The Fabulous Frances Farquharson: The Colourful Life of an American in the Highlands

by Caroline Young

From society belle in turn-of-the-century Seattle, to editor of Harper’s Bazaar and lady of a vast Scottish Highland estate that borders Balmoral Castle, The Fabulous Frances Farquharson is the colorful biography of a charming, one-of-a-kind, and sartorially flamboyant woman.

She was born Frances Lovell Oldham, a Seattle society girl who left her hometown at the age of 17 to pursue a career in Europe, and who would charm Eastern European princesses and British royalty on her travels. In the twenties, having moved to London, she partied with the Bright Young Things before becoming Mrs James Rodney, the blue-blooded wife of a cousin of Winston Churchill, and fashion editor at British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar , when those magazines were expressively modernist in their design and output. At a time when women rarely found independent success, Frances transcended boundaries as a working woman in the thirties. Her story was even more remarkable given she made a career comeback after fracturing her spine during a fatal house fire that killed her first husband in 1933. Promoted to editor of Harper’s Bazaar , she boosted the morale of British women during the Second World War, and successfully worked as a trade envoy to America, fiercely championing British products in boardrooms full of men. After marrying Captain Alwyne Farquharson, the 16th Laird of Invercauld (who was 17 years her junior), Frances threw herself into life at Braemar Castle as a neighbor of the Queen, bringing glamour and eccentricity to the grouse moors of Deeside. Fully embracing the shocking pink of her good friend, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, she wore a polar bear coat at a time when it was acceptable to wear fur and draped herself head-to-toe in custom-made tartan outfits as a tribute to her new home in the Scottish Highlands. Described in the press as "an intensely dynamic, tiny and compelling lady of great beauty," Frances Farquharson brought American charm and flamboyant fashion everywhere she went, and this first biography of "arguably one of the most stylish and intuitive [women] of her age" will surely fascinate and enthrall.

Genres: Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

Published July 23, 2024

Reviews

[Issi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Knowing some of the local Braemar people mentioned, and having seen Frances Farquharson in action at the Braemar Games made it all the more interesting. I also remember the Speciality Shop and the Galleries - as well as the fashion shows she used to put on in the Auld Kirk with the local teenagers doing the modeling of the outfits. As a young child in Braemar I used to see her with her flamboyant (and not to my taste) tartan outfits and the horrendous colours she ‘made’ her husband wear (especially those yellow kilt socks) - I confess I was horrified! I would have been terrified to actually speak to her! Reading this book showed a completely different side to her and one that I’m happy to have had the chance to ´meet’!

[Tamara Sturtz-Filby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this absolutely fascinating biography of American socialite, Frances Farquharson who, as a young woman in the 1920s had a passion for journalism, travel and fashion. This incredibly indepth story takes you from her flamboyant life as a socialite in Seattle and New York, to the couture houses of Paris and London, fairytale castles in deepest Romania and back again, and finally to the highlands of Scotland where Frances ultimately settled.

Thoroughly researched and beautifully written with intricate and visual detail, Caroline Young transports you into a world of history, glamour, fashion, heartache and love, and introduces us to a woman who deserves the recognition she now has.

[Gail Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating woman

I was lucky enough to have been a guest at Invercauld Castle twice during he 1980s, so I was most interested in reading this book. It exceeded my expectations! So well written and full of the great stories of this amazing woman. I enjoyed the quotes and comments of my friend Marybelle who was so lucky to have had such a charmed life in the Scottish highlands.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never read or heard about this interesting lady before I noticed a copy of this book reviewed in a magazine and fortunately my local library was able to obtain a copy of it for me to read. As the subtitle suggests she did lead a colourful life and from the narrative she certainly did embrace her adopted home of Scotland.

[Catherine Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a remarkable woman who helped turn around the fortunes of Braemar.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read.