Diana on Repeat

 I'm on term break; finally able to do what matters.

I've watched Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel.

Three times.
She had me at, 'There's only one good life, the life you want
and make yourself'.
Rhythm, madness, surprise and imagination all spring to mind.

Currently, beige is looking over-rated.



 

 Here's DV's self-proclaimed, 'living room from hell'.

 As a child.

 DV's face truly reflected the life she's lead; her enthusiasm and vitality.

 While she was never (in her words) a smug mademoiselle;

she didn't mind posing.

 Here's the original interview taking place in 1983.

In her living room.

The documentary is full of references to all sorts of personalities and celebrities.

Josephine Baker gets a look on.

Diana describes her as someone you could only feel good around.
Isn't that a compliment?

Of course, she was sashaying around in Chanel.

Even wearing the House's nighties.

They took three fittings. What a pampered pooch.

Here she is doing what she loved most, dancing.

The Editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, spots her, of course.

She's wearing a see-through Chanel and sequin number.

Although she maintains, 'Young snobs don't get my number'.



She starts the ultimate use of frivolous frippery...that 'Why Don't You?' nonsense.
A couple of pages each month, urging you to wash your blonde child's hair in
Champagne to keep it sparkling, and wear purple mittens with everything.

It was part of her creed, 'Don't give people what they want.

Give them what they don't know yet.

The War put the kibosh on the pages.

DV's got some immortal quotes.

Get out where the sun shines; the rain rains and the snow falls....

it all comes together.

Harper's Bazaar was no longer just about caring for your husband

and cooking pies.



Personalities became celebrities and

celebrities became personalities.

Movies were made with DV as inspiration.

DV credits the WW2 for the invention of the bikini.
 She also describes jeans as the most beautiful

things she had ever seen.

She encouraged people to invent themselves.

Apparently she was a hellish boss; she expected people to work as hard as she did.

 



Anything that was beautiful was jam-packed into the

December issues.

Irving Penn's flowers fit the bill.

Back in the day, it was unheard of, travelling far and wide for a shoot.

This one in China with a stunning 7 foot tall sumo wrestler, against

willowy Veruschka was astonishing.

From magazines to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Curating costumes and fashion exhibitions.

DV put together Shows and brought in the masses.

For someone who'd never worked before Harper's or Vogue, and was previously rarely

dressed before lunch, she did a good job.

Before her death, DV describes one of the most beautiful things she

has seen as a lilting green. All green, all green, right to the sky.

 

In other exciting news, I am off to The Hat Box on Monday morning.

Come in and visit if you need gloves or a tonsorial winter make-over.

The new season's stock's arrived.