Rosamond Bernier- Requiescat In Pace

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One of the most delightful memoirs I've read in months is the Rosamond Bernier's book Some of My Lives-
DO read it.
It's magical.
I gave the book for Christmas years ago-and I received my copy from Charlotte Moss-with the inscription-"enough Inspiration here for several lifetimes."
Bernier does inspire.

Rosamond Bernier died November 10th at the age of 100. Her storied life was an inspiration for so many-proof noted with tributes all over social media.

Bernier in 1996, photographed in front of her 1948 Dior dress, chosen as the 'Poster Girl' for the Dior exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. (I am wearing Chanel!)- caption from her site Rosamond Bernier here

So fashionable — So lovely– So intelligent, proof  positive of that phrase "style & substance."

The beautiful Rosamond Bernier met everyone that was anyone and shared bits only she could know about the BIGGEST artists, designers and style makers of an era never to be seen again. She's chaptered the book into dishy memories-as she calls it "A Scrapbook Memoir"-with Picasso, Miro, Matisse-Chanel, Lelong -they're all there. She travels to Paris after the second World War with artist Eric to cover fashion (this chapter is excerpted at the Paris Review here  along with some of Eric's drawings from their trip)

  a 1943 Vogue drawing by Eric of a Hattie Carnegie evening blouse

I have this Eric drawing in my collection-(from the pages of Vogue 1943)

 This is one of the Eric drawings I've collected from the pages of  Vogue 1943.

Eric's Taxco Summer Dresses made me think of  Rosamond Bernier's chapter on landing her job with Vogue in 1945. Though she hadn't met Eric- Eric Carl Erickson, Bernier could easily have posed for the drawing. While in New York, she met Edna Chase, Iva Patcevitch, Alexander Liberman and his wife Tatiana, 'the Conde Nast high command.'  Bernier recalls- 'I was wearing a Mexican skirt and white blouse. Tatiana growled at me in French, "You ought to wear a black blouse with that skirt.' It didn't seem to phase Chase- who as Bernier explained 'that she had been on a beach in Acapulco for five years & knew absolutely nothing about fashion,' replied 'tartly,' "My child, I know a fashion editor when I see one."

Berniers crisscrosses in Some of My Lives from Mexico-to Paris-to-New York wearing couture and collecting memories. She recalls her long friendship with Leonard Bernstein,  the founding of her influential art magazine L'OEIL and her marriage to love of her life- John Dickinson, all of it's there. She tells us stories & we feel as if we're eavesdropping-but she's keeping confidences too- exuding an elegant presence-cool- collected. The lady.
I didn't want it to end.


There are just the most wonderful photographs, lectures, Everything at her website It's a dream- visit here. 

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WOULD VOGUE DARE?

Once upon a time when Edna Woolman Chase was Editor in Chief...


Chase started in the Vogue mail room and with her zest for the magazine-quickly advanced." When magazine was in danger of closing, and Chase took it upon herself to make sure Vogue was kept alive. Chase went on the road to persuade people to keep reading the magazine." (wiki) **Conde Nast bought the magazine 1909 and made Chase editor in chief in 1914.

The results:

Vogue cover by Cecil Beaton March 1948

In today's youth obsessed, starlet world, Would they dare put a woman like this on the cover? A gorgeous woman of indeterminable age, silver hair, with a classical Beaton background. Carmen Dell' Orefice would do nicely.

image from fashion tidbits (here)

image from HighValleyBooks (here)

Suggested reading, Chase's book Always in Vogue (1954)

** would Anna Wintour dare?