NEXT Who’s Next
only event, via programs for
designer-loving everyday
Janes, including a Vogue consumer fashion show for 1,000
non-industry people featuring
clothes that are actually available
in stores.
Credentials: Remember how
Emily Blunt flanked Meryl
Streep’s Anna Wintour–inspired
character in The Devil Wears
Prada, whispering names to her
at the Metropolitan Museum of
Why she left Vogue last year: Leading up to big events uch as the Costume Institute Gala, Wolkoff would run home to tuck in her three kids—now ages 8, 6, and 3—and then sprint back to work until 2 or 3 a.m. Her most recent mater- nity leave lasted a week. “I resigned five times. Anna would say, ‘Stephanie, you’re not going to want to do this. Take some time. Get some rest.’ ” Wintour was right four times, but in the
Style icons: Wolkoff says that style icons, to her, are peo- ple whose fashion choices are appropriate “to their body and lifestyle.” Three names come to mind: Jacqueline Kennedy, Babe Paley, and Sophia Loren.
Childhood outfits: Sports
uniforms. “I was never into fash-
ion. I was a tomboy!” The 6-foot- 1
Wolkoff played Division I
basketball at Fordham. “I tried
out for the Olympics, was an
All-American lacrosse player,
and a black belt in karate.”
high-end with bridal and more
moderate at Kohl’s. Plus, all her
tabletop is reasonably priced.”
Art’s Costume Institute Gala?
Wolkoff was a real-life Wintour
whisperer. She worked for
11 years as Vogue’s director of
special events, handling logis-
tics—and, yes, all those names—
for those galas at the Met.
end, Wolkoff says, “I was really
tired of trying to juggle three
kids and be the perfect mom.”
A model for democracy in
fashion:
Vera Wang. “She does
What her kids wear: “I
believe kids should dress for
their age, and for now, it’s all
about comfort.” Her boys, she
says, “live in Crewcuts by J.Crew
and Ralph Lauren.” She con-fesses that she loves to “put my
little girl in gorgeous dresses. I
love Jacadi for her.”
Gala as brainteaser: Organizing the Costume Institute
ball “was like a chess game. I
knew every detail about every
person at every single seat. I
worked with other editors to
decide what guest was wearing
what, so they wouldn’t come in
the same dresses. I made sure
exes weren’t seated with exes.”
The Supermom myth:
Wolkoff says her experience as a
working mother taught her
“there’s no such thing as Supermom. I thought I could have the
best of both worlds, except the
guilt inside of me took over.”
What would you wear if
nobody were looking?
“Nothing! Actually, I live in
T-shirts and True Religion jeans.”
Devil Wears Prada moment:
Wolkoff says that all the Vogue
girls had to do menial tasks such
as getting coffee and retrieving
dry cleaning. Her most memorable task: “I was in London
doing Unforgettable: Fashion of
the Oscars,” a charity auction to
raise money for AIDS research.
“I was with Natasha Richardson,
and I was sweeping the floor in
my ball gown.”
The lessons of her three-month “retirement”: “I
learned not to be so obsessive-compulsive about needing to
finish everything that day. I
realized we’re all perfectly imperfect, which was a big thing.
Perfectionism, to me, was an
important thing.” She also realized she needs to work: “I have
ambition and drive, and I’m
passionate about the fashion
industry.”
Email or phone? Email. “At
least 275 in a typical day.”
BlackBerry or iPhone?
A gown to remember:
Wolkoff says that one of the
most fabulous things she’s worn
is the Vera Wang dress she
chose for this year’s Costume
Institute Gala. “The navy satin
with jeweled shoulders was
beautiful but understated,” and
she praises the “fine lines and
ruched material. The dress
matched the affair.”
Everett Collection (Streep); Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images ( Wintour); Hulton Archive/
Getty Images (Loren); Patrick McMullan ( Wolkoff)
Life lessons from Anna
Wintour: Wolkoff says she
learned two key things from the
editrix and mom of two, whom
she calls her career role model:
“That you actually can have
a balance between family and
career. And to follow your
instincts.” —LINDA TISCHLER
