At the helm of Conde Nast's Vogue for nearly two decades, editor Anna Wintour has earned her place as one of the most estimable figures in magazines and an unparalleled power in the world of fashion. No other editor wields as much influence over her dominion as Wintour.

With her reputation for being exacting, a renown that famously inspired the much-feared fashionatrix in the book and film The Devil Wears Prada, Wintour is as much an institution as the brand she oversees. In her role as editorial director, she shepherds powerhouse spinoffs Teen Vogue, Vogue Living and Men's Vogue, as well as the Fashion Rocks issue complementing Conde Nast Media Group’s annual music extravaganza. Wintour also has a hand in Style.com, online home of Vogue and W.

Under Wintour, Vogue embraced and evangelized the democratization of fashion, reflecting the high-and-low trend in style. After all these years, Wintour can still raise eyebrows. To wit: the March spring fashion issue of the 115-year-old monthly, sporting curvy Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson on the cover. Wintour's impact on the well-heeled universe she lords over cannot be overstated; her championing of designers like Thom Browne has helped to launch a thousand careers.

In a weak newsstand market, 1.3 million-circ Vogue's single-copy sales are on the upswing, rising 4.6 percent in the year’s first half, per the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Through September, ad pages soared 7.5 percent versus last year, according to the Mediaweek Monitor. (The September issue weighed in at almost 5 pounds.) With a healthy outlook for the fashion/beauty and luxury ad categories, the future is burning bright for Vogue, and for Wintour. —Lucia Moses