Posts for December 9th 2006
the inimitable nan December 9, 2006 11:41 pm >> The woman lived and died for fashion, literally. She smoked from the age of 14 and ate lettuce (instead of bread)-bound sandwiches to maintain herself within sample size range. A few years ago, when she was in her seventies, she broke her hip wearing spiked heels. In 2005, she passed away from emphysema. But for all her effort, fashion loved the original "social x-ray," Nan Kempner, back. Diana Vreeland once said, "There are no chic women in America. The one exception is Nan Kempner." -- A weighty statement coming from an editor of American Vogue. Yves Saint Laurent called her "la plus chic du monde."
Mrs. Kempner had quite the personality -- in the 1960's, she wore a new style --
a pantsuit -- to dinner at La Cote Basque restaurant, where the dress code
forbade women in pants. Stopped at the door by hostess Madame Henriette, she
yanked off the pants, handed them to her husband and told Madame, "I hope you
like this better.'' She wore the tunic top as a dress, placed lots of napkins
in her lap and "didn't dare bend over,'' she recalled.
Bottega Veneta
Yogo Ego