Anna Wintour and Hillary Clinton Honor Huma Abedin and Her Memoir Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds

The old adage “show me your friends and I will tell you who you are” proved its value last night at a book party for Huma Abedin’s new memoir, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds. A longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, Abedin was celebrated by a group that included Clinton, Michael Kors, Gloria Steinem, Sienna Miller, Diane von Furstenberg, Anette de la Renta, Stacey Bendet, and Anna Wintour. (The latter offered up her townhouse for the occasion.)

By 7:00pm, the cocktail party was already in full swing as guests caught up in the intimate space. Prabal Gurung chatted with friend Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Oscar de la Renta’s Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim spent time with Mrs. de la Renta, and Dasha Zhukova mingled with Derek Blasberg. Sparkling waters and Champagne circulated the room in colored Murano glassware, as did light bites. Yet the highlight of the night for all, in addition to swapping photos of baby’s first—or first post-pandemic—Halloween (there were many new parents in the room) came midway through the night, during the evening’s remarks. Guests heard from Wintour, Clinton, and Abedin and were moved and inspired by all three women.

“I can imagine this is all quite embarrassing for Huma, accustomed as she is to playing a backstage role in her work,” said Wintour, going on to reference Adebin’s first Vogue profile, titled “Hillary’s Secret Weapon.” Not only was Wintour an early champion of the political force, but—as was revealed during the evening—it was she who encouraged Abedin to write Both/And, which Vogue was privileged to excerpt in the November issue. “While I did push her just a little to write this book, I can take no credit at all for the care and sensitivity she’s shown in doing it,” Wintour continued before passing things along to Clinton.

“When I was first getting to know Huma, she was literally an intern in the White House,” Clinton told her captive audience. “She was a very hard worker, but she hadn't yet found her voice. And when she was assigned a few tasks to work with me, and she would try to explain to me what I was supposed to be doing or where I was supposed to be going, I would say, ‘I can't hear you!’ She had a voice, but she didn't know what a voice she had. Now, I think the world will know what an extraordinary voice she has.”

For Abedin, who has dedicated her professional life to supporting and bolstering another public figure, the chance to speak for herself in Both/And was an important one. “I really like being invisible, and circumstances have not allowed me to remain invisible in many instances,” she said. “I realized that while I was silent, somebody else was telling my story.” Abedin joked that Stephen Colbert had mixed up her new book’s title, swapping “Many Worlds” for “Many Words.” (“It is a long book!” she said with a laugh.) But instead of delving into its contents, she took the opportunity to thank everyone in the room. She praised her editors, Nan Graham and Paul Samuelson; thanked Miller for her “I love you texts,” Stacey Bendet for time spent together in Malibu, and Derek Blasberg for his “we’re going out, you’re coming” mandates. “Everyone who was invited tonight was invited for a reason,” Abedin said, standing between Wintour and Clinton. “Thank you.”