DIANA VREELAND
Although Diana Vreeland is a legend in the Vogue family tree, the former editor-in-chief had actually established herself first as a huge fashion force at Harper’s Bazaar. Having being plucked from obscurity in 1936, Vreeland quickly made a name for herself through her impeccable style. Having grabbed readers’ attention through her refreshing column “Why Don’t You?” (Why Don’t You… have your cigarettes stamped with a personal insignia?), she went on to revolutionize the job of Fashion Editor. By being extremely hands-on and forward thinking, Vreeland managed to stay with the magazine for 26 years. However, tired of not being promoted to editor-in-chief she decided to leave, putting her flamboyant nature and enthusiasm to work at Vogue in 1963. The swinging sixties and Vreeland’s colourful personality was a match made in heaven. The innate ability she had to know exactly what readers wanted, together with her glorious ideas for fashion spreads completely transformed Vogue into the fashion bible it is today. "Give ‘em what they never knew they wanted!", she once said.
In addition to her remarkable eye for fashion, she was also known for talent spotting and every model she worked with, from Lauren Hutton to Ali McGraw, became household names thanks to their Vogue exposure. Diana Vreeland finally left the magazine in 1971 when she was controversially let go and although quite hurt by the dismissal, she didn't look back. Two years later she joined the Met Museum’s Costume Institute in New York as a consultant, organising extremely popular exhibitions such as “The World of Balenciaga”. Towards the latter part of the 80's, Vreeland became extremely ill and sadly passed away in 1989. She will always remain to be the ultimate style icon, and while every legend has its critics, no one can deny that for over half a century she played an integral part in shaping the fashion industry.
LEGENDARY DIANA VREELAND COVERS
