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袛懈邪薪邪 袙褉懈谢邪薪写
协褌邪 泻薪懈谐邪听鈥� 蟹邪胁芯褉邪卸懈胁邪褞褖邪褟 邪胁褌芯斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褟 芯写薪芯泄 懈蟹 胁械谢懈褔邪泄褕懈褏 懈泻芯薪 屑芯写褘 XX听胁械泻邪 袛懈邪薪褘 袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 屑芯写薪芯谐芯 褉械写邪泻褌芯褉邪 Harper's Bazaar 懈听谐谢邪胁薪芯谐芯 褉械写邪泻褌芯褉邪 Vogue, 褔褜械 薪械褋褉邪胁薪械薪薪芯械 褔褍胁褋褌胁芯 褋褌懈谢褟 懈听褌邪谢邪薪褌 芯锌褉械写械谢褟谢懈 屑懈褉 胁褘褋芯泻芯泄 屑芯写褘 薪邪 锌褉芯褌褟卸械薪懈懈 锌褟褌懈写械褋褟褌懈 谢械褌. 携褉泻邪褟, 褋邪屑芯斜褘褌薪邪褟, 褏邪褉懈蟹屑邪褌懈褔薪邪褟 袛懈邪薪邪 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 写芯泻邪蟹褘胁邪械褌, 褔褌芯 芯薪邪 斜谢械褋褌褟褖懈泄 褉邪褋褋泻邪蟹褔懈泻, 褍胁谢械泻邪褟 薪邪褋 胁听褋胁芯褞 芯褋谢械锌懈褌械谢褜薪褍褞 懈听斜褍褉薪褍褞 卸懈蟹薪褜 懈 锌褉械写褋褌邪胁谢褟褟 薪邪褕械屑褍 胁芯芯斜褉邪卸械薪懈褞 褉芯褋泻芯褕褜 懈听褟褉泻芯褋褌褜 褝锌芯褏懈, 泻芯褌芯褉邪褟 锌芯褉芯写懈谢邪 泻芯褉芯谢械胁褍 袗薪谐谢懈懈 袦邪褉懈褞 孝械泻褋泻褍褞, 袘褍褎褎邪谢芯 袘懈谢谢邪, 小械褉谐械褟 袛褟谐懈谢械胁邪, 袣谢邪褉泻邪 袚械泄斜谢邪 懈听袣芯泻芯 楔邪薪械谢褜.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1984
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4,768 people want to read
About the author
Diana Vreeland
30听books66听followersDiana Vreeland was a noted columnist and editor in the field of fashion. She worked for the fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman and British father Frederick Young Dalziel. Hoffman was a descendant of George Washington's brother as well as a cousin of Francis Scott Key. She also was a distant cousin of Pauline de Rothschild. Vreeland had one sister, Alexandra.
Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman and British father Frederick Young Dalziel. Hoffman was a descendant of George Washington's brother as well as a cousin of Francis Scott Key. She also was a distant cousin of Pauline de Rothschild. Vreeland had one sister, Alexandra.
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December 11, 2021
袣薪懈卸泻邪 薪械 芯 屑芯写械, 邪, 褋泻芯褉械械, 懈谢谢褞褋褌褉邪褑懈褟 泻 懈蟹胁械褋褌薪芯屑褍 邪薪械泻写芯褌褍 芦谢褍褔褕械 斜褘褌褜 斜芯谐邪褌褘屑 懈 蟹写芯褉芯胁褘屑, 褔械屑 斜械写薪褘屑 懈 斜芯谢褜薪褘屑禄.
小谢褍褕邪谢邪 胁 薪邪褔懈褌泻械 械褖褢 芯写薪芯谐芯 懈蟹胁械褋褌薪芯谐芯 谐谢邪胁褉械写邪, 袗谢械薪褘 袛芯谢械褑泻芯泄.
袛谢褟 薪邪褔邪谢邪 褋褉邪蟹褍 褋褌邪谢芯 褟褋薪芯, 泻邪泻芯泄 泻薪懈卸泻芯泄 袗谢械薪邪 小褌邪薪懈褋谢邪胁芯胁薪邪 胁写芯褏薪芯胁谢褟谢邪褋褜 锌褉懈 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪懈懈 褋胁芯械泄 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪薪芯泄 邪胁褌芯斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈懈. 袝泄, 泻芯薪械褔薪芯, 写芯锌芯谢薪懈褌械谢褜薪芯 锌芯胁械蟹谢芯, 褔褌芯 胁 写械褌褋褌胁械 泻 薪懈屑 写芯屑芯泄 锌褉懈褏芯写懈谢 挟褉懈泄 袧懈泻褍谢懈薪, 邪 薪械 泻芯谢谢械泻褌芯褉褘 懈谢懈 褌邪屑 锌邪锌懈薪褘 写褉褍蟹褜褟-邪谢泻邪褕懈. 袧芯 屑褘 褋械泄褔邪褋 薪械 芯 薪械泄.
袩褉懈蟹薪邪褞褋褜, 褟 胁 屑芯写械 懈 屑芯写薪褘褏 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸邪褏 薪械 芯褔械薪褜 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褞褋褜. 袛褍屑邪谢邪, 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪褞 泻薪懈卸泻褍 懈 锌褉芯褋胁械褖褍褋褜, 邪 褌芯 褟 泻邪泻-褌芯 薪械 芯褔械薪褜 斜褘谢邪 胁 褌械屑械, 锌芯褔械屑褍 褋邪屑褘泄 懈蟹胁械褋褌薪褘泄 褉械写邪泻褌芯褉 芦袙芯褍谐禄 (谐芯谢芯褋芯屑 袗袛) 鈥� 褝褌芯 袗薪薪邪 袙懈薪褌褍褉, 邪 泻薪懈卸泻褍 薪邪锌懈褋邪谢邪 袛懈邪薪邪 袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 锌褉懈褔械屑 锌芯写 褌械屑 卸械 褌懈褌褍谢芯屑.
袨写薪邪泻芯! 效褌芯 斜褘 胁褘 锌芯写褍屑邪谢懈? 效褌芯斜褘 褍蟹薪邪褌褜 斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褞 袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 屑薪械 锌褉懈褕谢芯褋褜 蟹邪谢械蟹褌褜 胁 褔械褉褌芯胁褍 胁懈泻懈锌械写懈褞! 袩芯褋谢械 泻褉邪褌泻芯泄 懈薪褌械褉谢褞写懈懈 芯 褌芯屑, 泻邪泻 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 泻谢械懈谢邪 薪邪 褉芯蟹芯胁褍褞 卸芯锌褍 袛卸械泻邪 袧懈泻芯谢褋芯薪邪 褉邪蟹芯谐褉械胁邪褞褖懈泄 锌谢邪褋褌褘褉褜, 泻薪懈谐邪 薪邪褔懈薪邪械褌褋褟 (懈 蟹邪泻邪薪褔懈胁邪械褌褋褟, 锌褉芯褋褌懈褌械 蟹邪 褋锌芯泄谢械褉) 胁芯褌 褌邪泻: 芦效褌芯斜褘 褍 胁邪褋 胁褋械 斜褘谢芯 芯褏褍械薪薪芯, 薪邪写芯 褉芯写懈褌褜褋褟 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械, 蟹胁邪褌褜褋褟 袛懈邪薪芯泄, 懈屑械褌褜 斜芯谐邪褌褘褏 褉芯写懈褌械谢械泄 懈 谐褍胁械褉薪邪薪褌泻褍 锌芯 懈屑械薪懈 袩懈薪泻禄.
袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 泻邪泻 屑褘 写芯谐邪写褘胁邪械屑褋褟, 褋褉褍斜懈谢邪 胁 褝褌芯屑 锌谢邪薪械 写卸械泻-锌芯褌.
袛械谢褞褋褜 褑械薪薪褘屑懈 蟹薪邪薪懈褟屑懈, 写芯斜褘褌褘屑懈 胁 胁懈泻懈锌械写懈懈: 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 斜褘谢邪 谐谢邪胁薪褘屑 褉械写邪泻褌芯褉芯屑 袙芯谐 写芯 袗薪薪褘 袙懈薪褌褍褉. 袨薪邪 胁芯芯斜褖械 褉芯写懈谢邪褋褜 胁 1903 谐芯写褍, 褉芯写懈褌械谢懈 械械 写褉褍卸懈谢懈 械褋谢懈 薪械 褋 挟褉懈械屑 袧懈泻褍谢懈薪褘屑, 褌芯 褋 小械褉谐械械屑 袛褟谐懈谢械胁褘屑 懈 袦懈褏邪懈谢芯屑 肖芯泻懈薪褘屑 懈 胁褋褟泻懈屑懈 褌邪屑 锌芯褋谢邪屑懈 懈 邪褉褌懈褋褌芯泻褉邪褌邪屑懈 锌芯 屑械谢芯褔懈. 袙 18 谢械褌 袛懈邪薪邪 薪芯褉屑邪谢褜薪芯 褌邪泻 胁褘褕谢邪 蟹邪屑褍卸 蟹邪 泻褉邪褋懈胁芯谐芯 懈 斜芯谐邪褌芯谐芯, 懈 谐谢邪胁薪芯泄 褌褉邪谐械写懈械泄 械械 卸懈蟹薪懈 (芯锌褟褌褜 褋锌芯泄谢械褉) 芯薪邪 薪邪蟹褘胁邪械褌 褔褍写芯胁懈褖薪褍褞 褋懈褌褍邪褑懈褞, 泻芯谐写邪 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械 胁 薪邪褔邪谢械 胁芯泄薪褘 泻邪泻芯泄-褌芯 褕褍褋褌褉懈泻 胁褘锌懈谢 胁械褋褜 斜褉械薪写懈 懈蟹 械械 褏褉褍褋褌邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 写芯褉芯卸薪芯谐芯 谐褉邪褎懈薪褔懈泻邪 懈 薪邪谢懈谢 褌褍写邪 褔邪褞. 孝邪屑 斜褘谢鈥� 褔邪泄! 鈥� 芯褏邪械褌 袛芯谢械褑泻邪褟. 鈥� 啸芯谢芯写薪褘泄. 效邪泄!
效械褏芯胁褋泻邪褟 锌邪褍蟹邪.
袧械褌, 薪褍 胁褘 锌芯写褍屑邪泄褌械, 谐芯褋锌芯写懈 懈懈褋褍褋械, 褟 褋邪屑邪 薪械薪邪胁懈卸褍 褏芯谢芯写薪褘泄 褔邪泄, 邪 褌褍褌 械褖械 胁芯泄薪邪 懈 薪械屑褑褘. 袪懈写, 锌芯褔械屑褍, 泻芯谐写邪 薪邪褔邪谢邪褋褜 胁芯泄薪邪, 褌褘 褏芯褌械谢 芯褋褌邪胁懈褌褜 卸械薪褍 薪邪 袣邪锌褉懈? 携 薪械 屑芯谐 褍胁械蟹褌懈 械械 芯褌 械械 褋褍屑芯泻 懈 褌褍褎械谢褜 楔邪薪械谢褜!
芦袛邪, 袪懈写 泻邪泻 薪懈泻褌芯 锌芯薪懈屑邪谢 懈褋褌懈薪薪褍褞 褋褍褌褜 卸械薪褖懈薪褘禄.
袧械屑薪芯谐芯 屑懈屑芯褏芯写芯屑 屑褘 褍蟹薪邪械屑, 褔褌芯 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 23 谐芯写邪 锌褉芯褉邪斜芯褌邪谢邪 薪邪 啸邪褉锌械褉褋 袘邪蟹邪褉, 谐写械 械泄 锌谢邪褌懈谢懈 锌芯 18 褌褘褋褟褔 写芯谢谢邪褉芯胁 胁 谐芯写, 邪 锌芯褌芯屑 褋卸邪谢懈谢懈褋褜 懈 薪邪泻懈薪褍谢懈 褌褘褋褔芯薪泻褍. 袧械 褍写懈胁懈褌械谢褜薪芯, 褔褌芯 薪邪褕邪 褋屑褘褕谢械薪邪褟 谐械褉芯懈薪褟 褍褕谢邪 胁 袙芯谐, 谐写械 胁谢邪写械谢褜褑褘 斜褘谢懈 薪械 褌邪泻懈屑懈 卸邪写薪褘屑懈.
袙锌褉芯褔械屑, 屑芯褟 谢褞斜懈屑邪褟 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 胁 泻薪懈谐械 斜褍写械褌 褋胁褟蟹邪薪邪 褋 谐谢邪胁芯泄 屑械写懈邪泻芯褉锌芯褉邪褑懈懈 Hearst 校懈谢褜褟屑芯屑 袪褝薪写芯谢褎芯屑 啸械褉褋褌芯屑. 孝芯褌 褋褔懈褌邪谢, 褔褌芯 褍屑薪褘械 谢褞写懈 薪械 褍屑懈褉邪褞褌, 锌芯褝褌芯屑褍 George Bernard Shaw and I will live forever. 袣芯谐写邪 楔芯褍 锌芯写胁械谢 锌褉懈褟褌械谢褟 懈 胁褋械-褌邪泻懈 褍屑械褉 鈥� 邪 啸械褉褋褌 褍卸械 懈 褋邪屑 芦锌谢芯褏芯 褋械斜褟 褔褍胁褋褌胁芯胁邪谢禄, 鈥� 胁芯 胁褋械褏 谐邪蟹械褌邪褏, 泻芯褌芯褉褘械 褔懈褌邪谢 啸械褉褋褌, 芯 褋屑械褉褌懈 楔芯褍 薪械 褋芯芯斜褖懈谢懈, 褔褌芯斜褘 薪械 褉邪褋褋褌褉邪懈胁邪褌褜 写械写褍谢褞.
袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 泻芯薪械褔薪芯, 锌芯胁褌芯褉褟械褌 锌械褉懈芯写懈褔械褋泻懈, 褔褌芯, 械褋谢懈 胁邪褕邪 褉械邪谢褜薪芯褋褌褜 斜谢械写薪芯胁邪褌邪, 械械 薪褍卸薪芯 锌褉懈写褍屑褘胁邪褌褜, 卸邪谢褜 褌芯谢褜泻芯, 褔褌芯 屑薪械 谢懈褔薪芯 薪邪 屑芯懈 胁芯芯斜褉邪卸邪械屑褘械 锌褍褌械褕械褋褌胁懈褟, 薪邪褉褟写褘 懈 蟹薪邪泻芯屑褋褌胁邪 胁褋械谢械薪薪邪褟 薪懈泻邪泻 薪械 锌芯写褋芯胁褘胁邪械褌 屑械褕泻懈 褋 写械薪褜谐邪屑懈, 邪 械泄 褋邪屑芯泄 胁褉褟写 谢懈 锌褉懈褕谢芯褋褜 锌褉懈胁懈褉邪褌褜 褋谢懈褕泻芯屑 褍卸 褋懈谢褜薪芯.
小谢褍褕邪谢邪 胁 薪邪褔懈褌泻械 械褖褢 芯写薪芯谐芯 懈蟹胁械褋褌薪芯谐芯 谐谢邪胁褉械写邪, 袗谢械薪褘 袛芯谢械褑泻芯泄.
袛谢褟 薪邪褔邪谢邪 褋褉邪蟹褍 褋褌邪谢芯 褟褋薪芯, 泻邪泻芯泄 泻薪懈卸泻芯泄 袗谢械薪邪 小褌邪薪懈褋谢邪胁芯胁薪邪 胁写芯褏薪芯胁谢褟谢邪褋褜 锌褉懈 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪懈懈 褋胁芯械泄 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪薪芯泄 邪胁褌芯斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈懈. 袝泄, 泻芯薪械褔薪芯, 写芯锌芯谢薪懈褌械谢褜薪芯 锌芯胁械蟹谢芯, 褔褌芯 胁 写械褌褋褌胁械 泻 薪懈屑 写芯屑芯泄 锌褉懈褏芯写懈谢 挟褉懈泄 袧懈泻褍谢懈薪, 邪 薪械 泻芯谢谢械泻褌芯褉褘 懈谢懈 褌邪屑 锌邪锌懈薪褘 写褉褍蟹褜褟-邪谢泻邪褕懈. 袧芯 屑褘 褋械泄褔邪褋 薪械 芯 薪械泄.
袩褉懈蟹薪邪褞褋褜, 褟 胁 屑芯写械 懈 屑芯写薪褘褏 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸邪褏 薪械 芯褔械薪褜 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪褞褋褜. 袛褍屑邪谢邪, 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪褞 泻薪懈卸泻褍 懈 锌褉芯褋胁械褖褍褋褜, 邪 褌芯 褟 泻邪泻-褌芯 薪械 芯褔械薪褜 斜褘谢邪 胁 褌械屑械, 锌芯褔械屑褍 褋邪屑褘泄 懈蟹胁械褋褌薪褘泄 褉械写邪泻褌芯褉 芦袙芯褍谐禄 (谐芯谢芯褋芯屑 袗袛) 鈥� 褝褌芯 袗薪薪邪 袙懈薪褌褍褉, 邪 泻薪懈卸泻褍 薪邪锌懈褋邪谢邪 袛懈邪薪邪 袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 锌褉懈褔械屑 锌芯写 褌械屑 卸械 褌懈褌褍谢芯屑.
袨写薪邪泻芯! 效褌芯 斜褘 胁褘 锌芯写褍屑邪谢懈? 效褌芯斜褘 褍蟹薪邪褌褜 斜懈芯谐褉邪褎懈褞 袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 屑薪械 锌褉懈褕谢芯褋褜 蟹邪谢械蟹褌褜 胁 褔械褉褌芯胁褍 胁懈泻懈锌械写懈褞! 袩芯褋谢械 泻褉邪褌泻芯泄 懈薪褌械褉谢褞写懈懈 芯 褌芯屑, 泻邪泻 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 泻谢械懈谢邪 薪邪 褉芯蟹芯胁褍褞 卸芯锌褍 袛卸械泻邪 袧懈泻芯谢褋芯薪邪 褉邪蟹芯谐褉械胁邪褞褖懈泄 锌谢邪褋褌褘褉褜, 泻薪懈谐邪 薪邪褔懈薪邪械褌褋褟 (懈 蟹邪泻邪薪褔懈胁邪械褌褋褟, 锌褉芯褋褌懈褌械 蟹邪 褋锌芯泄谢械褉) 胁芯褌 褌邪泻: 芦效褌芯斜褘 褍 胁邪褋 胁褋械 斜褘谢芯 芯褏褍械薪薪芯, 薪邪写芯 褉芯写懈褌褜褋褟 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械, 蟹胁邪褌褜褋褟 袛懈邪薪芯泄, 懈屑械褌褜 斜芯谐邪褌褘褏 褉芯写懈褌械谢械泄 懈 谐褍胁械褉薪邪薪褌泻褍 锌芯 懈屑械薪懈 袩懈薪泻禄.
袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 泻邪泻 屑褘 写芯谐邪写褘胁邪械屑褋褟, 褋褉褍斜懈谢邪 胁 褝褌芯屑 锌谢邪薪械 写卸械泻-锌芯褌.
袛械谢褞褋褜 褑械薪薪褘屑懈 蟹薪邪薪懈褟屑懈, 写芯斜褘褌褘屑懈 胁 胁懈泻懈锌械写懈懈: 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 斜褘谢邪 谐谢邪胁薪褘屑 褉械写邪泻褌芯褉芯屑 袙芯谐 写芯 袗薪薪褘 袙懈薪褌褍褉. 袨薪邪 胁芯芯斜褖械 褉芯写懈谢邪褋褜 胁 1903 谐芯写褍, 褉芯写懈褌械谢懈 械械 写褉褍卸懈谢懈 械褋谢懈 薪械 褋 挟褉懈械屑 袧懈泻褍谢懈薪褘屑, 褌芯 褋 小械褉谐械械屑 袛褟谐懈谢械胁褘屑 懈 袦懈褏邪懈谢芯屑 肖芯泻懈薪褘屑 懈 胁褋褟泻懈屑懈 褌邪屑 锌芯褋谢邪屑懈 懈 邪褉褌懈褋褌芯泻褉邪褌邪屑懈 锌芯 屑械谢芯褔懈. 袙 18 谢械褌 袛懈邪薪邪 薪芯褉屑邪谢褜薪芯 褌邪泻 胁褘褕谢邪 蟹邪屑褍卸 蟹邪 泻褉邪褋懈胁芯谐芯 懈 斜芯谐邪褌芯谐芯, 懈 谐谢邪胁薪芯泄 褌褉邪谐械写懈械泄 械械 卸懈蟹薪懈 (芯锌褟褌褜 褋锌芯泄谢械褉) 芯薪邪 薪邪蟹褘胁邪械褌 褔褍写芯胁懈褖薪褍褞 褋懈褌褍邪褑懈褞, 泻芯谐写邪 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械 胁 薪邪褔邪谢械 胁芯泄薪褘 泻邪泻芯泄-褌芯 褕褍褋褌褉懈泻 胁褘锌懈谢 胁械褋褜 斜褉械薪写懈 懈蟹 械械 褏褉褍褋褌邪谢褜薪芯谐芯 写芯褉芯卸薪芯谐芯 谐褉邪褎懈薪褔懈泻邪 懈 薪邪谢懈谢 褌褍写邪 褔邪褞. 孝邪屑 斜褘谢鈥� 褔邪泄! 鈥� 芯褏邪械褌 袛芯谢械褑泻邪褟. 鈥� 啸芯谢芯写薪褘泄. 效邪泄!
效械褏芯胁褋泻邪褟 锌邪褍蟹邪.
袧械褌, 薪褍 胁褘 锌芯写褍屑邪泄褌械, 谐芯褋锌芯写懈 懈懈褋褍褋械, 褟 褋邪屑邪 薪械薪邪胁懈卸褍 褏芯谢芯写薪褘泄 褔邪泄, 邪 褌褍褌 械褖械 胁芯泄薪邪 懈 薪械屑褑褘. 袪懈写, 锌芯褔械屑褍, 泻芯谐写邪 薪邪褔邪谢邪褋褜 胁芯泄薪邪, 褌褘 褏芯褌械谢 芯褋褌邪胁懈褌褜 卸械薪褍 薪邪 袣邪锌褉懈? 携 薪械 屑芯谐 褍胁械蟹褌懈 械械 芯褌 械械 褋褍屑芯泻 懈 褌褍褎械谢褜 楔邪薪械谢褜!
芦袛邪, 袪懈写 泻邪泻 薪懈泻褌芯 锌芯薪懈屑邪谢 懈褋褌懈薪薪褍褞 褋褍褌褜 卸械薪褖懈薪褘禄.
袧械屑薪芯谐芯 屑懈屑芯褏芯写芯屑 屑褘 褍蟹薪邪械屑, 褔褌芯 袙褉懈谢邪薪写 23 谐芯写邪 锌褉芯褉邪斜芯褌邪谢邪 薪邪 啸邪褉锌械褉褋 袘邪蟹邪褉, 谐写械 械泄 锌谢邪褌懈谢懈 锌芯 18 褌褘褋褟褔 写芯谢谢邪褉芯胁 胁 谐芯写, 邪 锌芯褌芯屑 褋卸邪谢懈谢懈褋褜 懈 薪邪泻懈薪褍谢懈 褌褘褋褔芯薪泻褍. 袧械 褍写懈胁懈褌械谢褜薪芯, 褔褌芯 薪邪褕邪 褋屑褘褕谢械薪邪褟 谐械褉芯懈薪褟 褍褕谢邪 胁 袙芯谐, 谐写械 胁谢邪写械谢褜褑褘 斜褘谢懈 薪械 褌邪泻懈屑懈 卸邪写薪褘屑懈.
袙锌褉芯褔械屑, 屑芯褟 谢褞斜懈屑邪褟 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 胁 泻薪懈谐械 斜褍写械褌 褋胁褟蟹邪薪邪 褋 谐谢邪胁芯泄 屑械写懈邪泻芯褉锌芯褉邪褑懈懈 Hearst 校懈谢褜褟屑芯屑 袪褝薪写芯谢褎芯屑 啸械褉褋褌芯屑. 孝芯褌 褋褔懈褌邪谢, 褔褌芯 褍屑薪褘械 谢褞写懈 薪械 褍屑懈褉邪褞褌, 锌芯褝褌芯屑褍 George Bernard Shaw and I will live forever. 袣芯谐写邪 楔芯褍 锌芯写胁械谢 锌褉懈褟褌械谢褟 懈 胁褋械-褌邪泻懈 褍屑械褉 鈥� 邪 啸械褉褋褌 褍卸械 懈 褋邪屑 芦锌谢芯褏芯 褋械斜褟 褔褍胁褋褌胁芯胁邪谢禄, 鈥� 胁芯 胁褋械褏 谐邪蟹械褌邪褏, 泻芯褌芯褉褘械 褔懈褌邪谢 啸械褉褋褌, 芯 褋屑械褉褌懈 楔芯褍 薪械 褋芯芯斜褖懈谢懈, 褔褌芯斜褘 薪械 褉邪褋褋褌褉邪懈胁邪褌褜 写械写褍谢褞.
袙褉懈谢邪薪写, 泻芯薪械褔薪芯, 锌芯胁褌芯褉褟械褌 锌械褉懈芯写懈褔械褋泻懈, 褔褌芯, 械褋谢懈 胁邪褕邪 褉械邪谢褜薪芯褋褌褜 斜谢械写薪芯胁邪褌邪, 械械 薪褍卸薪芯 锌褉懈写褍屑褘胁邪褌褜, 卸邪谢褜 褌芯谢褜泻芯, 褔褌芯 屑薪械 谢懈褔薪芯 薪邪 屑芯懈 胁芯芯斜褉邪卸邪械屑褘械 锌褍褌械褕械褋褌胁懈褟, 薪邪褉褟写褘 懈 蟹薪邪泻芯屑褋褌胁邪 胁褋械谢械薪薪邪褟 薪懈泻邪泻 薪械 锌芯写褋芯胁褘胁邪械褌 屑械褕泻懈 褋 写械薪褜谐邪屑懈, 邪 械泄 褋邪屑芯泄 胁褉褟写 谢懈 锌褉懈褕谢芯褋褜 锌褉懈胁懈褉邪褌褜 褋谢懈褕泻芯屑 褍卸 褋懈谢褜薪芯.
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February 17, 2024I'm not even sure why I read this. I'm also terrible at reviewing anything I read.
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February 13, 2010I really adored this book. It's not written. Instead, it's rather obvious that the editors, George Plimpton and Christopher Hemphill, just sat down with Mrs. Vreeland and let her talk, and then pretty much transcribed the conversation as it had happened. And, boy, can she talk! A mile a minute is a conservative estimate. You zip through this book because you find yourself reading it as quickly as it was said. And it's full of italics! Vreeland's excitement and enthusiasm for whatever it is she's talking about are evident on the page.
What a life she led. Raised in a rawther social family, in London and Paris and New York, she married banker Reed Vreeland at the age of nineteen, and he was clearly the love of her life. She knew everyone, from Josephine Baker to Jacqueline Onassis with the Windsors in between, practically invented red, was fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar for twenty-six years and editor-in-chief at Vogue for eight, and ended her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.
Remarks like "Unshined shoes are the end of civilization" and the famous "Pink is the navy blue of India" make Vreeland seem superficial. And, indeed, she herself said that she adored artifice. But she was also a very insightful, practical, intelligent and hard-working woman. She rightly says that the books one has read are the way you find out about a person. And although she says, "I stopped reading -- seriously reading -- years ago, she can talk about Tolstoy and kept The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon next to her bed.
If Chanel brought fashion kicking and screaming into the 20th-century, it was Vreeland (who adored and patronized Chanel) who made it part of the life of the woman-on-the-street.
What a life she led. Raised in a rawther social family, in London and Paris and New York, she married banker Reed Vreeland at the age of nineteen, and he was clearly the love of her life. She knew everyone, from Josephine Baker to Jacqueline Onassis with the Windsors in between, practically invented red, was fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar for twenty-six years and editor-in-chief at Vogue for eight, and ended her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.
Remarks like "Unshined shoes are the end of civilization" and the famous "Pink is the navy blue of India" make Vreeland seem superficial. And, indeed, she herself said that she adored artifice. But she was also a very insightful, practical, intelligent and hard-working woman. She rightly says that the books one has read are the way you find out about a person. And although she says, "I stopped reading -- seriously reading -- years ago, she can talk about Tolstoy and kept The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon next to her bed.
If Chanel brought fashion kicking and screaming into the 20th-century, it was Vreeland (who adored and patronized Chanel) who made it part of the life of the woman-on-the-street.
September 29, 2012
I'd been recommended this book before but only just now got around to reading it since I saw the trailer for "The Eye Has To Travel." I liked "The September Issue" and I planned on seeing this one since I actually like fashion documentaries.
I wanted to rate this book higher, but I just couldn't do it. I read an edition from 1984 and it seemed like in later editions there were some additions to the text. I can see that.
On to the book: It was a slow start on this one. There's no doubt that Diana Vreeland was one of those big, fashion personalities and that translates into the book. But that doesn't necessarily make for a good book. Interesting, but not good.
I wish the editors, TWO of them, would have taken a firmer hand with the text. Since she is a big personality, maybe they did and this is what they came up with anyway. With that being said, that's the main reason I didn't like the book - its overly conversational style. There needed to be some overarching perspective, more guidance to draw out the stories and keep them focused. Vreeland was born in 1909 or so and died in the late 1980's. That's a lot of the world to see and be involved in, let alone in the fashion industry.
Vreeland tends to ramble in the book. Sometimes her stories go on too long and they don't lead anywhere. Some times she talks like you know exactly who these people she's talking about are. Maybe she couldn't fathom that someone twenty or thirty years later would be interested in reading a book about her? Hell, I wanted to know more about her time at Harper's and Vogue, the Met even. She glosses over that!!! She spent most of her time talking about her early life as a pampered housewife with little to no formal education. I wanted to know how she made the transition from practically do nothing (she had lots of servants- Vreeland noted, I'm paraphrasing, to my disgust that she was prepared to work at Vogue because she knew how to run a house full of servants) to do almost everything kind of person. The Harper's, Vogue and Met stories, as meager as they are, don't come in until the last third of the book or less. Seriously!?!
Another problem I had with the story being told in her own words, was the way she exoticized people of color. I'm a POC and I have a problem with that. It happens way too much in fashion (just this week: Dolce and Gabbana/Victoria's Secret I'm looking at you!).
On the one had Vreeland was born in 1909, but the book came out in '84. It could have said something. Perhaps this has been addressed in later editions. I was ready to throw the book across the room when I read how she described one Italian man's outfit in detail but called him a "wop" like it was nothing. I was burning when she was fawning over Josephine Baker, like drooling over her physical description (it was kind of creepy). But then went on saying "there's a black in the room! There's a black in the room!" UGH! F&*!K you, Vreeland! Also she was known to have a huge collection of blackamoor pieces. She still seems to be ahead of the fashion curve since she was going to try to bring that back in the 80's and Dolce and Gabbana seems to think it's a good idea to use them now on the runway. Give 'em what they didn't know they wanted! Yeah....doesn't always work.
Despite Vreeland getting an F in race relations. She did have some gems, just in time for election season, too. "I know news when I see it! What are we talking about...pleasing the bourgeoisie of North Dakota? We're talking fashion!" I want "pleasing the bourgeoisie of North Dakota" to be used way more often! This is full line, "Actually, I can't stand novels-I don't care what happens to people on paper." That one needs to go into rotation too, "I don't care what happens to people on paper." Although I obviously love reading, unlike her.
I wanted to rate this book higher, but I just couldn't do it. I read an edition from 1984 and it seemed like in later editions there were some additions to the text. I can see that.
On to the book: It was a slow start on this one. There's no doubt that Diana Vreeland was one of those big, fashion personalities and that translates into the book. But that doesn't necessarily make for a good book. Interesting, but not good.
I wish the editors, TWO of them, would have taken a firmer hand with the text. Since she is a big personality, maybe they did and this is what they came up with anyway. With that being said, that's the main reason I didn't like the book - its overly conversational style. There needed to be some overarching perspective, more guidance to draw out the stories and keep them focused. Vreeland was born in 1909 or so and died in the late 1980's. That's a lot of the world to see and be involved in, let alone in the fashion industry.
Vreeland tends to ramble in the book. Sometimes her stories go on too long and they don't lead anywhere. Some times she talks like you know exactly who these people she's talking about are. Maybe she couldn't fathom that someone twenty or thirty years later would be interested in reading a book about her? Hell, I wanted to know more about her time at Harper's and Vogue, the Met even. She glosses over that!!! She spent most of her time talking about her early life as a pampered housewife with little to no formal education. I wanted to know how she made the transition from practically do nothing (she had lots of servants- Vreeland noted, I'm paraphrasing, to my disgust that she was prepared to work at Vogue because she knew how to run a house full of servants) to do almost everything kind of person. The Harper's, Vogue and Met stories, as meager as they are, don't come in until the last third of the book or less. Seriously!?!
Another problem I had with the story being told in her own words, was the way she exoticized people of color. I'm a POC and I have a problem with that. It happens way too much in fashion (just this week: Dolce and Gabbana/Victoria's Secret I'm looking at you!).
On the one had Vreeland was born in 1909, but the book came out in '84. It could have said something. Perhaps this has been addressed in later editions. I was ready to throw the book across the room when I read how she described one Italian man's outfit in detail but called him a "wop" like it was nothing. I was burning when she was fawning over Josephine Baker, like drooling over her physical description (it was kind of creepy). But then went on saying "there's a black in the room! There's a black in the room!" UGH! F&*!K you, Vreeland! Also she was known to have a huge collection of blackamoor pieces. She still seems to be ahead of the fashion curve since she was going to try to bring that back in the 80's and Dolce and Gabbana seems to think it's a good idea to use them now on the runway. Give 'em what they didn't know they wanted! Yeah....doesn't always work.
Despite Vreeland getting an F in race relations. She did have some gems, just in time for election season, too. "I know news when I see it! What are we talking about...pleasing the bourgeoisie of North Dakota? We're talking fashion!" I want "pleasing the bourgeoisie of North Dakota" to be used way more often! This is full line, "Actually, I can't stand novels-I don't care what happens to people on paper." That one needs to go into rotation too, "I don't care what happens to people on paper." Although I obviously love reading, unlike her.
August 24, 2009
I was so excited to read this autobiography since she was a legend in the fashion world and the personal inspiration behind the fashion company I'm currently working for. I stopped reading at about page 50 when it dawned on me that Diana Vreeland was the Paris Hilton of her time. She was a spoiled, pampered, uneducated woman (she never went to high school) who enjoyed shocking people, and had an overly high opinion of her own sparkle. She became famous and powerful purely on the basis of her money and family.
Actually, her style reminded me of the autobiography of Elsa Schiaparrelli in the rambling DAH-LING type stream of consciousness. The difference to me was that Schiap actually contributed something original and meaningful to the world of art and fashion. She had a business and felt a responsibility to work. Vreeland..not so much.
Actually, her style reminded me of the autobiography of Elsa Schiaparrelli in the rambling DAH-LING type stream of consciousness. The difference to me was that Schiap actually contributed something original and meaningful to the world of art and fashion. She had a business and felt a responsibility to work. Vreeland..not so much.
September 27, 2012
this was certainly...well, interesting.
diana vreeland was obviously a one-of-a-kind character, and possessed some whimsical brilliance. however, her privileges offered her an almost maddening sense of obliviousness to the world around her.
example? her comments on WWII were more about how she refuses to talk about politics and about how devastated she was that she couldn't visit paris for five years. there is no acknowledgement of the horrors of the time, nor the lives lost.
while i find the perspective fascinating (albeit often infuriating), i couldn't relate to her at all, nor did i aspire to be her. while she obviously was a lovable, clever person, i could not get past her lack of intellect, blatant racism, and complete and utter lack of awareness to the world around her.
it wasn't a terrible read, but it certainly was hard to get through.
diana vreeland was obviously a one-of-a-kind character, and possessed some whimsical brilliance. however, her privileges offered her an almost maddening sense of obliviousness to the world around her.
example? her comments on WWII were more about how she refuses to talk about politics and about how devastated she was that she couldn't visit paris for five years. there is no acknowledgement of the horrors of the time, nor the lives lost.
while i find the perspective fascinating (albeit often infuriating), i couldn't relate to her at all, nor did i aspire to be her. while she obviously was a lovable, clever person, i could not get past her lack of intellect, blatant racism, and complete and utter lack of awareness to the world around her.
it wasn't a terrible read, but it certainly was hard to get through.
September 29, 2017
A madcap romp through the whirly-gig mind of a madcap fashion diva. Superficial, artificial, and appallingly aristocratic she may be, but Vreeland's high camp persona unfolds on the page as pure comic gold.
December 13, 2012
Reads like a conversation. It is a conversation. I loved it- completely- and read it in about 2 days. People who say it is superficial don't get it. She lived a BEAUTIFUL life- was brilliant- and completely understood the art of living well.
July 20, 2015
superficial privileged boasting, causing the eyes to roll.
February 3, 2020
There is nothing conventional about Diana Vreeland, and her memoir is no exception. She writes this in the first person and a conversational style that wanders between topics. She was eccentric, chic, well-traveled, bohemian, and in some ways a woman before her time. If you are a fan of hers and are familiar with her enduring influence at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, then her memoir and name-dropping will resonate. The book reads much like what you might expect if you were to sit down next to her at a cocktail party and listen to her prattle on while sipping more than a few glasses of champagne. If you are expecting a more traditional memoir that sequentially marches through early life, formative years, career, and life purpose, then you will be disappointed. If you want to step back in time and enjoy the vignettes of an iconic and eccentric woman who was at the center of fostering the publications that brought style into the average American woman's coffee table, then you are in for a treat. This book won't be everyone's cup of tea. I loved it.
December 19, 2021
"袚谢邪胁薪芯械 - 褝褌芯 褋芯薪!". 袛邪卸械 蟹邪褏芯褌械谢芯褋褜 胁 袩邪褉懈卸, 褏芯褌褜 褟 械谐芯 懈 薪械 谢褞斜谢褞
August 9, 2016
This book could not be more charmant! It reads as though Diana is speaking directly to you, and I suspect it was transcribed from conversations with a friend/relative (though I haven't looked it up to confirm yet). It is also written with her inflections, which makes it so easy to "hear" her voice.
Mrs. Vreeland was just so fabulous! Though I am sure many of her stories were embellished, it is for the sake of a good story and therefore completely allowable, as Diana would say. On one page she is chatting with (or gossiping about) some royals, on another she is making a comment to Audrey Hepburn or visiting with Coco Chanel. Her life was unbelievable, and though I don't share all of her points of view, she was so full of sass and pep that I just didn't care. She keeps it light, silly, and ridiculous. Fabulous.
Mrs. Vreeland was just so fabulous! Though I am sure many of her stories were embellished, it is for the sake of a good story and therefore completely allowable, as Diana would say. On one page she is chatting with (or gossiping about) some royals, on another she is making a comment to Audrey Hepburn or visiting with Coco Chanel. Her life was unbelievable, and though I don't share all of her points of view, she was so full of sass and pep that I just didn't care. She keeps it light, silly, and ridiculous. Fabulous.
December 17, 2021
"袩械褉胁芯械, 褔褌芯 薪褍卸薪芯 褋写械谢邪褌褜, 屑芯懈 写芯褉谐懈械, - 褝褌芯 褉芯写懈褌褜褋褟 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械..袩芯褋谢械 胁褋褢 锌褉芯懈褋褏芯写懈褌 褋邪屑芯 褋芯斜芯泄". 袝褋谢懈 胁褘 褏芯褌懈褌械 褋谢褍褕邪褌褜 懈褋褌芯褉懈懈 芯 卸懈蟹薪懈 胁 褉芯褋泻芯褕懈, 胁褋褌褉械褔邪褏 褋 胁械谢懈泻懈屑懈 褋芯胁械褉屑械薪薪懈泻邪屑懈, 锌褉懈 褝褌芯屑 胁褘 谐芯褌芯胁褘 蟹邪泻褉褘褌褜 谐谢邪蟹邪 薪邪 褋谢芯卸薪芯褋褌懈 谐谢邪胁薪芯泄 谐械褉芯懈薪懈, 泻芯褌芯褉褘械 薪邪屑 薪械 泻邪卸褍褌褋褟 褌邪泻懈屑懈 褍卸 褋谢芯卸薪芯褋褌褟屑懈 (泻邪褉褌芯褎械谢褜薪褘泄 褏谢械斜 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械 锌芯褋谢械 胁芯泄薪褘, 芯褌褋褍褌褋胁懈械 褌邪泻褋懈 懈 褏芯褉芯褕械谐 褍谢懈褔薪芯谐芯 芯褋胁械褖械薪懈褟 胁 袧袡 胁褉械屑械薪 胁芯泄薪褘 懈褌写) - 褌芯 屑芯卸薪芯 锌芯褋谢褍褕邪褌褜. 袣 泻芯薪褑褍 泻薪懈谐懈 锌褉懈胁褘泻邪械褕褜 泻 褋褌懈谢褞 懈蟹谢芯卸械薪懈褟 - 写谢褟 屑械薪褟 薪械屑薪芯谐芯 褉胁邪薪褘泄 - 懈 芯泻!
December 22, 2021
袧褍 褔褌芯 褟 屑芯谐褍 褋泻邪蟹邪褌褜! 孝芯卸械 褏芯褔褍 锌褉芯卸懈褌褜 卸懈蟹薪褜 褌邪泻, 褔褌芯斜褘 褋邪屑褘屑 芯锌褍褋褌芯褕邪褞褖懈屑 锌械褉械卸懈胁邪薪懈械屑 胁 屑芯械泄 卸懈蟹薪懈 斜褘谢芯 褋谢褍褔邪泄薪芯 褏谢械斜薪褍褌褜 褏芯谢芯写薪芯谐芯 褔邪褟 胁屑械褋褌芯 斜褉械薪写懈. 袧芯, 泻邪泻 褋锌褉邪胁械写谢懈胁芯 芯褌屑械褌懈谢邪 褋邪屑邪 袛懈邪薪邪, 锌褉械卸写械 胁褋械谐芯 薪褍卸薪芯 褉芯写懈褌褜褋褟 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械 鈥� 懈 褌褍褌 褟 褍卸械 锌褉芯屑邪褏薪褍谢邪褋褜.
June 6, 2021
I haven't read anything so spectacularly bad in a long time! It is quite obviously transcribed from a conversation or a series of interviews, unbelievably poorly written, disorganised... And the content is not even particularly interesting. I didn't know much about Diana Vreeland before starting the book, and if I had I maybe wouldn't have read it. I came for the fashion and hate-read the book, just the way I might scroll down the blog of someone I despise or check the Instagram captions of the worst influencers around. There's very little about how Diana Vreeland forged a long and respected career in fashion and fashion writing; she was born in money, married money, and spent money. Opportunities followed.
I highlighted so many passages that made me cringe and that didn't age well. Despite "loathing nostalgia", Diana Vreeland has plenty to say about her admiration and love for King George and Queen Mary, and her wonderful childhood as "a product of the Empire". She moves from London to Paris, then the US - a humbling experience:
"My family moved from Long Island to a tiny little house on East Seventy-ninth Street, one door off Park Avenue. My sister has a floor with her nurse and I had a floor with my nurse"."
Imagine the tragedy of a house where you can only have one floor per child, and only two nannies. A "French maid" is also mentioned as well as a chauffeur (not to be confused with a driver - apparently drivers call you by your first name while a chauffeur would never dare. Diana never had a driver.)
Then they move West - she meets Buffalo Bill -, where they maintain a very frugal life ("My mother's horse, our two ponies... that's all I had West").
Her adult years are just her marriage to Reed Vreeland, and a series of dinners and parties with Cocteau, Andy Warhol, Coco Chanel, Wallis Simpson, Josephine Baker ("Now that was historic: we have a black in the house"). Her comments on the exoticism of black people - black women particularly - are particularly uncomfortable; similarly her admiration for Japan ("such refinement") feels superficial.
She goes to great lengths to explain her jewellry: "Have I ever showed you my little blackamoor heads from Cartier with their enameled turbans? (...) I'm told it's not in good taste to wear blackamoors anymore, but I think I'll revive them. Why not? I think those blacks I see around town today would get a kick out of it... knowing they're the most beautiful things alive".
You bet Diana!
Her wisdom includes the fact that "I believe women are naturally dependent on men" - adding that "The beauty of painting, of literature, of music, of love... this is what men have given the world, not women".
Lots of "fun facts" peppered throughout the book - the Duke of Westminster used to have someone iron his shoe laces every day (reminded me of the fact the Queen's dresser wears her shoes for her... so the Queen doesn't get blisters - that also means the Queen always gets second-hand shoes, which is odd to think about). Jackie Kennedy called her for decoration advice when moving to the White House. Coco Chanel really liked horseriding. Diana Vreeland used to shop in the same shops as Queen Mary. Etc.
Honestly a terrible book. Her life is interesting enough for a biography, but no one should have let the poor woman tell the tale herself.
I highlighted so many passages that made me cringe and that didn't age well. Despite "loathing nostalgia", Diana Vreeland has plenty to say about her admiration and love for King George and Queen Mary, and her wonderful childhood as "a product of the Empire". She moves from London to Paris, then the US - a humbling experience:
"My family moved from Long Island to a tiny little house on East Seventy-ninth Street, one door off Park Avenue. My sister has a floor with her nurse and I had a floor with my nurse"."
Imagine the tragedy of a house where you can only have one floor per child, and only two nannies. A "French maid" is also mentioned as well as a chauffeur (not to be confused with a driver - apparently drivers call you by your first name while a chauffeur would never dare. Diana never had a driver.)
Then they move West - she meets Buffalo Bill -, where they maintain a very frugal life ("My mother's horse, our two ponies... that's all I had West").
Her adult years are just her marriage to Reed Vreeland, and a series of dinners and parties with Cocteau, Andy Warhol, Coco Chanel, Wallis Simpson, Josephine Baker ("Now that was historic: we have a black in the house"). Her comments on the exoticism of black people - black women particularly - are particularly uncomfortable; similarly her admiration for Japan ("such refinement") feels superficial.
She goes to great lengths to explain her jewellry: "Have I ever showed you my little blackamoor heads from Cartier with their enameled turbans? (...) I'm told it's not in good taste to wear blackamoors anymore, but I think I'll revive them. Why not? I think those blacks I see around town today would get a kick out of it... knowing they're the most beautiful things alive".
You bet Diana!
Her wisdom includes the fact that "I believe women are naturally dependent on men" - adding that "The beauty of painting, of literature, of music, of love... this is what men have given the world, not women".
Lots of "fun facts" peppered throughout the book - the Duke of Westminster used to have someone iron his shoe laces every day (reminded me of the fact the Queen's dresser wears her shoes for her... so the Queen doesn't get blisters - that also means the Queen always gets second-hand shoes, which is odd to think about). Jackie Kennedy called her for decoration advice when moving to the White House. Coco Chanel really liked horseriding. Diana Vreeland used to shop in the same shops as Queen Mary. Etc.
Honestly a terrible book. Her life is interesting enough for a biography, but no one should have let the poor woman tell the tale herself.
April 13, 2023
Oh, Mrs. Vreeland, how your voice does pop! Having watched the doc "The Eye Has To Travel" a few times lately, the way Diana Vreeland talks is in my head and the sound of her voice really brought this book alive in a new way. There is a "voice" here, a character voice that is clear and sharp and nuanced and it should be studied by all those who want to write.
In her own way, Diana Vreeland was a performance artist and her performance was life itself. "Red" was her muse, and she can expound on the nuances and importance of colour. She was also a fabulist. Never one to be bothered by the absolute truth of a story, she understood that the value of a good story is the quality of performance.
"Why don't you..." was a DV catchphrase, from an early magazine column, full of gems such as "Why don't you ... wash your blonde child's hair in dead champagne as they do in France?" (For context, note this was in the 1930s, when many people did have buckets of old champagne cluttering up the house.)
Why don't you ... pick up this memoir, and prepare to be amazed!
In her own way, Diana Vreeland was a performance artist and her performance was life itself. "Red" was her muse, and she can expound on the nuances and importance of colour. She was also a fabulist. Never one to be bothered by the absolute truth of a story, she understood that the value of a good story is the quality of performance.
"Why don't you..." was a DV catchphrase, from an early magazine column, full of gems such as "Why don't you ... wash your blonde child's hair in dead champagne as they do in France?" (For context, note this was in the 1930s, when many people did have buckets of old champagne cluttering up the house.)
Why don't you ... pick up this memoir, and prepare to be amazed!
October 21, 2010
Diana Vreeland has such a wonderful voice and is so amusing. One of the cover blurbs says "D.V. is a champagne party" and that's completely true of my experience of reading it. It's very conversational in tone. Really, her turns of phrase are the reason to read this book. Sure, she may not be telling the utmost truth about her life - and she admits that - but even so she's clearly had an extraordinary one. I particularly loved chapter sixteen where she talks about her love of color.
June 26, 2020
Vreeland was an editor at both Vogue and Harper鈥檚 Bazaar, neither of which I鈥檝e ever read. I鈥檇 also never heard of Vreeland but love memoirs so I picked this book up at a used bookstore. After the first several pages I thought - wow, this lady is a snob, and a weird one. But I stuck with the book and within a couple of chapters I was hooked - on the book and the author.
Her adventures are fascinating. Her humor is engrossing. Her style is adorable. Examples: She refuses to read Gone With the Wind in manuscript form because it 鈥渕ade the telephone directory look like a pocket handkerchief鈥� and she preferred to sleep some at night. She glues on 3-inch fake eyelashes to get her depressed friend to talk. So many people come with style from Indiana, she says, though don鈥檛 ask for a list. She tells you lots of stories and then admits at the end some aren鈥檛 true - but 鈥測ou believed me, didn鈥檛 you?鈥�
She has chauffeurs and 3 fittings for a single nightgown and thinks lettuce is divine but isn鈥檛 sure it qualifies as a food and she wears enough perfume to save you from having to sniff her like a hound. She鈥檚 crazy and mad about pretty much everything and everyone. She has the soles of her shoes shined because if you lift your foot at dinner you need impeccable soles.
I think Vreeland and her book are simply divine and dawling, I highly recommend this book.
Her adventures are fascinating. Her humor is engrossing. Her style is adorable. Examples: She refuses to read Gone With the Wind in manuscript form because it 鈥渕ade the telephone directory look like a pocket handkerchief鈥� and she preferred to sleep some at night. She glues on 3-inch fake eyelashes to get her depressed friend to talk. So many people come with style from Indiana, she says, though don鈥檛 ask for a list. She tells you lots of stories and then admits at the end some aren鈥檛 true - but 鈥測ou believed me, didn鈥檛 you?鈥�
She has chauffeurs and 3 fittings for a single nightgown and thinks lettuce is divine but isn鈥檛 sure it qualifies as a food and she wears enough perfume to save you from having to sniff her like a hound. She鈥檚 crazy and mad about pretty much everything and everyone. She has the soles of her shoes shined because if you lift your foot at dinner you need impeccable soles.
I think Vreeland and her book are simply divine and dawling, I highly recommend this book.
September 8, 2017
I feel very conflicted about this memoir. There were parts I found entertaining to read and parts that made me cringe. The greatness and the horribleness of it all thus average out to 3 stars.
First the good. Diana was born at the turn of the twentieth century and "wrote" (i.e. her conversations with the editors were transcribed) this memoir in the mid-eighties so she covered a lot of fascinating ground. I find pretty much any life that spans the twentieth century to be an interesting one in the sense that the person experienced so much profound change in society from youth to old age. The leap from Edwardian England to Reagan's America in the 80's is a large one. A life in that period becomes even more worth reading about when the person encounters so many notable figures in politics, in society & in the arts: dance, theater, art, fashion, literature. Vreeland led a charmed life in high society and has the stories to show for it.
Of course, the majority of this slim memoir consists of name dropping the likes of which you have rarely encountered, if at all. I consider myself fairly well versed in the era and society she writes of but I still had to keep my phone nearby while I was reading so I could google people and places. I wish the editors had actually done some work and created an index the reader could refer to every time Ms Vreeland tossed out a name or a French phrase or an obscure location. I ended up rather enjoying all my detours to google - I learned a lot of pointless but entertaining facts. Did you know, for instance, that the street the Vreeland lived on in London in the 20's and 30's(Hanover Terrace) recently had a house go on the market - in 2013 - for a mere 45 million dollars? The back yard garden is half an acre. In central London! Wow. That little factoid helped me understand just what kind of wealth she was a part of. Obviously all that jet setting around the world, and designer clothes and jewels and servants etc stem from great wealth, but she never explicitly mentions it.
It doesn't make me angry, reading about her privileged life, the way some reviewers here on 欧宝娱乐 are. Not sure what they were expecting in the first place. She became famous for her family, her connections, her wealth, her friendships with notable people, her connections with high society etc. and that's what she wrote about. She lived in such a bubble; it was surreal at times to read about her life experiences.
The downside to the bubble she existed in was that throughout the book she threw out some real zingers. It was all very racist grandma at times. I think like 3 or 4 pages into the book, she is describing a room in her Hanover terrace mansion and mentions the yellow on the wall was like the yellow on a chinaman's face. WHOA..... WHAT? Then later on she rhapsodizes about some "blackamoor" jewelry she loved wearing in the 30's & 40's. Blackamoor is akin to describing a black person as a jigaboo or darky. EEEK. That segues into an uncomfortable few paragraphs all about how exotic and beautiful the black race is. She is not racist grandma in the sense that she is supporting the KKK and using the N word but racist grandma in the sense she is treating an entire race of people as a fetching trend or accessory. Sometimes she did just flat out say racist stuff like calling an Italian a wop. That was a jarring word to read in the middle of her cutesy story about her husband's bootlegger in the 1920's. I kept waiting for her to describe someone as being "a real jew" when acting stingy. She mentions how men are superior to women and that no woman has every contributed anything worthwhile in the arts. Um, ok. That is just so patently wrong it's absurd. Interesting to note that is how she felt, though. Several times she describes people as peasants and not in a humorous or joking way. I guess that is better than describing them as white trash?
I think this book appeals to a very narrow group of people. There are the fashion groupies who will love it just because it's from Diana Vreeland. There are people interested in Western high society of that period who will appreciate the stories she can tell about certain parties and hotels and restaurants. I guess I fall somewhat into that latter camp? The poor editing and the casual racism really weaken my enjoyment of the book, though.
First the good. Diana was born at the turn of the twentieth century and "wrote" (i.e. her conversations with the editors were transcribed) this memoir in the mid-eighties so she covered a lot of fascinating ground. I find pretty much any life that spans the twentieth century to be an interesting one in the sense that the person experienced so much profound change in society from youth to old age. The leap from Edwardian England to Reagan's America in the 80's is a large one. A life in that period becomes even more worth reading about when the person encounters so many notable figures in politics, in society & in the arts: dance, theater, art, fashion, literature. Vreeland led a charmed life in high society and has the stories to show for it.
Of course, the majority of this slim memoir consists of name dropping the likes of which you have rarely encountered, if at all. I consider myself fairly well versed in the era and society she writes of but I still had to keep my phone nearby while I was reading so I could google people and places. I wish the editors had actually done some work and created an index the reader could refer to every time Ms Vreeland tossed out a name or a French phrase or an obscure location. I ended up rather enjoying all my detours to google - I learned a lot of pointless but entertaining facts. Did you know, for instance, that the street the Vreeland lived on in London in the 20's and 30's(Hanover Terrace) recently had a house go on the market - in 2013 - for a mere 45 million dollars? The back yard garden is half an acre. In central London! Wow. That little factoid helped me understand just what kind of wealth she was a part of. Obviously all that jet setting around the world, and designer clothes and jewels and servants etc stem from great wealth, but she never explicitly mentions it.
It doesn't make me angry, reading about her privileged life, the way some reviewers here on 欧宝娱乐 are. Not sure what they were expecting in the first place. She became famous for her family, her connections, her wealth, her friendships with notable people, her connections with high society etc. and that's what she wrote about. She lived in such a bubble; it was surreal at times to read about her life experiences.
The downside to the bubble she existed in was that throughout the book she threw out some real zingers. It was all very racist grandma at times. I think like 3 or 4 pages into the book, she is describing a room in her Hanover terrace mansion and mentions the yellow on the wall was like the yellow on a chinaman's face. WHOA..... WHAT? Then later on she rhapsodizes about some "blackamoor" jewelry she loved wearing in the 30's & 40's. Blackamoor is akin to describing a black person as a jigaboo or darky. EEEK. That segues into an uncomfortable few paragraphs all about how exotic and beautiful the black race is. She is not racist grandma in the sense that she is supporting the KKK and using the N word but racist grandma in the sense she is treating an entire race of people as a fetching trend or accessory. Sometimes she did just flat out say racist stuff like calling an Italian a wop. That was a jarring word to read in the middle of her cutesy story about her husband's bootlegger in the 1920's. I kept waiting for her to describe someone as being "a real jew" when acting stingy. She mentions how men are superior to women and that no woman has every contributed anything worthwhile in the arts. Um, ok. That is just so patently wrong it's absurd. Interesting to note that is how she felt, though. Several times she describes people as peasants and not in a humorous or joking way. I guess that is better than describing them as white trash?
I think this book appeals to a very narrow group of people. There are the fashion groupies who will love it just because it's from Diana Vreeland. There are people interested in Western high society of that period who will appreciate the stories she can tell about certain parties and hotels and restaurants. I guess I fall somewhat into that latter camp? The poor editing and the casual racism really weaken my enjoyment of the book, though.
May 31, 2014
Not really what I was expecting. It isn't a book so much as it is the transcription of interviews. I'd say the "editing" rather than "transcription" if it read like it had been well edited. It doesn't.
Vreeland rambles for 32 chapters and she has some interesting stories but mostly she gossips and indulges in a lot of self-adulation. For someone who held a key position in the fashion industry she sheds remarkably little light on the actual work. Unlike other reviewers, I refuse to react with cringing horror to her various racial and gender stereotyping that is perfectly in context with her time. I just can't seem to get out of bed for that kind of false indignation anymore. But the lack of real content is unforgivable.
Yes, she can be pithy, but if you let a recorder run for 400 hours you could probably get any dullard to say one or two clever things. It just wasn't enough to justify this book and all of the accolades afforded this book.
Once again, the fashion industry sucker punched me. But you know how it is, fool me once...
I have no one to blame but myself.
Vreeland rambles for 32 chapters and she has some interesting stories but mostly she gossips and indulges in a lot of self-adulation. For someone who held a key position in the fashion industry she sheds remarkably little light on the actual work. Unlike other reviewers, I refuse to react with cringing horror to her various racial and gender stereotyping that is perfectly in context with her time. I just can't seem to get out of bed for that kind of false indignation anymore. But the lack of real content is unforgivable.
Yes, she can be pithy, but if you let a recorder run for 400 hours you could probably get any dullard to say one or two clever things. It just wasn't enough to justify this book and all of the accolades afforded this book.
Once again, the fashion industry sucker punched me. But you know how it is, fool me once...
I have no one to blame but myself.
February 4, 2008
This book is the literary equivalent of cotton candy...sweet, pretty, completely lacking in substance, and it will make you sick if you ingest too much in one sitting. I find Vreeland to be a fascinating woman but I think she would fare better as the subject of a biography, as opposed to an autobiography. This book isn't really written--it appears to have been lifted from a conversation and transcribed. But it is difficult not to have great fondness for a book with lines like "Lettuce is divine, although I'm not sure it's really food" and "Asparagus should be sexy."
July 1, 2018
I've been meaning to read this ever since seeing it referenced in To Wong Fu Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I found the first couple dozen pages rather obnoxious, until I adjusted my expectations and unbent enough to enjoy this piece of antiquated, frivolous nonsense. As the author reveals towards the end, many of her charming anecdotes never actually happened; this is a book that's more about capturing a mood and a tone of voice than it is relating historical events.
October 30, 2012
The editor of vogue during the 1950s and 1960s was influential and worldly. She doesn't come off that way in this rambling memoir. There's a lot of name dropping. It's also a bit frustrating that she lived during some great historical moments and has a very superficial grasp of her eras. It's like reading the memoir of Bertie Wooster or a character from Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies. Her old-fashioned ideas on women and race made for some uncomfortable reading.
May 8, 2015
There is absolutely not anything I could say about this book that would be enough. Sparkling, wildly charming, outlandish, bold, captivating... That any such human with such brains and passion and zest ever lived is remarkable. I could happily turn back to page one and read it again and again.
Five stars!
Five stars!
January 23, 2009
A must read for anyone hoping to develop any sense of style. I have to read it every few years jut to recharge. Diana Vreeland is living proof that one need not be pretty in order to be Glamourous.
Read
February 19, 2017Light and fun.
January 10, 2022
袪芯褋泻芯褕褜, 斜邪褏褉芯屑邪, 泻邪斜褍泻懈, 袣芯薪写械 袧邪褋褌. 袪芯写懈褌褜褋褟 胁 袩邪褉懈卸械 鈥� 褏芯褉芯褕芯
March 20, 2024
Very glamorous- Diana was one of a kind! 4.5/5
May 25, 2023
So utterly charmed by this woman! So chic and so full of life
June 12, 2016
Here's how you read this book: you wait for an evening where you don't have much going on, put on a nice outfit, get a glass of cool champagne and read it in one sitting. It probably helps if you have some Cole Porter or something on the background. What I'm trying to say is, you need atmosphere.
Why would you need all that to read a book? Well D.V. is a kind of autobiography - but really it's EXACTLY like you're at a party with Diana Vreeland, and she's talking and talking about her life (and no one gets a single word in!). And you wouldn't want to be at a party with Diana Vreeland and not look your best.
Of course, because we're at a party, you have to keep the stories interesting. She's had quite the life, so she had plenty of them (about herself and about other people), but she also made up some and embellished others, as one does when you want to captivate the audience. And it's not polite to talk about personal tragedies or sad events in general, or you'd bring down the mood of the guests.
Well, Diana was a force of nature, a true original, and of course it's fascinating to hear what she has to say - everything about her is over the top. But it does get a bit tiresome to be in a one-sided conversation all the time, and while the shallow and sparkly kind of talk does brilliantly at a party, it can make a book feel a little flat after a while, because you know you aren't getting beneath the surface of the story.
In any case, I would recommend it for people who are interested in fashion or society - Diana made more of an impact on your life than you probably know. Perhaps before picking this up, if you aren't the sort of person who knows exactly who she was, and who can name the main society women of the XX century, you might want to watch the documentary D.V. and read the book The Power of Style (Tapert & Edkins).
If you are doing the Kitty Pong Reading Challenge, D.V. is part of it, but you have to follow the reading order, and The Power of Style comes before it, exactly because it explains who a lot of the people who are mentioned here are (with gorgeous photographs to boot).
Why would you need all that to read a book? Well D.V. is a kind of autobiography - but really it's EXACTLY like you're at a party with Diana Vreeland, and she's talking and talking about her life (and no one gets a single word in!). And you wouldn't want to be at a party with Diana Vreeland and not look your best.
Of course, because we're at a party, you have to keep the stories interesting. She's had quite the life, so she had plenty of them (about herself and about other people), but she also made up some and embellished others, as one does when you want to captivate the audience. And it's not polite to talk about personal tragedies or sad events in general, or you'd bring down the mood of the guests.
Well, Diana was a force of nature, a true original, and of course it's fascinating to hear what she has to say - everything about her is over the top. But it does get a bit tiresome to be in a one-sided conversation all the time, and while the shallow and sparkly kind of talk does brilliantly at a party, it can make a book feel a little flat after a while, because you know you aren't getting beneath the surface of the story.
In any case, I would recommend it for people who are interested in fashion or society - Diana made more of an impact on your life than you probably know. Perhaps before picking this up, if you aren't the sort of person who knows exactly who she was, and who can name the main society women of the XX century, you might want to watch the documentary D.V. and read the book The Power of Style (Tapert & Edkins).
If you are doing the Kitty Pong Reading Challenge, D.V. is part of it, but you have to follow the reading order, and The Power of Style comes before it, exactly because it explains who a lot of the people who are mentioned here are (with gorgeous photographs to boot).
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