Chloe Malle, the newly appointed head of editorial content at US Vogue, attended the Khaite fashion show in New York City during Fashion Week appearing almost makeup-free and wearing a simple black tank top, a look that drew attention as she begins her tenure at the magazine.
Malle, 39, was named to the role three months after Anna Wintour, 75, announced in June that she would step down as editor in chief after 37 years. In her new post, Malle will lead the creative and editorial direction of the title while continuing to report to Wintour, who remains chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue.
Since joining Vogue in 2011, Malle has taken on several digital initiatives and editorial projects. She has co-hosted Vogue’s weekly fashion and culture podcast, expanded the magazine’s newsletters and wedding coverage, and launched viral features such as Dogue, a tongue-in-cheek fashion magazine for dogs. As editor of vogue.com in 2023, she oversaw a period of growth that the title says doubled traffic to the site.
Editors and colleagues describe Malle as more casual and approachable than her long-time mentor, Wintour, a figure long associated with a highly polished aesthetic and tight control over Vogue’s image. Malle’s first official Vogue photograph showed her in jeans and a relaxed shirt, and observers noted the Khaite appearance — hair back, unpolished nails and clutching a phone — as consistent with that tone.
Malle’s appointment has drawn both praise for her digital successes and scrutiny given her family background. She is the daughter of actress Candice Bergen and the late French director Louis Malle. Bergen, who has appeared on the Vogue cover in the 1960s and played a fictional Vogue editor in the television series Sex and the City, has been a visible presence in fashion and entertainment for decades.
Malle has been involved in high-profile editorial work at Vogue, including coordinating coverage of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s marriage to Lauren Sanchez and conducting an exclusive interview with Sanchez. In announcing her elevation, Malle said, "Fashion and media are both evolving at breakneck speed, and I am so thrilled, and awed, to be part of that. I also feel incredibly fortunate to still have Anna just down the hall as my mentor." Wintour has indicated she will retain a significant leadership role in the Vogue hierarchy.
As Malle takes on day-to-day responsibility for the magazine’s editorial output, industry watchers are watching for how her digital-first experience and informal public presentation will shape Vogue’s coverage and tone. Her past initiatives indicate an emphasis on expanding audience reach and developing viral, culturally resonant content alongside traditional fashion reporting.
The Khaite appearance came during New York Fashion Week; other attendees at the event included public figures from entertainment and media. Malle’s visible, low-key presence at the show highlighted the generational and stylistic shift taking place at one of fashion’s most influential titles as it navigates leadership change and a fast-changing media landscape.