Vogue’s former editor Alexandra Shulman says quitting her job was the ‘best thing I’ve ever done’
‘I wanted a future, not just a past’
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Your support makes all the difference.Alexandra Shulman has described leaving her role as editor of British Vogue, which she held for 25 years, as the “best thing” she’s ever done.
The 61-year-old left the magazine in the summer of 2017 and said she was reminded of her decision after the news broke that John Humphrys would be leaving Radio 4’s Today after 32 years hosting the early morning current affairs programme.
“Making the decision to give up a prestigious role and take a leap into the unknown is never easy,” Shulman writes for The Daily Mail, where she has been a columnist since September 2018.
“Easy is staying where you are,” she continues, explaining how she decided to leave the fashion magazine after a quarter of a century because, like Humphrys, “the time had done to get no with many other things” she wanted to do.
“One morning I woke up and realised that the future was an open door and not something to be fearful of,” she adds.
“And I wanted a future, not just a past. If I remained at the wonderful job where I had been for so long, I would miss out on exploring the world beyond my comfortable mink-lined rut.”
Shulman went on to explain that few people believe someone voluntarily resigns from a high profile job like the one she held for so long, with many choosing to believe more dramatic narratives that they were “pushed out” – Shulman was replaced by Edward Enninful, who had previously been style director at W magazine.
“One has to get through the 'King is Dead, Long Live the King' moment,” she remarks.
“But once you’ve learnt to deal with all of that, I can reassure Humphrys that the view from the other side is pretty glorious.
"You can even get an occasional lie-in.”
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