Naomi Campbell and Anna Wintour throw shade at each other during Fashion Show and Style Awards; fans react
An unexpected yet playful exchange between supermodel Naomi Campbell and Anna Wintour captivated the audience, check it out
The longstanding relationship between supermodel Naomi Campbell and Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour spans decades, making it all the more intriguing when a small moment of drama unfolded at the Fashion Show & Style Awards, hosted by Harlem’s Fashion Row in New York. The event served as an unofficial kickoff to New York Fashion Week, which begins on Friday. While introducing the iconic model, Anna made a subtle jab at Naomi's well-known habit of arriving late as she was reportedly behind schedule for the event.
“I am a very punctual person, and I have the honour of presenting tonight to someone who is often late,” said the editor-in-chief during Naomi's introduction when she was honoured for the Fashion Icon Award, reportedly also calling her “bold, bright and entirely, unquestionably herself”. After this introduction, Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Samira Nasr also introduced the supermodel, after which Naomi began her speech by saying, “Yes, Naomi's always late but I believe in my high power, and I want to thank my higher power for having me be here.”
But Naomi's speech took an unexpected turn, leaving the audience in shock when she referred to her longtime collaborator Anna as “the other lady”. “It's so important that I'm here today, and I'm honoured to be here in Harlem. Everything's going to work out the way it's going to work out. It wasn't my choice to have the other lady. I'd much rather have this,” she said, referring to Samira's reintroduction of her.
Fans had a lot to say. “The shadiness of it all…”, said one. Another was a little more creative stating, “The Devil might wear Prada, but Naomi wears whatever she wants, whenever she wants.” A user also commented on Anna's attitude, “Oh she mad that they're the same age and Naomi still looks 25,” while another said, “Naomi is a Gemini we match anybody's energy. We don’t care!!” A chronically online fan also said, “A demure read. Very mindful. Very shade-like.”
Despite the unexpected turn in her speech, Naomi expressed her gratitude to Anna for her enduring support, acknowledging the editor’s pivotal role in her career. “We must still say thank you to Anna Wintour, as she did take the time to come here and give me the award even though I wasn't here. So thank you, Anna Wintour, for your support in my career from 1987, meeting a young Black girl from South London in British Vogue offices and taking a chance in giving me a shoot. And so I thank you for your influence and your continuing support in pushing fashion forward also,” she said.