Diana Vreeland, also known as Diana Dalziel, was an American socialite, fashionista, columnist, and editor who worked for prestigious fashion magazines such as ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ and ‘Vogue.’ She was noted for her remarkable language, her perspective on global fashion, her ability to coin terms and phrases that immediately drew the attention of her readers, and her ability to use her words to construct a breathtaking picture of fashion and fantasy in relation to the ever-changing social reality. Vreeland was found by editor Carmel Snow, who provided her the opportunity to pursue her passion for fashion, which she had admired since she was a child. Being the daughter of a wealthy socialite only aided Vreeland in cultivating the composure that she instilled in her readers throughout her life. On top of that, marrying a well-to-do and even wealthy banker provided her with the kind of exposure that helped her advance in her job. For almost 26 years, Vreeland wrote the column ‘Why Don’t You?’, which made her a fashion expert among American housewives in the 1960s. She worked as an editor-in-chief for Vogue before joining the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a consultant. Vreeland revolutionized the American fashion business at a time when it was stagnant.
Childhood and Adolescence
Frederick Young Dalziel and Emily Key Hoffman gave birth to Diana Vreeland in Paris, France. Her mother was a socialite from the United States. When World War I broke out, the family immigrated to America and settled in New York City.
Vreeland enrolled in a dance school and began studying with Michel Fokine. At Carnegie Hall, she performed in Anna Pavlova’s Gavotte. Her family was so well-known in the American social scene that she was once profiled as a socialite in Vogue.
She relocated to London after marrying in 1924 and danced with the ‘Tiller Girls’ there. She became a prominent member of London’s elite social scene and launched her own lingerie business near Berkeley Square.
The career of Diana Vreeland
Vreeland began her literary career as a columnist for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ in 1936, after returning to New York with her family. Carmel Snow, the editor at the time, offered her the job because she admired the way Vreeland dressed.
She began her ‘Why Don’t You?’ section in the magazine, in which she handed forth unusual and occasionally really useful fashion tips. She was known for taking fashion seriously and publicly criticizing the American fashion industry.
Vreeland worked closely with fashion photographers Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Richard Avedon, and Alexey Brodovitch throughout her time at Harper’s Bazaar. She was quickly promoted to editor of the magazine due to her talent in the fields of fashion and writing.
By the 1960s, Vreeland had established herself as a fashion specialist in the American fashion circuit, and she had become the official fashion advisor to Jacqueline Kennedy, the first lady of the time. Throughout the campaign, she provided her with advice.
Vreeland joined Vogue magazine in 1962 after being underpaid and overlooked for a promotion at Harper’s Bazaar. She was quickly promoted to editor-in-chief.
She relished her social and professional standing at Vogue, where she penned brilliantly descriptive fashion columns capturing the burgeoning 1960s fashion scene. She was a sucker for innovation, defying all that was conventional and immutable.
Vogue sacked her in 1971, and she went on to work as a consultant for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. During her time at the museum, she is credited with organizing roughly 12 exhibitions.
The Major Projects
One of Vreeland’s most famous roles is that of a columnist in Harper’s Bazaar. ‘Why Don’t You?’ was a column that radically altered how American housewives dressed and thought. It lasted nearly 26 years.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1924, Vreeland married Thomas Reed Vreeland, a handsome Yale graduate banker who took her to Europe and transformed the way she felt and saw things. Tim and Freaky were their two children.
In 1989, she died of a heart attack at the age of 85 in New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital. The Diana Vreeland Estate was built to carry on Vreeland’s legacy, and it is now run by her grandson and Freaky’s son.
Estimated Net worth
Diana is one of the wealthiest journalists and one of the most well-known. Diana Vreeland’s net worth is estimated to be $5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
In 2012, the documentary ‘Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel’ was released. The film is based on her life, including how she became a fashion pioneer and how her time in Europe with her husband shaped her into a fashionista.
Vreeland’s life is claimed to be modeled on the absurd character of the fashion editor in the film ‘Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?’
In 1933, she was one of fifteen American women honored at Buckingham Palace by King George V and Queen Mary.