Excerpt: The International Best Dressed List

“ Good clothes open all doors.” —T H O M A S F U L L E R (1608-1661)

C lo ck w ise fr o m l e ft : T H E D U C H E S S O F W I N D S O R (formerly Wallis Warfield o f Bal t i m ore ) i n Pa ri s , 19 3 7. Wo o lwo r t h he ir e s s B A R B A R A H U T T O N , the o r i g i nal “p oor l i ttl e r i c h gi rl ,” in c o s t u me as “ T he Spir it o f Adve nt u re,” Madison S qu ar e Ga rd en , Ma y 19 3 2 . E L I Z A B E T H , T H E Q U E E N M O T H E R arriving at Wyndh a m ’ s T h e a te r i n L on do n t o s e e t he play George and Margaret , 1938. Tobacco heiress D O R I S D U K E arriving at LaGuardia airport from Buenos Aires. Le f t: K A T H R Y N ( “ K I T T Y ” ) M I L L E R wit h W I L L I A M R H I N E L A N D E R S T E W A R T a n d h i s w i f e J A N E T R H I N E L A N D E R S T E W A R T , in New York at o pe ni n g n i gh t of th e Ma x w e ll Ande r s o n play Candle in the Wind , October 19 41. Fas h i on e d i tor B a r on Niki de Gu nz bu r g be lie ve d t hat Diana Vreeland knew “one-tenth as much about clothes” as Kitty did. Right: M O N A W I L L I A M S V O N B I S M A R C K i n a ra s p be r r y - pink Bale nc iaga, at he r apar t m ent in t he hi st o ri c 17 th - c e n tur y H ôt e l Lambe r t , Par is , by C e c il Be at o n, 19 55. M o na w a s i m m orta l i z ed b y Tr u man C apo t e as “ Kat e M c C lo u d” in h is notorious r o m an à c l ef , A n s w e r ed P ra ye r s .

P r e v i o us s prea d , lef t : G E N E T I E R N E Y was among the first to a rr i v e on t he Lis t in t he Fas hio n Pr o fe s s io nals c ategor y, as she h a d b e e n mar r ie d t o O le g C as s ini, t he n a c o s t u m e designer for Pa r amo u nt Pic t u r e s . H e r e T ie r ne y is fit t e d by designer B on n i e C as hin in a dr e s s o f lamé , ve lve t , and s equins, for her l e a d r o le in O t t o Pr e minge r ’s 19 4 4 mas t e rpiece, Laura . P r e v i o us s prea d , right : A D E L E A S T A I R E , Fred Astaire’s older sister and dancing partner, by British portrait photographer Ma d a m e Ye vo nde . Ade le r e t ir e d fr o m s ho w bu s iness to marr y Ch a r l es Ca ve ndis h, a Br it is h lo r d. By t he t im e s he was named to th e L i s t Ade le was r e m ar r ie d t o t he Am e r ic an ba nker and CIA a s s i s ta n t d i re c t o r Kingman Do u glas s . Ade le was kn own not only f or he r br e e z y s t y le , bu t als o fo r he r ve r y salty tongue. L e ft : B A B E M O R T I M E R P A L E Y , who pat r o nized American m o r e t han Fr e nc h de s igne r s , pho t o gr aphed by Horst in a m a t blac k r ay o n dr e s s by Tr aina- No r e ll, 1946. Eleanor Lam be r t c alle d he r “t he s u pe r - dr e s s e r of our time.” Uppe r l e ft : B A B E C U S H I N G P A L E Y in a t affeta dress and d i a m o nds , pho t o gr aphe d by J o hn Rawlings , 1946. Vogue r em a rk ed t hat s he “ has a s pe c ial t ale nt fo r we a ring clothes.” Ra w l i n gs waxe d mo r e e c s t at ic : “ T he s hape o f her face is as a tten u at e d as an E l Gr e c o . She has t he m o s t luminous skin i m a gi n a ble and o nly Ve las qu e z c o u ld paint her coloring on c anvas . She has t he gr e at ne s s , t he p oise, and the d i gn i ty of one o f t ho s e gr ande s dame s who m Balzac described i n h i s Com é die H u maine .” Lo wer righ t : Babe photographed by E r w i n B l um e nfe ld, 19 4 7. Dau ght e r o f a pr o mine nt B oston brain s u r geon , s he was o ne o f t he t hr e e fam o u s ly “ fabulous Cushing s i s ter s .” H e r fac e had be e n r e c o ns t r u c t e d aft e r a car crash, a mis fo r t u ne t hat o nly adde d to her beauty.

L e f t : N A M E H E R E T K T K T K in a gown by B alenciaga , L a L e op ol d a , 19 6 3 . T h i s p a g e : N A M E H E R E T K T K T K in a gown by B ale n c i a g a , L a L eopolda, 1963. N e x t p a g e : N A M E H E R E T K T K T K i n a g ow n by B alenciaga, L a L eopolda, 1963.

L e f t : N A M E H E R E T K T K T K in a go wn by Bale nc iaga, L a L eopolda, 1963. T h i s p a g e : N A M E H E R E T K T K T K in a gown by B alenciaga, L a L eop ol d a, 19 6 3 . N e x t p a g e : N A M E H E R E T K T K T K in a gown by Bale nc iaga, L a L eopolda, 1963.

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