Inside the mind of Anna Wintour

MANY PEOPLE ARE a little scared of Anna Wintour. True to her name, the editor-in-chief of Vogue US comes across as both chic and icy. And after Meryl Streep played a chic, icy editor believed to be inspired by Wintour in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), many people became even more scared of her.

Wintour can advance or destroy a fashion career with a simple eye-roll. That's why she hides her eyes behind round Chanel sunglasses during fashion shows, so no one can tell if she's "bored or excited", as she herself admits. The few who know her say she's actually "shy" - which presumably explains why she can be quick to dismiss people with curt, cutting remarks. The many who would like to know her would gladly eat those remarks for breakfast, lunch and dinner - in lieu of anything with calories.

Either way, she's one of the most powerful persons in fashion, if not the most powerful. And it's something of a coup for Masterclass.com, that online education platform featuring renowned personalities as teachers, to have her give a class on style, creativity and leadership. For many who worship at her altar, this is probably the closest they'll ever get to gaining insights into the fashion world straight from the clothes horse's mouth.