Diana Vreeland - Editor

[arlekindearrabal]

so can you remember any details of that evening, more to the point, what she was wearing??

 

[Aleksejeva]

I really can't remember where those pics are from. They have been in my album for forever.

 

[Mercedes]

a few pictures from the book Diana Vreeland by Eleanor Dwight (a great book with tons of Vreeland pictures) :

 

[thefashionista]

from what i read in helmut newton's autobiography, diana knew exactly what she wanted and, no matter how dear to her heart a photographer or model was, would simply push photos aside if they were not as she had desired.
some people- especially nowadays- would call that harsh and arrogant etc.
i think, however, that the reason her career (esp. at us vogue) is so celebrated is because her mind's picture was the perfect way.

jeez, i'm tired and raving. forgive me.

 

[jackieonassis]

If Diana Vreeland was in charge now, I think that US Vogue would be outselling UK Vogue substantialy!!! I mean I prefer US Vogue anyway and adore the talents of Anna Wintour but Diana Vreeland completely transformed it into a modern icon.

 

[portiasullivan]

I miss the old American Vogue. It's annoying seeing someone completely uninspiring and unfashionable on the covers every month.

 

[jackieonassis]

Where can you get issues of Vogue that Diana Vreeland worked on?

 

[Hanne]

ebay

 

[model_mom]

I found this article telling about a play based on the time period right after Diana was fired by Vogue magazine.

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An intimate view of Vreeland

Theater audience invited into fashion editor's confidence

By DAMIEN JAQUES
Journal Sentinel theater critic

Posted: Jan. 14, 2006

Few of us live life so large our aura could singularly dominate a stage for two acts. Diana Vreeland was among the few.

'Full Gallop'
Photo/Renaissance Theaterworks
Angela Iannone gives an intimate portrayal of fashion editor Diana Vreeland in Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of "Full Gallop."


Born in Paris and raised in England, she immigrated to New York to get out from under the storm clouds of World War II forming over Europe. Trained only for a life of privilege, Vreeland needed a job after arriving in the U.S. The clothes she wore to a social event evoked a job offer from the editor of Harper's Bazaar magazine and launched a five decade-long career in fashion.
The transplanted European became fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar, wielded great power in the apparel industry as editor of Vogue, and was a consultant to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Those are the dry facts on the late Diana Vreeland's résumé.
In their off-Broadway hit "Full Gallop," dramatist Mark Hampton and actress Mary Louise Wilson suggested we don't have to give a fig about fashion to become enchanted with Vreeland and her super-sized personality. Actress Angela Iannone and her Renaissance Theaterworks collaborators confirm that in the entertaining production of the play, based on Vreeland's autobiography, that opened Friday night.
Renaissance first produced "Full Gallop," starring Iannone as the only person onstage, in 1999. This revival is virtually the same show, but it has a new director, Laura Gordon.
The play is set in Vreeland's Manhattan apartment in 1971, four months after she was fired from Vogue. Stunned by her sudden dismissal, the 70-year-old editor fled to Europe to spend time in favorite places and with old friends. Now she is "back up on my horse, full gallop."
Vreeland is arranging, with some difficulty, a small dinner party in her home for that evening. Between phone calls with friends and frequent intercom consultations with her unseen maid, she talks to us about her life, her acquaintances and her very personal views on everything from fashion to Hitler.
The opinions are the spice in this delicious dish. "Never fear vulgar, just boring." "We all need a splash of bad taste; no taste is what I am against." "Blue jeans are the most beautiful thing since the gondola."
The personal pronouncements are mixed with gossip and autobiographical information, delivered by Vreeland in a chatty tone that hints at the conspiratorial. In a stroke of luck for us, she is inviting us into her confidence.
Although the editor inhabits the snooty world of high fashion and society - her European Rolodex includes fancy-named people with obscure titles of nobility - her down-to-earth bluntness cuts through any inclinations to pretension. She's a plain talker who enjoys the humor in the outrageous persona she has built around herself.
Iannone slips into this character with deceptive ease. Vreeland is a full generation older than the actress, but Iannone captures the physical carriage and movement of an older woman accustomed to being in charge. The body language is confident, the bones and joints are just a tad stiff.
A frequent twinkle in the actress' eye creates the necessary intimacy between the character and the audience. When Iannone purses the corners of her mouth, we get a sense of Vreeland's taste for irreverence. Above all, the actress naturally fills out a legendary figure whose style and personality towered over the magazines she edited.
"Full Gallop" continues through Jan. 29 in the Studio Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway.

 

[Meg]

yes Rob, I wish I could find info that Diana brought herself up from humble beginnings. But do several bio's not state that she was born into privelage? It's much less exciting if she was a society girl and then just got chosen for the job.

 

[receptionista]

DV's upbringing wasn't exactly humble. What her family lacked in monetary value they made up for in social stature, and her mother was always entertaining the Vanderbilts and the Astors and what have you. She was also a descendant of George Washington and Francis Scott Key.

Her family did have a few financial problems here and there, but I think she ended up inheriting around what would be $2 million today (and spent it all very quickly). She was amazing.

 

[jackieonassis]

You must get the book 'Diana Vreeland' by Elenor Dwight. It is packed full of amazing pictures and great stories. It touched me to know that Jackie Onassis was the last person to visit her when she passed away

 

[Avant Garde]

from the desk of mrs. vreeland

AS OPAQUE AND FABULOUS AS HAIKU — MEMOS FROM THE LEGENDARY FASHION EDITOR.

The delicious dicta of Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, have been dispensed in a variety of media — memorably in her "Why Don't You...?" column in Bazaar — but none are more fascinating than her memos to her staff.

Filled with quirky directives ("Let's promote grey") and tossed-off thoughts ("Most girls' ears stick out"), the Vreeland memos are often as opaque and fabulous as haiku. Dictated to a secretary, they feel fascinatingly close to email, written in alternately curt and rambling prose, dotted with ellipses, and with the occasional out-of-nowhere remark or flash of inspiration. They're like direct link-ups with the Vreeland mind.

It's equally fun to scan the recipient list and imagine the style arbiters of today as simply Mrs. V's girls then — "Miss Donovan" (the late Carrie Donovan, who also held positions at Bazaar and The New York Times), "Miss Mirabella" (Grace Mirabella, Vreeland's successor and founder of the beloved, now-defunct "smart" fashion mag Mirabella), "Mrs. Mellen" (Polly Mellen, the iconic Vogue sittings editor and Allure fashion director).

Here, mediabistro.com excerpts a few gems from among the 150 memos and Paris telexes collected by Visionaire in its latest issue.[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif] — Albert Lee[/FONT]

from the site media bistro

 

[Avant Garde]

SEPTEMBER 11, 1966
SUBJECT: EYE MAKEUP
We are starting a new year.
Faint, faint, if any, eyebrows.
Beautifully made up corners of the eyes, eyelids and above the eyelids.
Rich looking skin with a golden sheen.

FEBRUARY 10, 1967
RE: HAIR ON SITTINGS
For goodness sakes, beware of curls...
It is a great art to do them so that the girls not only look modern — but do not suddenly look very vulgar.
Don't forget, we have just been through a period of hair — where an enormous aristocracy has been projected through clean faces, very made up eyes, and sleek hair — and suddenly a round face like Klerquer's looks perfectly awful... very silly, very affected, and who in the world would want to look like that.
We are not looking for endless variety — we are looking for fashion.
Also, beware of little girl gestures — fingers in the mouth and all that. We are, under no circumstances, showing any little girl effects — nor are we using it in text — or do we want it any photographic effects... as they are terribly, terribly vulgar.

JUNE 5, 1967
RE: FRECKLES
I am extremely disappointed that no one has taken the slightest interest in freckles on the models...
I heartily suggest that we get going as soon as possible on this delicious coquetery — and that you experiment well before pictures are taken... as the only time we have tried doing this, the spots turned out to look like black moles instead of pale red freckles..
All these suggestions were in my telexes from Paris — and I was hoping to see them throughout the next few issues... and it is high time we get on to this.
Please discuss with Carol Phillips' department the best stuff to use.

JUNE 18, 1968
RE: SONNY AND CHER
Sonny and Chér are going to be here the end of June...
As we couldn't publish the pictures of Chér the last time she was here and her dream is to be in high fashion and she looks beautiful in it, are there not some pictures that could be taken then?
For instance, a spread that could be done by Waldeck or Penati?
The great thing is to wash her face... and if you have any trouble with her tell her that I will talk to her and she simply has to realize that certain makeups, such as a thick opaque one with thick opaque eyelashes (such as she was done before) simply don't photograph... and this is all we can say about it...
There has to be a transparency, a gleam, a lightness and an amused expression or people look dead today and very old...

FEBRUARY 24, 1969
SUBJECT: UNDER $30 DRESSES
I think that the most completely constructive thing that Vogue can do for its readers is when we show a group of inexpensive clothes for summer — we do a group of really cheap dresses.... for example — JUNE if we can do 10 pages of dresses for under $30.00.
You say it is not possible to dress for under $30.00.......
To put it frankly, everybody wears them — it is just that we don't show it.
Whose market will have these clothes? I am speaking of Banlon houses like Nestroy, etc. I cannot believe that by interesting a certain group of the market — perhaps they are Kezia's houses — please — check — that people would be interested in doing something for us as this special price.
With health, a good figure and brown skin in the summer, people should spend very little money on their clothes.
Could these people investigate at once.... I understand that we are now through with the selection of the extravagants of the market... until we start going into autumn. By through, I mean we are through looking at them though certainly we will put some of the beautiful organzas in, etc....
Nylon, dacron, synthetics, hersey....
I would like to have an answer from each and every one of you as to where these things could be found, and what you are going to do about them....
In the case of Babs and Baron de Gunzburg — they will certainly say "this is not my market". The point is that it is your Fashion Department and you should make suggestions to the girls....
Mrs. Mellon can make suggestions from her shirt collection — the shirts done in cotton this summer.

APRIL 14, 1969
(No subject)
Let's promote grey.
For everything.
At the present moment how much grey have we got?
​

from media bistro

 

[Avant Garde]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/18...=glance&n=283155&tagActionCode=mediabistrocom

and lastly, the book itself

 

[Whitelinen]

Thanks for those Avant Garde!

 

[Whitelinen]

I love those " Why don't you... " Can spmebody post more?

 

[Avant Garde]

I love those " Why don't you... " Can spmebody post more?

Thanks! And I'm sorry but those were the only ones on the website. The book link should have much more

 

[Whitelinen]

I'll check that out, thanks!

 

[Miss Dalloway]

I love Diana,even do she was genius,there are also other vogue editors that were equally interesanting.Millicent Fenwick was editor at vogue for 14 years with a wardrobe and style to match the position.She wasnt just the editor but also a politician and diplomat.After the Vogue elegant fifty-something Fenwick became involved in politics via the Civil Right Movement.Often described as being blessed with exceptional intelligence,striking good looks and a keen wit.At age sixty-four she was elected to Congress from New Jersey in 1974.She was the model for the characther of Lacey Davenport in Garry Trudeau¨s comic strip Doonesbury.Millicent once participated in a hearing where a conservative male congressman attacked a piece of equal rights legislation (for wich she foght) with the words:i¨ve always thought of women as kissable,cuddly and smelling good.Fenwick responded:That¨s what i always thought about men and i hope for your sake that you havent been disappointed as many times as i¨ve been.She was one of the few female pipe smokers just onether testiment of her character!She died at the age of 82 from undisclosed causes in 1992!There isnt alot information about her well not like about Diana Vreeland and other Vogue editors wich i think this incredible woman dosent deserve!If anyone wants two know moore about her there is biography "Millicent Fenwick:her way by Amy Schapiro".I think she proved there is life after fashion or despite it.If anyone knows anything about other Vogue edtiors post their names and bio:Thanks!