Color Her D.V.

 

Crazy is the navy blue of Vreelandia.

 

"Crazy" meaning "fabulous," of course!

Why Don't You...

...play a sly trick on a style icon?


This January 1963 Bazaar cover has been the source of controversy and speculation since it first hit newsstands nearly half a century ago. The cover model ("Dani") was rumored to have been made up to parody the legendary Diana Vreeland, who had recently defected from Bazaar to its arch rival, Vogue.


Certainly, Dani was a marked switch from the remote, icy mannequins who usually graced the fashion magazine covers at the time: her near-camp, wry smile; decidedly "handsome" features; blue-black hair; and flamboyant cigarette holder make a good case indeed for an extravagant "in joke" perpetrated by Bazaar and photographer Richard Avedon. The ensuing cover made enough of an impact that even columnist Walter Winchell jumped into the fray. The mystery remains unsolved, but another clue lies further within the same issue's pages:


This striking image appears in a fashion layout entitled "Carte Blanche Chic," a seven page spread in which two other models appear in all but this one photo. This chic lady makes just this one, prominent, full page appearance, and is noticeably older and styled quite differently from the other two models. She also bears more than a passing resemblance to Kay Thompson as"Maggie Prescott" in Funny Face (1957) - a character acknowledged as being based, at least in part, on Mrs. Vreeland.



If she were aware of the joke, we'd like to think that Mrs. Vreeland took it with good humor, and also as a compliment to her singular, influential style. After all, to get one over on D.V. took - let's face it - pizazz.

We Are Hard at Work...

...conferring with Mrs. Snow and Mrs. Vreeland about our return to fashion land. (This damn feature had better be good, what with all the build-up we're giving it.) Truthfully, we're awfully busy with work, Fashion Week, and general chaos, and also trying to make our comeback advice column as good as it possibly can be. Watch this space!

A Page Turner

What's not to like about Brooks Peters? He's cute, he's literate, he's met Diana Vreeland! Plus, he's An Open Book. Read more.

Inherent Style

The legendary Diana Vreeland was by no means a great beauty (as she herself would be the first to admit) - but she had style to spare, and perhaps even more important, a keen eye for beauty. She knew how to dress beautifully, how to accessorize beautifully, how to make her surroundings beautiful; it was her great fortune, then, for Diana Vreeland to be blessed with an extraordinarily beautiful family. Her husband, T. Reed Vreeland, had all the masculine elegance of an even more refined Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., while her sons, Tim and Frecky, inherited their father's patrician good looks and their mother's distinctiveness.


Unlike some (many?) women of great style, Diana Vreeland seemed to take great pleasure in her children and grandchildren. She didn't seem to view them as neccessary evils, reminders of her age, or possible blights to her glamour; rather, by all accounts, she was mad for them (if, as was her wont, perhaps a little too doting and...clear about how she wanted their lives to be choreographed), and enjoyed their youthful energy, as the above photo (with son Frecky, grandsons Alexander and Nicky, and daughter-in-law Betty) amply demonstrates. If Mrs. Vreeland had decided to pull an Elsie de Wolfe and taken to the stage, we think she would have made, with apologies to Miss Russell and Miss Lansbury, the perfect Auntie Mame.


In her later years, Mrs. Vreeland became particularly close to Nicky, who was her cohort and confidant. Nicky eventually realized his higher calling and became a Buddhist monk. True to her character, Mrs. Vreeland was at first shocked by the aesthetic changes inherent in Nicky's decision ("But it must be so ugly!" she cried when first told Nicky had shaved his head), but then fascinated by it, and ultimately accepting. As Alexander later commented, Nicky's choices "dealt with great purity, great sincerity. It was a great work ethic, and was all the things she stood for."


Above, the Venerable Nicholas Vreeland poses with his father, Frecky, at a May 2009 exhibit of the younger Vreeland's photography in New York. Style, really, is doing things your own way, and finding beauty in that journey. Mrs. Vreeland, no doubt, would be terribly proud.

The elusive Joe correctly guessed Nicholas as half of our Mystery Guest duo; the other handsome gent is brother Alexander, who followed in his grandmother's footsteps and became an executive in the fashion industry. Special thanks to ElizabethAvedonBlogspot.com, and as always, thank you to our darling Toby Worthington for the initial inspiration.

Legends of the Fall

The most recent "legends" used in Blackglama's world-famous campaign were Naomi Campbell and Elizabeth Hurley. Is it just us, or are they not exactly making legends the way they used to?

Icon

Hands

The Glamorous Life

SLIM HAWKS, DIANA VREELAND & REED VREELAND

What do you suppose they were discussing? The servant problem? Next season's hemlines? Metaphysics?

Oracles

DIANA VREELAND


DOROTHY DRAPER


ELSIE DE WOLFE