Image courtesy of dianavreeland.com
Fashion Reverie looks back at fashion icon and fashion editor extraordinaire Diana Vreeland. Diana Vreeland was responsible for singlehandedly changing the way American fashion publications and American women viewed and thought about fashion. Vreeland once said, “I think part of my success as an editor came from never worrying about a fact, a cause, an atmosphere. It was me—projecting to the public. That was my job. I think I always had a perfectly clear view of what was possible for the public. Give ’em what they never knew they wanted.”
Born in Paris, France, Diana Dalziel (Vreeland) was born to an aristocratic family that could trace it roots to the Rothschilds, as well as George Washington and Francis Scott Key. At the beginning of World War I, Vreeland’s family moved to New York City where she studied with noted ballet master Michel Fokine.
After marrying banker Thomas Reed Vreeland in 1924, the Vreelands lived first in London and later returned to New York City. “Before I went to work for Harper’s Bazaar in 1936, I had been leading a wonderful life in Europe. That meant traveling, seeing beautiful places, having marvelous summers, studying and reading a great deal of the time,” explained Vreeland.
Image courtesy of dianavreeland.com
Harper’s Bazaar editor Camel Snow was impressed by Vreeland’s personal style and hired her to write the “Why Don’t You” column for Harper’s Bazaar. Vreeland eventually became fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar and worked very closely with Richard Avedon, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, and Alexey Brodivitch, helping to transform Harper’s Bazaar from a women’s publication to a renowned fashion magazine with ever-expanding advertising revenues. Though Vreeland accomplished this herculean effort, she was never paid more than $19,000 a year throughout her tenure at the publication.
Vreeland left Harper’s Bazaar in 1962 for Vogue and became its editor-in-chief from 1963–1971. Aware of the burgeoning youth culture of the 1960s and the thirst for diversity, Vreeland advocated and promoted models of color in the pages of Vogue from China Machado and Donayle Luna to Pat Cleveland and Naomi Sims. She also helped pushed the careers of Lauren Hutton, Verushka, Penelope Tree, Jean Shrimpton, Marisa Berenson, and Twiggy. Vreeland was also one of the first editors to choose exotic locations for her fashion editorials.
“Diana was the first person to pay attention to the youth revolution in the sixties,” said Oscar de la Renta in “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel.” “She took the young photographers of the time like David Bailey and turned the magazine around—obeying what was happening.”
After being fired from Vogue, Vreeland became a special consultant to the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute in 1972. Vreeland’s exhibits for the Costume Institute drew huge crowds, causing museums worldwide to recognize fashion as an art.
Illustration image courtesy of Peter Emmerich
Several books have been written about Diana Vreeland. Her memoir D.V. was published in 1984; The Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland was published in 2012, and recently Vreeland’s great grandson Alexander Vreeland wrote Diana Vreeland Memos: The Vogue Years. In 2012 a documentary, “The Eyes Have to Travel,” detailed Diana Vreeland’s life.Diana Vreeland died in 1989.
—William S. Gooch
Have you ever thought about publishing an ebook or guest authoring on other sites?
I have a site based on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to
have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would value your work.