Diana Vreeland, Style Genius

My obsession with Paris isn’t much of a secret. My fascination with the City of Light is endless. Today, I will continue that conversation with a new series on the blog called Bonjour, Paris. The first post explores one particular French woman with a certain je nai sai quo: Diana Vreeland.

Diana was born in Paris, France, into a privileged family on September 29, 1903. She was the eldest daughter of an American socialite mother, Emily Key Hoffman (1876-1928), and a British stockbroker father, Frederick Young Dalziel (1868-1960). In 1914, her parents relocated to New York.

Fast-forward to 1922. She was featured twice in Vogue as a well-dressed socialite, and the following year, she was presented to society as a debutante. Her cotillion ball was perfect timing. While vacationing in Saratoga, Diana met Thomas (Reed) Vreeland (1899-1966), who had recently graduated from Yale.

On March 1, 1924, Diana Dalziel married Reed, a banker and international financier, at St. Thomas’ Church in New York. After their honeymoon, the Vreelands moved to Brewster, New York, raising their two sons until 1929.

Thanks to Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow, who noticed her wearing Chanel, Diana began her fashion legacy as its first fashion editor at the premier women’s fashion magazine. Diana’s own mother routinely treated her with disdain because of her unassuming looks. Her mother used to refer to her as my little ugly duckling. Perhaps that treatment by her mother propelled her imagination to create beauty and art beyond what society ladies could fathom during the early years at Harper’s Bazaar.

During her 25-year tenure at Harper’s Bazaar, Diana forged ahead to inspire and define style as we know it today by mixing high-end brands with the inexpensive. She discovered people and personalities like Lauren Bacall. Before she was an actress, she was a model. First appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar at 17 in 1943, Vreeland is credited with discovering the young beauty.

While at Harper’s Bazaar, the divine Mrs. V.  penned an advice column called Why Don’t You?   The quirky and ridiculous suggestions included the following:

Why Don’t You…?
Wash your bond child’s hair in dead champagne like in France?
…Turn your child into an Infanta for a fancy-dress party?
…Paint a map of the world on all four walls of your boys’ nursery so they won’t grow up with a provincial point of view.
…Eat alphabet soup with a plastic fork while reading the Wall St. Journal?

The outlandish and widely popular column ran for almost 26 years.

She also advised then First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s style during John F. Kennedy’s election and beyond. The Camelot duo was the first-ever presidential couple to appear in a fashion magazine, thanks to Vreeland.

While at Vogue, she is responsible for the fame of Barbara Streisand’s nose.

After resigning from Harper’s Bazaar in 1963 over a salary dispute and being passed over for a promotion, the fashion empress sashayed to Vogue magazine to become its editor-in-chief. Diana continued to discover and develop talent while at Vogue with the mini-skirt Twiggy and Youthquaker model Edie Sedgwick. Vreeland also helped introduce Diane von Furstenberg’s wrap dress to the world in 1972.

In 1971, Vreeland was fired for extravagant spending. She then became a consultant to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. During her career at the museum, she is credited with organizing around 12 exhibitions.

Her signature color was red, the ever-present exaggerated use of rouge, red on her nails, and her red apartment. “All my life, I’ve pursued the perfect red,” Vreeland said. I can never get the painters to mix it for me. It’s precisely as if I’d said, ‘I want Rococo with a spot of Gothic in it and a bit of Buddhist temple’ —  they have no idea what I’m talking about.”

In 1984, Diana collaborated with journalist George Plimpton to help her autobiography.

Diana died in 1989 of a heart attack at the age of 85 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Her legacy continues with the help of her grandson, Alexander Vreeland, who is entrusted with her estate.    In 2010, Alexander discovered in his grandparents’ former home in Brewster, New York, in the attic, well-kept and preserved documentation from his grandmother’s years at Harper’s Bazaar.   Among the found materials, Alexander published the book Diana Vreeland: The Modern Woman, The Bazaar Years 1963-1962 with the help of Rizzoli International Publications.

To get a real sense of Diana’s persona, a must-see film on DV is Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel. It was released in 2012 by her granddaughter-in-law, Lisa Immordino Vreeland. The fashion documentary is based on her life, how she became a pioneer in the fashion industry, and how her time spent with her husband in Europe made her into a style icon. The film refers to a movie, Who Are You Polly Maggoo?, which is said to be based on Vreeland’s life.

Finally, the family commissioned a collection of signature scents for the fashion editor that can be purchased from luxury retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus. I am supporting her legacy. I bought the book and the Diana Vreeland Smashing Brilliant perfume last December when I was in New York to see the Christmas windows.

Before major editors like Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, and Grace Mirabella, there was Diana Vreeland. I hope you enjoyed the intimate look at her life and reign in fashion. For even more, check out her website:  DianaVreeland.com. Please let me know your thoughts on DV in the comments below.

Have a fabulous week!