Diana Vreeland, fashion legend: biography, interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Diana Vreeland is a woman who was called by her contemporaries the inventor of the profession of a fashion editor, the "high priestess" of style. It was she who made the magazines "Harper's Bazaar" and "Vogue" the way readers know them. The apt statements of this lady added to the list of the most ingenious quotes in the world. Diana even received a film entirely dedicated to her hectic life. What is known about the outstanding American who left this world in 1989?

Diana Vreeland: childhood

The future style icon was born in 1903, her birthplace is Paris. The addition happened in the Dalziel family, the girl's parents were the Englishman Frederick and the American Emily. Diana Vreeland (then Dalziel) barely had time to celebrate a decade, as the First World War broke out. It was not safe to stay in France in those years, which forced the family to move to the United States. New York became their place of residence.

DianaVreeland is not one of those people who remember their childhood with pleasure, so little information has been preserved about this period of her life. After moving to New York, she was forced to learn English, the language was given to the child with difficulty. It is known that the girl was engaged in ballet, was fond of horse riding. Her father worked as a stockbroker, her mother was a housewife. The family had no financial problems, so Diana received her secondary education in elite schools. She also had a younger sister, with whom the "priestess of style" did not have a relationship.

Marriage

Diana Vreeland met her future husband when she just celebrated her 20th birthday. Her chosen one was the young banker Thomas, with whom the girl fell in love at the first meeting. Having already become the editor of Harpers Bazaar, she told reporters that it was the groom who helped her stop worrying about the shortcomings of her appearance, to look at herself as a beauty.

The wedding took place in the spring of 1924, after the wedding, the newly-married couple moved to Albany. It was there that their sons were born. After spending 4 years in Albany, the family decided to move to London. Diana, not wanting to turn into an ordinary housewife, started selling lingerie, opening her own store. One of her clients was the Duchess of Windsor, which instantly increased the demand for goods. Unfortunately, the store had to be abandoned when the Vreelands returned to New York in 1937.

Working at Harpers Bazaar

Already in 1937 took placethe fateful meeting that led to Harper's Bazaar acquiring an employee like Diana Vreeland. "Fashion Legend" met the editor-in-chief of the magazine, making a huge impression on her with her unusual outfit. The invitation to join the team of the glossy magazine was not long in coming.

At Harper's Bazaar, Vreeland started out as a columnist, each time surprising readers with unusual articles. Her humorous questions, with which she began her materials, began to be quoted. The new employee of the magazine instantly became famous in the highest circles and soon took the place of a fashion editor. It was then that they began to talk about the lady as the inventor of her profession. In everything that concerns a sense of style, no one was able to compete with her. Interestingly, her income from 1937 to 1960 remained low, she earned 14 thousand dollars annually.

In 1962, Diana Vreeland said goodbye to Harper's Bazaar. "Fashion Legend" is a film that contains more information about this period of her life. The newly minted style icon was invited to Vogue, and she did not refuse.

Collaboration with Vogue magazine

In 1963, Diana received the post of editor-in-chief of the famous edition of Vogue. In the future, in the fashion world, the 60s will be renamed the "Vreeland era". It was she who brought the trusted publication to the forefront, making it the focus of all the upheavals that the era was going through. Vogue began to look like a modern glossy magazine, when, at the behest of the editor-in-chief, instead ofdry reports, it began to be filled with exciting materials, among which provocative photos played an important role.

It was thanks to Diana that the world learned about such legendary models as Twiggy, Penelope Tree. Everyone that Vogue wrote about at that time became real stars, and the magazine itself began to be perceived by fashionistas of the era of the sexual revolution as a “bible”. No one knows exactly why Diana Vreeland left the post of editor-in-chief in 1971. The film The Eye Must Travel, detailing her work at Vogue, may shed some light on this mystery.

There is also an opinion that it was this woman who became the prototype for the character of Meryl Streep, played by the star in the film The Devil Wears Prada. At the very least, Diana was every bit as dedicated to her job as Miranda, who led Vogue in this comedy-drama.

Last years of life

Vreeland's dismissal from Vogue magazine was overgrown with numerous rumors. Someone believed that age began to interfere with the work of the editor-in-chief, others were convinced that Diana's innovations turned out to be too expensive and inappropriate for a fashion publication. It is only known for sure that after leaving the magazine, she did not sit at home. The Metropolitan Museum became a new place of work for the woman, where she immediately made reforms that helped attract visitors.

Diana lost her husband back in 1966, his life was taken by cancer. The "fashion legend" herself lived to be 86 years old.

Interesting facts

Aboutthat it is better to look vulgar than boring, mankind has learned precisely thanks to such a person as Diana Vreeland. Quotes from the star of the fashion world instantly went to the people. It was she who contributed to the popularity of such an invention as a bikini, calling it the most ingenious development, the scale of which is only the atomic bomb.

Diana was related to President Washington on her mother's side. For a long time, she remained a fashion consultant for the wife of another president, Jacqueline Kennedy, who listened to her opinion even when choosing an outfit for the inauguration. The style icon herself favored elegant outfits, was ready to spend a lot of time looking for the perfect satin trousers or a flawless cashmere sweater.

The occupation that Mrs. Vreeland hated throughout her life was cooking. The legend preferred to dine in the office, the husband traditionally answered for dinner.