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Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland
Diane von Furstenberg once called Diana Vreeland a "beacon of fashion for the twentieth century." Now, in this definitive biography by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, is the story of the iconic fashion editor as you've never seen her before. From her career at the helms of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, to her reign as consultant to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vreeland had an enormous impact on the fashion world and left a legacy so enduring that must-have style guides still quote her often wild and always relevant fashion pronouncements.
With access to Vreeland's personal material and photographs, critically acclaimed biographer Amanda Mackenzie Stuart has written the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at Diana Vreeland and her world—a jet-setting social scene that included Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, Lauren Bacall, Penelope Tree, Lauren Hutton, Andy Warhol, Mick and Bianca Jagger, and the Kennedys. Filled with gorgeous color photographs of her work, Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland is an elegant and fascinating account of one of the most revered tastemakers of the 20th century.
With access to Vreeland's personal material and photographs, critically acclaimed biographer Amanda Mackenzie Stuart has written the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at Diana Vreeland and her world—a jet-setting social scene that included Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, Lauren Bacall, Penelope Tree, Lauren Hutton, Andy Warhol, Mick and Bianca Jagger, and the Kennedys. Filled with gorgeous color photographs of her work, Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland is an elegant and fascinating account of one of the most revered tastemakers of the 20th century.
419 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
February 18, 2013
I'm throwing in the towel on this one (about a third of the way in). Not sure what the problem is. I'm really into fashion and its history, and the book is well-researched and seems thorough, but it's not grabbing me. Feels like a slog. There are too many other books staring at me from the shelf that seem like they will be time better spent. Maybe, ultimately, I just don't like Ms. Vreeland enough to hang out with her this long? Not sure. Oh well.
February 22, 2016
I thought this book was absolutely amazing. I was riveted to every page and couldn't stop talking about it; I recommended it to everyone who would listen, including other tourists at breakfast at our B&B in Florence. This book is a fascinating study, not only of a woman who influences all of us to this day, but of the time she lived in. She seemed to have a constant conversation with the zeitgeist of western culture in the 20th century, and what she did with this was astounding.
Mackenzie Stuart writes a wonderful portrait of Vreeland chronologically, but references earlier times as appropriate in the chapters divided by key periods of Vreeland's life, from her childhood, to her marriage, to her time at Bazaar, Vogue and the Costume Institute. The bon mots flow and her quotes are incredibly entertaining throughout the book. Vreeland had a poetic command of language and her descriptions of what she saw around her are worth all the verbatim comments Mackenzie Stuart includes. They really make the reading zing and pop and bring Vreeland to life. She was a FORCE. I felt her impact on me from the pages as I read.
I don't think you have to be interested in fashion to find this book fascinating because it is a history of the Twentieth Century, from fin de siecle Old New York when Vreeland was born (1903) and the lives of her parents before she was born to the 1980s, when she died. I learned about all kinds of cultural touchstones from the perspective of her life, publishing, photography, graphic design, decoration, politics, generational conflict, pop culture, travel, etc. It's all here.
Mackenzie Stuart writes a wonderful portrait of Vreeland chronologically, but references earlier times as appropriate in the chapters divided by key periods of Vreeland's life, from her childhood, to her marriage, to her time at Bazaar, Vogue and the Costume Institute. The bon mots flow and her quotes are incredibly entertaining throughout the book. Vreeland had a poetic command of language and her descriptions of what she saw around her are worth all the verbatim comments Mackenzie Stuart includes. They really make the reading zing and pop and bring Vreeland to life. She was a FORCE. I felt her impact on me from the pages as I read.
I don't think you have to be interested in fashion to find this book fascinating because it is a history of the Twentieth Century, from fin de siecle Old New York when Vreeland was born (1903) and the lives of her parents before she was born to the 1980s, when she died. I learned about all kinds of cultural touchstones from the perspective of her life, publishing, photography, graphic design, decoration, politics, generational conflict, pop culture, travel, etc. It's all here.
June 14, 2014
The perfect companion to Vreeland's autobiography, which I read first. Vreeland's story becomes stronger when one learns that large parts of it are pure fiction. Self invention as art. Although Vreeland's strongest work was definitely reflected in her magazine features and in her spectacular MET exhibitions, her life story is an equally remarkable invention. When faced with pain (a mother's rejection, a husband's infidelity) Vreeland simply made up a new story to erase the one she couldn't control. This does not mean that she was crazy or even neurotic. I found her resilience inspiring and her adventurousness enviable. She had a lot of fun and was never dull. This is that rare autobiography that does not grow depressing when the subject gets old. The heroine can be found dancing at Studio 54 in her 80s. Let's all do that!
March 13, 2013
a weak 3 stars. just ok. took me *forever* to get through it. subject matter was excellent, but it got bogged down on the details & repetition. almost felt like i was reading a textbook at times. would have liked more pics, also.
June 5, 2013
Strangely, although filled w descriptions of the 'fashion' world ...it reads like a sort of romance (I guess I mean that in a good way) or an Edith Warton novel - I finally got bored. This woman does not have much 'depth' - my take...but lots of emotion (and I don't mean that in a good way).
December 28, 2015
Excellent! As I read this book I had flash backs to the movie and book "The Devil Wears Prada". I also wondered if I could have worked for Ms. Vreeland. Not that this matters a whit! I did have some compassion for those of her underlings who had a difficult time though.
Diana Vreeland was the 'ne plus ultra' of fashion and society. She was brilliant, a bit autocratic (IMHO) and an act that no one could follow. What an amazing woman and what history she experienced in her life.
As well as being a great biography of the woman , this book provides a great historical perspective and I appreciated reading about the historical references as well as about the "Empress of Fashion". What a perfect title for this book!
Diana Vreeland was an original through and through. She knew all of the most famous people of so many eras...she was a woman who never stopped enjoying life and enjoying learning. She was far beyond her time.
Diana Vreeland was the 'ne plus ultra' of fashion and society. She was brilliant, a bit autocratic (IMHO) and an act that no one could follow. What an amazing woman and what history she experienced in her life.
As well as being a great biography of the woman , this book provides a great historical perspective and I appreciated reading about the historical references as well as about the "Empress of Fashion". What a perfect title for this book!
Diana Vreeland was an original through and through. She knew all of the most famous people of so many eras...she was a woman who never stopped enjoying life and enjoying learning. She was far beyond her time.
January 1, 2013
Before the Devil wore Prada, she wore Balenciaga and was known as DV, the divine Diana Vreeland. With little formal education, but with plenty of style and pizazz, Ms. Vreeland moved from society wife to fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar to Editor-in-Chief of Vogue to curator of the Costume Institute at the4 Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along the way she advanced the careers of designers, photographers & fashion models and changed the way Americans and, perhaps the world, looked at fashion.
Even if you're not interested in the fashion world you can't help being fascinated by this extraordinary woman.
A breezy read from beginning to end.
Even if you're not interested in the fashion world you can't help being fascinated by this extraordinary woman.
A breezy read from beginning to end.
March 11, 2013
Thoroughly fascinating. I expected a scandal-ridden tell-all biography about the horrors of the fashion industry, so I picked it up to flip through for the good bits. I ended up getting completely swept up in the history of a wholly self-made woman who, love her or hate her (many people seem to have felt one way or the other about her - no one who met her could be indifferent), had a tremendous cultural influence on fashion, photography, and women for fifty years. AND she was a vibrant, working professional well into her 70s. Now I need to see the documentary ...
January 31, 2013
I'm always interested in what makes people tick, and this biography has, for my taste, too little of Diana's life and times, and too much of her ridiculously overwrought prose for her magazines. An admirable lady with lots of quirks and eccentricities that ought to make the book more fascinating, but somehow gets lost in descriptions of silly fashion stuff. And I love fashion and museums of fashion. I would have loved her Met exhibits, I'm sure.
September 7, 2013
she is an interesting character with a workaholic personality and a peculiar ability to ignore the personal flaws in those closest to her. however, the book is at least 100 pages too long.
October 14, 2019
Maintenance is elegance. Diana Vreeland.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2012
Didn't finish this one-surprisingly dry,considering the subject. Her autobio is way more entertaining, even though her facts are -stretchy.
September 1, 2015
Not a lot of new information which was disappointing.
March 30, 2022
One of the very best biographies I’ve read, “The Empress of Fashion” is readable, thoughtful, and well-researched, providing an insightful account of an icon of 20th century culture.
Diana Vreeland became “empress” of fashion based on her story-telling capacity: the re-invention stories she told herself, the stories she invented about her past, and—most importantly—the stories she wove in presenting fashion to the readers of Harpers and Vogue, and the visitors to the Met’s Costume Institute.
The author, Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, is particularly attentive to the alluring power of these stories. In most versions of her life—in the marvelous documentary The Eye Has to Travel, and even in Wikipedia’s biography—Diana was born and raised in Paris. According to Diana, she spoke only French, and had a terrible time at New York’s exclusive Brearley School when she was enrolled in 1914—allegedly lasting there only three months. In fact, in this impeccably researched book, we learn that while Diana was born in Paris in 1903, she and her parents settled back in New York City in 1904. She most certainly spoke English (her mother Emily was American, and her father English). And when she was sent to Brearley, she stayed three years (not three months).
Diana’s recasting of her early years is important for two reasons. First, it demonstrates how Diana rarely let the facts get in the way of a good story. And second, it suggests—and her biographer shows—that Diana did have a very tough childhood, although not because she couldn’t speak English. Instead, we see how she was quite often unfavorably compared (by her mother, and her nanny) to her pretty and accomplished younger sister. While later in life Diana emphasized and capitalized on her unusual features, as a teen she felt quite ugly.
Diana’s youthful diaries provide some of this evidence, but they also reveal how she literally imagined a blueprint for escape: she envisioned and pursued in all her actions how to be “that girl” (rather like the “it girl” of later 20th century)—popular, attractive, impossible to ignore. She recast herself, doggedly developing socially attractive habits, postures, and a distinctive style. Vreeland was very much a self-made woman, one that could arguably be called the most powerful arbiter of style in the 20th century.
This a biography that justly focuses on Diana’s professional life, a highly colorful and accomplished one. If the personal—such as her thin relationship with her two sons—is given little attention, it is because that is how Diana sailed through life. Mackenzie Stuart casts no judgement here, detailing instead her astonishing career path, her incisive decisions, enduring friendships, and editorial innovations. What a life. And what a book! Both are worth your time.
Diana Vreeland became “empress” of fashion based on her story-telling capacity: the re-invention stories she told herself, the stories she invented about her past, and—most importantly—the stories she wove in presenting fashion to the readers of Harpers and Vogue, and the visitors to the Met’s Costume Institute.
The author, Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, is particularly attentive to the alluring power of these stories. In most versions of her life—in the marvelous documentary The Eye Has to Travel, and even in Wikipedia’s biography—Diana was born and raised in Paris. According to Diana, she spoke only French, and had a terrible time at New York’s exclusive Brearley School when she was enrolled in 1914—allegedly lasting there only three months. In fact, in this impeccably researched book, we learn that while Diana was born in Paris in 1903, she and her parents settled back in New York City in 1904. She most certainly spoke English (her mother Emily was American, and her father English). And when she was sent to Brearley, she stayed three years (not three months).
Diana’s recasting of her early years is important for two reasons. First, it demonstrates how Diana rarely let the facts get in the way of a good story. And second, it suggests—and her biographer shows—that Diana did have a very tough childhood, although not because she couldn’t speak English. Instead, we see how she was quite often unfavorably compared (by her mother, and her nanny) to her pretty and accomplished younger sister. While later in life Diana emphasized and capitalized on her unusual features, as a teen she felt quite ugly.
Diana’s youthful diaries provide some of this evidence, but they also reveal how she literally imagined a blueprint for escape: she envisioned and pursued in all her actions how to be “that girl” (rather like the “it girl” of later 20th century)—popular, attractive, impossible to ignore. She recast herself, doggedly developing socially attractive habits, postures, and a distinctive style. Vreeland was very much a self-made woman, one that could arguably be called the most powerful arbiter of style in the 20th century.
This a biography that justly focuses on Diana’s professional life, a highly colorful and accomplished one. If the personal—such as her thin relationship with her two sons—is given little attention, it is because that is how Diana sailed through life. Mackenzie Stuart casts no judgement here, detailing instead her astonishing career path, her incisive decisions, enduring friendships, and editorial innovations. What a life. And what a book! Both are worth your time.
April 11, 2020
Years ago I picked up a copy of D.V. at a yard sale, and devoured it. It was such an interesting, zany work. I hadn't really known what to expect when I picked it up, but it certainly wasn't the exuberant ode to life, color and fashion that I found within it's pages.
I gave my copy away to a friend some time later, and have regretted it ever since. So when I found this book, I was eager to pick it up and see what someone else had to say about Diana Vreeland.
This is an unflinching look at a woman who might have seemed all style, but had a great deal of substance. A woman of boundless imagination, she seemed to live in the extremes, either loved or loathed, a visionary or a madwoman. But this book makes it abundantly clear that her vision helped change the world in a way that impacts everyone, even today.
I found this book to be remarkably well researched, carefully and intelligently written, and a respectful but clear eyed biography. I would recommend it to those interested in fashion and fashion history.
Now I want to find another copy of D.V.
I gave my copy away to a friend some time later, and have regretted it ever since. So when I found this book, I was eager to pick it up and see what someone else had to say about Diana Vreeland.
This is an unflinching look at a woman who might have seemed all style, but had a great deal of substance. A woman of boundless imagination, she seemed to live in the extremes, either loved or loathed, a visionary or a madwoman. But this book makes it abundantly clear that her vision helped change the world in a way that impacts everyone, even today.
I found this book to be remarkably well researched, carefully and intelligently written, and a respectful but clear eyed biography. I would recommend it to those interested in fashion and fashion history.
Now I want to find another copy of D.V.
July 3, 2020
As biographies go this one is very easy to read. It provides the facts of Diana Vreeland's personal and professional life. At times is insightful but never does it dissect the Vreeland's life. I read this book because I was curious about the life of the woman who had such an impact on the life and lifestyle of so many American's. I learned much about Vreeland from this book. It is not going to be the definitive work on this woman's life, but that is not the fault of the author. At this point in time there are too many people who knew Vreeland and have much invested in her retention of her reputation as well as theirs. Fifty years from now it will be a different story and make for a much more fascinating book about the life and work of Diana Vreeland. If you want to know more about the biographical facts of Vreeland's life and some of the personnel details as well this book will do the trick. If you want an in-depth study of her life this one isn't going to do that. It is, however, well worth the time it takes to read the book.
February 24, 2021
This was a good biography of Diana Vreeland. It doesn't capture your imagination like The Eye Has to Travel, or D.V., but it covers a lot of her career in a balanced way. My favourite story is always about her meeting with Chatwin that he writes about in What Am I Doing Here. The conversation is reproduced in this book as an example of her way of talking. I always laugh. Even though I felt the writing was a bit cool and distanced, I did find myself getting teary eyed when Diana retired and took to her bed to die. Throughout the book the author keeps coming back to the fact that no one could really put a finger on what Diana's particular genius was. I think that it is simple - she had "the eye," the way that Chatwin did, Beaton did, Apfel does - the ability to find the one thing that represents the whole of the imaginary leitmotif.
June 11, 2017
This was another book I've been meaning to read for quite some time, but the reading moment just wasn't there...until now. Whether you love or hate Diana Vreeland, you must admit she was a larger than life figure. This clearly comes across in this engaging biography.
Her colorful quotes are often insightful. For example, "...you must wish for the most ravishing thing of beauty and quality because it's there to be had, even now." And,"I'm looking for something else. I'm looking for the suggestion... of something I've never seen." Also, "Give 'em what they never knew they wanted." Arguably, that's exactly what she did by creating the life she imagined into being.
Her colorful quotes are often insightful. For example, "...you must wish for the most ravishing thing of beauty and quality because it's there to be had, even now." And,"I'm looking for something else. I'm looking for the suggestion... of something I've never seen." Also, "Give 'em what they never knew they wanted." Arguably, that's exactly what she did by creating the life she imagined into being.
March 13, 2014
She was not a pretty child, but it was stingingly cruel for Diana Dalziel’s mother to tell the young girl that she was ugly. The mother and sister were beauties, and the contrast with young Diana was even more obvious. After a miserable childhood, the teenaged Diana, or De-e-e-e-ahna as she said it was to be pronounced, took charge of her own life and created The Girl. After that there was no stopping this jolie laide who went on to become Diana Vreeland, a major power broker behind twentieth century fashion as fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar, editor in chief at Vogue, and special consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. In this rich, compelling new biography, based on extensive research using Vreeland’s letters, diaries, and personal papers, Amanda Mackenzie Stuart provides fresh material on the life of Vreeland whose own autobiography, D.V., while spirited leaves out many facts. And there is Eleanor Dwight’s Diana Vreeland which captures Vreeland’s accomplishments and is lavishly illustrated with photographs.
Vreeland created and molded her personality and image until it was iconic--perfect qualities for a future fashion editor. Everything was unmistakable from the ramrod-straight posture, black dyed and heavily lacquered hair, red-polished fingernails on the most expressive hands which she used to great dramatic effect with one hand rarely minus a cigarette. And the Vreeland patois was a combination of a very formal manner of speech, peppered with disreputable, definitely not politically correct, phrases and words, and all of it delivered in her version of a mid-Atlantic accent, with rolled "r"s and commanding voice. Check out this Youtube for a little taste of the editor in charge, and for a preview of the film, Diana Vreeland: the eye has to travel, which the library owns.
Throughout her life she was extremely disciplined, organized, and demanded the same of others. Driven, passionate, curious and never bored and therefore never boring because there was little in the world that she did not find interesting. The only thing predictable about her was the unexpected, so as for thinking outside of the box, she never knew there was a box to be in or out of. With an eye for what was unique, special and ahead of its time she plucked people out of obscurity and launched their careers. It was Vreeland who spotted the young Betty, later Lauren, Bacall, and had her photographed for Vogue; and there were others like Penelope Tree and Lauren Hutton who gave a fresh look to fashion; Vogue magazine was lifted out of its economic and fashion doldrums to include articles about the arts, politics, and not just the staid and accepted; a young first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, sought Vreeland’s advice on fashion; numerous photographers, fashion designers, and others were discovered by her and all of it is documented in this fascinating book.
As a fashion editor she was parodied in several works. That coat-throwing-office-entrance in The Devil Wears Prada was pure Vreeland and not Anna Wintour. Ali MacGraw long ago was one of those gofer office girls, and claims that she tossed Vreeland’s coat right back at her. In the movie Funny Face there is Kay Thompson as fashion editor Maggie Prescott singing “Think Pink” to spur her staff on to promote the latest fashion trend. Vreeland actually said, “Pink is the navy blue of India.”
And there are numerous memorable quotes, some insightful, others just zingers. Fashion jeweler Kenneth Jay Lane was dressing a mannequin in one of Vreeland’s exhibits and had used only diamond stud earrings and a single strand of pearls. Finding it all too demure, Vreeland bellowed out, “My God, she’s not a debutante!” Lane immediately got it and piled on the strands of pearls. To someone else’s comment about a model’s over-the-top look, Vreeland told them, “If you want the girl next door, then go next door!” And another could be the mantra of modern advertising, “Give ’em what they never knew they wanted!” A spin off on that last one is exactly what librarians do in providing excellent reader’s advisory--connecting patrons with books they never knew existed.
This is most definitely a biography for fashionistas, but also for others because Diana Vreeland’s life offers insights into power, artistic innovation, creating and recreating one’s life despite the odds and setbacks, and the drive to envision something different and make it a reality. She was a commanding presence with a demanding manner as editor and then curator. And Diana Vreeland had innate, powerful ideas about good PR and fresh ideas, most of which cannot be taught or manufactured. She was an original!
Other must-reads for the informed on fashion: A Dash of Daring: Carmel Snow and Her Life in Fashion, Art, and Letters. Carmel Snow is the one who first hired Vreeland to work at Harper’s Bazaar,and Snow also was a very powerful fashion editor; Allure; Front row : Anna Wintour, the Cool Life and Hot Times of Vogue's Editor in Chief; Tiffany in fashion. There is a lengthy essay in this book by Eleanor Lambert, another important figure in fashion history because of her PR expertise; Grace: a memoir. In addition the Los Angeles Public Library’s collection has many books on the people written about in Empress of Fashion--check the catalog.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction Dept.
Vreeland created and molded her personality and image until it was iconic--perfect qualities for a future fashion editor. Everything was unmistakable from the ramrod-straight posture, black dyed and heavily lacquered hair, red-polished fingernails on the most expressive hands which she used to great dramatic effect with one hand rarely minus a cigarette. And the Vreeland patois was a combination of a very formal manner of speech, peppered with disreputable, definitely not politically correct, phrases and words, and all of it delivered in her version of a mid-Atlantic accent, with rolled "r"s and commanding voice. Check out this Youtube for a little taste of the editor in charge, and for a preview of the film, Diana Vreeland: the eye has to travel, which the library owns.
Throughout her life she was extremely disciplined, organized, and demanded the same of others. Driven, passionate, curious and never bored and therefore never boring because there was little in the world that she did not find interesting. The only thing predictable about her was the unexpected, so as for thinking outside of the box, she never knew there was a box to be in or out of. With an eye for what was unique, special and ahead of its time she plucked people out of obscurity and launched their careers. It was Vreeland who spotted the young Betty, later Lauren, Bacall, and had her photographed for Vogue; and there were others like Penelope Tree and Lauren Hutton who gave a fresh look to fashion; Vogue magazine was lifted out of its economic and fashion doldrums to include articles about the arts, politics, and not just the staid and accepted; a young first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, sought Vreeland’s advice on fashion; numerous photographers, fashion designers, and others were discovered by her and all of it is documented in this fascinating book.
As a fashion editor she was parodied in several works. That coat-throwing-office-entrance in The Devil Wears Prada was pure Vreeland and not Anna Wintour. Ali MacGraw long ago was one of those gofer office girls, and claims that she tossed Vreeland’s coat right back at her. In the movie Funny Face there is Kay Thompson as fashion editor Maggie Prescott singing “Think Pink” to spur her staff on to promote the latest fashion trend. Vreeland actually said, “Pink is the navy blue of India.”
And there are numerous memorable quotes, some insightful, others just zingers. Fashion jeweler Kenneth Jay Lane was dressing a mannequin in one of Vreeland’s exhibits and had used only diamond stud earrings and a single strand of pearls. Finding it all too demure, Vreeland bellowed out, “My God, she’s not a debutante!” Lane immediately got it and piled on the strands of pearls. To someone else’s comment about a model’s over-the-top look, Vreeland told them, “If you want the girl next door, then go next door!” And another could be the mantra of modern advertising, “Give ’em what they never knew they wanted!” A spin off on that last one is exactly what librarians do in providing excellent reader’s advisory--connecting patrons with books they never knew existed.
This is most definitely a biography for fashionistas, but also for others because Diana Vreeland’s life offers insights into power, artistic innovation, creating and recreating one’s life despite the odds and setbacks, and the drive to envision something different and make it a reality. She was a commanding presence with a demanding manner as editor and then curator. And Diana Vreeland had innate, powerful ideas about good PR and fresh ideas, most of which cannot be taught or manufactured. She was an original!
Other must-reads for the informed on fashion: A Dash of Daring: Carmel Snow and Her Life in Fashion, Art, and Letters. Carmel Snow is the one who first hired Vreeland to work at Harper’s Bazaar,and Snow also was a very powerful fashion editor; Allure; Front row : Anna Wintour, the Cool Life and Hot Times of Vogue's Editor in Chief; Tiffany in fashion. There is a lengthy essay in this book by Eleanor Lambert, another important figure in fashion history because of her PR expertise; Grace: a memoir. In addition the Los Angeles Public Library’s collection has many books on the people written about in Empress of Fashion--check the catalog.
Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction Dept.
April 16, 2025
Why don’t you… rinse your blond child’s hair in dead champagne to keep its gold, as they do in France?
Why don’t you… put all your dogs in bright yellow collars and leads as they do in Paris?
The inimitable and often outrageous Diana Vreeland believed that fashion was a dream, an idea, a fantasy. And she lifted both Bazaar and Vogue into this land of the imagination. You can’t always agree with her but you can’t but be inspired by her.
Why don’t you… put all your dogs in bright yellow collars and leads as they do in Paris?
The inimitable and often outrageous Diana Vreeland believed that fashion was a dream, an idea, a fantasy. And she lifted both Bazaar and Vogue into this land of the imagination. You can’t always agree with her but you can’t but be inspired by her.
May 17, 2025
For a woman with such a vibrant, interesting & "jet-set" lifestyle this was such a slow read for a fast paced life! For a woman that was so revolutionary & inventive, with a address book filled with famous people, mover & shakers, this was such a boring telling of a life that was anything but boring. I kept looking at the Kindle % and thinking how can that be... I feel like I've been reading this forever!!! Such a relief to be done with it.
May 4, 2020
I just adore this book. It is a very complete and thorough biography of someone who was COMPLETELY one of a kind! Maybe you have to be very interested in fashion magazines, or the upper class, to really get into it, but I don't think so. There are plenty of books that fawn on Vreeland uncritically. This one recognizes her importance but is never in her thrall--maintains a cool detachment
May 20, 2020
Interesting woman. I’m not sure if I’d be fascinated by her or think she was a joke if I met her. The influence she had was real. She definitely had vision. And worked to the very end of her life. So there’s much to respect. It’s too bad she isn’t brought up much since I think she might be better appreciated in retrospect.
February 21, 2017
Diana was a hot mess and yet a genius. At one point I grew sick of her antics. Glad I stuck this out. It was cool to read about the beginnings of Andre Leon Talley, Warhol and the like. Also I never looked into the origins of the Met Gala. It has Vreeland written all over it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2019
DNF - this was pretty detailed and a bit too slow for me at times. Dropped it in a free library.
May 7, 2020
Her book is full of lessons about the art of creative literature, and about life, and how each reflects and enhances and deepens the meaning of the other.
August 18, 2020
an exquisite and heavily detailed portrait of a strong character.
January 2, 2021
An excellent and well researched biography with lots of interesting stories - a must read for anyone who's into fashion.
May 30, 2022
I gave up on this book. Boring. It never seemed to get off the ground. Normally I love biographies, but not this one.
August 15, 2022
Actual Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews