The China Mail - Vogue appoints Chloe Malle to replace fashion doyenne Wintour

Wintour has sat on the glossy fashion monthly's throne for more than 40 years and the announcement in June that she was stepping away form the position sparked speculation about who would take on the top job.

An advert was even posted on professional networking site LinkedIn to recruit for a successor, although Wintour will retain her role as Vogue's global editorial director and publisher Conde Nast's global chief content officer.

Malle, who described herself in an interview with The New York Times as a "proud nepo baby," is the daughter of actor Candace Bergen and director Louis Malle.

In a twist of fate, Bergen played the head of Vogue on the popular sitcom "Sex and the City."

- Wintour 'down the hall' -

"Chloe Malle is Head of Editorial Content for American Vogue, effective immediately," Vogue said on its website.

"In this new position, Malle, who is currently the editor of Vogue.com and co-host of The Run-Through, Vogue's weekly fashion and culture podcast, will lead the creative and editorial direction of the title and join Vogue's 10 existing Heads of Editorial Content around the world, reporting to Anna Wintour."

Malle's work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Architectural Digest, according to a statement from the magazine.

"Fashion and media are both evolving at breakneck speed, and I am so thrilled -- and awed -- to be part of that," said Malle.

"I also feel incredibly fortunate to still have Anna just down the hall as my mentor."

British-born Wintour came to public renown as the inspiration for "The Devil Wears Prada," a hit 2003 novel and 2006 movie, for which Meryl Streep earned an Oscar nomination for her role as tyrannical magazine editor Miranda Priestly.

Wintour, who was raised in the United Kingdom by a British father and an American mother, reigned over Vogue in the heyday of glossy magazines.

US Vogue was a staid title when she took it over in 1988 and transformed it into a powerhouse that set trends -- and could make or break designers, celebrities and brands.

She took the title to a global audience, with huge budgets for models, design, photographs and journalism funded by lavish advertisements and high subscription rates.

D.Wang--ThChM