winter’.” And Manolo Blahnik famously said, “the secret of toe cleavage, a very important part of the sexuality of the shoe is that you must only show the first two cracks.” Word. But what about guys? Are they cognizant of toe cleavage? And if so, how do they feel about it? After the jump, thoughts from The Sensitive Guy, The Hipster Guy, and The Experienced Guy.