VREELAND, DIANA

(1903-1989)

Diana Vreeland was a fashion legend who was born in Paris to a socially prominent family. She married Thomas Reed Vreeland in 1924 and the couple moved to New York in 1935. Vreeland worked underHarper'sBazaars editor-in-chief,Carmel Snow, from 1939 until 1962, when she moved on toVoguemagazine where she quickly became editor-in-chief in 1963. While atVogue, Vreeland transformed the magazine during a time when the fashion world was undergoing a renaissance.Street fashion, never before popular in fashion magazines, filledVogue'spages in Vreeland's distinctive style combining fantasy with glamour.The "youthquake" movement of the 1960s saw themod look, featuring unisex models such asTwiggyand Penelope Tree, and thehippieand futuristic movement, with bare-breastedRudi Gernreichfashions andPacoRabanne's modernistic looks. Vreeland worked with some of the most famous fashion photographers of her time, namelyLouise Dahl-WolfeandRichard Avedon. She helped launch many careers. She was fired fromVoguein 1971, due to the publisher claim that her editorial style was too costly.

In 1972, Vreeland assumed the role ofcreative directorfor the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and produced twelve exhibitions before she left in 1985. She created a new concept of how to present costume in the context of the paintings, sculptures, and music of the period. Her first show wasThe World of Balenciagain 1973 followed byThe Tens,Twenties and Thirties—Inventive Clothes:1909-1939, featuring forty-one magnificentVionnetdresses. Her shows set a new standard for costume museums and Vreeland will be remembered for her flamboyant style and extravagant personality.