(Original article was published on monobclothing.com/blog on April 23, 2019.)
Not many people have enjoyed the success, reverence, and respect in the fashion business like Diana Vreeland.
Fashion designers took cues from her as she dictated which way fashion should go. She worked for influential fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.
Where Chanel came from in France is anyone’s guess. She said one thing one day and another thing the next. She was a peasant – and a genius. Peasants and geniuses are the only people who count and she was both.
Diana Vreeland
It’s no surprise that for World Book Day, Mono B selected two works by Diana Vreeland.
The first one is D.V., her iconic autobiography.
The book was first published in 1984 and has since become a sartorial bible for those who wish to know what made the original Empress of Fashion tick.
Of course, the book is not without criticism. Some readers have pointed out how Vreeland was absolutely out of touch with reality and how the book could benefit from a braver editor so it wouldn’t sound like (uncensored) trains of thoughts.
If you’d rather see gorgeous (and we mean gorgeous) pictures of Vreeland and her life and times in the fashion world, look no further than the scarlet-covered Diana Vreeland: An Illustrated Biography by Eleanor Dwight. Fun-fact, red is Vreeland’s favorite color. Her living room is a crimson celebration, decorated by the great Billy Baldwin (the interior designer, not the actor). Complete with exclusive personal materials from Vreeland’s personal collection and a preface by Vogue’s André Leon Talley, this book makes a handsome (and inspiring) coffee table addition.