I found this documentary of the life and career of Diana Vreeland to be very fascinating. The journey of her life is conveyed through recorded interviews she game to writer George Plimpton , who was writing her autobiography "D.V.", as well as clips from interviews she gave to Diane Sawyer, Jane Pauley, and Dick Cavett, among others. Additionally, there's interviews with many people that worked with her over the years such as designers, models, photographers, film stars, assistants, and her family. There's many wondrous film clips of the eras and people of her time.
The movie covers her personal life and personality to some degree as well. She had a pampered childhood growing up in Europe, but suffered, it seemed, verbal abuse at the hands of her mother who referred to her as her "ugly little monster" and "ugly duckling". Eventually she met her husband Reed Vreeland and entered a marriage that lasted nearly a half century. Before, WWII, she moved to America, and eventually began working for the famed Harper's Bazaar magazine. She quickly rose to become fashion editor, but was notorious for her demanding and rude ways with her assistants, one of which surprisingly was the future movie actress Ali MacGraw.
At Harper's, Vreeland displayed many of the characteristics that made her so unique. She was an amazing visionary with seemingly impeccable instincts for fashion and how to transform that onto the pages of the mag. She also had an amazing eye for beauty in the models that were photographed and knew how to accentuate those features of the models that no one else could. Such notables as Lauren Bacall, Cher, Lauren Hutton, Twiggy, Marisa Berenson, Penelope, and Veruschka, all thrived under her watch at Harper's and later Vogue magazine.
After many years at Harper's, Vreeland was lured to Vogue to become Editor-In-Chief. It was the 1960's and the freedom and revolutionary spirit of the time were perfect for her. She thrived there as well and added to her legend. In her seventies, she became a lead consultant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and their Costume Institute, where she staged fantastic exhibitions for the museum.
All in all, I was quite fascinated by this detailed documentary on the genius, and the "warts", of a very unique personality who added so much to the eras she lived through.
The movie covers her personal life and personality to some degree as well. She had a pampered childhood growing up in Europe, but suffered, it seemed, verbal abuse at the hands of her mother who referred to her as her "ugly little monster" and "ugly duckling". Eventually she met her husband Reed Vreeland and entered a marriage that lasted nearly a half century. Before, WWII, she moved to America, and eventually began working for the famed Harper's Bazaar magazine. She quickly rose to become fashion editor, but was notorious for her demanding and rude ways with her assistants, one of which surprisingly was the future movie actress Ali MacGraw.
At Harper's, Vreeland displayed many of the characteristics that made her so unique. She was an amazing visionary with seemingly impeccable instincts for fashion and how to transform that onto the pages of the mag. She also had an amazing eye for beauty in the models that were photographed and knew how to accentuate those features of the models that no one else could. Such notables as Lauren Bacall, Cher, Lauren Hutton, Twiggy, Marisa Berenson, Penelope, and Veruschka, all thrived under her watch at Harper's and later Vogue magazine.
After many years at Harper's, Vreeland was lured to Vogue to become Editor-In-Chief. It was the 1960's and the freedom and revolutionary spirit of the time were perfect for her. She thrived there as well and added to her legend. In her seventies, she became a lead consultant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and their Costume Institute, where she staged fantastic exhibitions for the museum.
All in all, I was quite fascinated by this detailed documentary on the genius, and the "warts", of a very unique personality who added so much to the eras she lived through.