[ Posted Friday, March 8, 2002 ]

from the desk of mrs. vreeland

AS OPAQUE AND FABULOUS AS HAIKU — MEMOS FROM THE LEGENDARY FASHION EDITOR.

The delicious dicta of Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, have been dispensed in a variety of media — memorably in her "Why Don't You...?" column in Bazaar — but none are more fascinating than her memos to her staff.

Filled with quirky directives ("Let's promote grey") and tossed-off thoughts ("Most girls' ears stick out"), the Vreeland memos are often as opaque and fabulous as haiku. Dictated to a secretary, they feel fascinatingly close to email, written in alternately curt and rambling prose, dotted with ellipses, and with the occasional out-of-nowhere remark or flash of inspiration. They're like direct link-ups with the Vreeland mind.

It's equally fun to scan the recipient list and imagine the style arbiters of today as simply Mrs. V's girls then — "Miss Donovan" (the late Carrie Donovan, who also held positions at Bazaar and The New York Times), "Miss Mirabella" (Grace Mirabella, Vreeland's successor and founder of the beloved, now-defunct "smart" fashion mag Mirabella), "Mrs. Mellen" (Polly Mellen, the iconic Vogue sittings editor and Allure fashion director).

Here, mediabistro.com excerpts a few gems from among the 150 memos and Paris telexes collected by Visionaire in its latest issue. — Albert Lee

SEPTEMBER 11, 1966
SUBJECT: EYE MAKEUP

We are starting a new year.

Faint, faint, if any, eyebrows.

Beautifully made up corners of the eyes, eyelids and above the eyelids.

Rich looking skin with a golden sheen.

FEBRUARY 10, 1967
RE: HAIR ON SITTINGS

For goodness sakes, beware of curls...

It is a great art to do them so that the girls not only look modern — but do not suddenly look very vulgar.

Don't forget, we have just been through a period of hair — where an enormous aristocracy has been projected through clean faces, very made up eyes, and sleek hair — and suddenly a round face like Klerquer's looks perfectly awful... very silly, very affected, and who in the world would want to look like that.

We are not looking for endless variety — we are looking for fashion.

Also, beware of little girl gestures — fingers in the mouth and all that. We are, under no circumstances, showing any little girl effects — nor are we using it in text — or do we want it any photographic effects... as they are terribly, terribly vulgar.

JUNE 5, 1967
RE: FRECKLES

I am extremely disappointed that no one has taken the slightest interest in freckles on the models...

I heartily suggest that we get going as soon as possible on this delicious coquetery — and that you experiment well before pictures are taken... as the only time we have tried doing this, the spots turned out to look like black moles instead of pale red freckles..

All these suggestions were in my telexes from Paris — and I was hoping to see them throughout the next few issues... and it is high time we get on to this.

Please discuss with Carol Phillips' department the best stuff to use.

JUNE 18, 1968
RE: SONNY AND CHER

Sonny and Chér are going to be here the end of June...

As we couldn't publish the pictures of Chér the last time she was here and her dream is to be in high fashion and she looks beautiful in it, are there not some pictures that could be taken then?

For instance, a spread that could be done by Waldeck or Penati?

The great thing is to wash her face... and if you have any trouble with her tell her that I will talk to her and she simply has to realize that certain makeups, such as a thick opaque one with thick opaque eyelashes (such as she was done before) simply don't photograph... and this is all we can say about it...

There has to be a transparency, a gleam, a lightness and an amused expression or people look dead today and very old...

FEBRUARY 24, 1969
SUBJECT: UNDER $30 DRESSES

I think that the most completely constructive thing that Vogue can do for its readers is when we show a group of inexpensive clothes for summer — we do a group of really cheap dresses.... for example — JUNE if we can do 10 pages of dresses for under $30.00.
You say it is not possible to dress for under $30.00.......

To put it frankly, everybody wears them — it is just that we don't show it.

Whose market will have these clothes? I am speaking of Banlon houses like Nestroy, etc. I cannot believe that by interesting a certain group of the market — perhaps they are Kezia's houses — please — check — that people would be interested in doing something for us as this special price.

With health, a good figure and brown skin in the summer, people should spend very little money on their clothes.

Could these people investigate at once.... I understand that we are now through with the selection of the extravagants of the market... until we start going into autumn. By through, I mean we are through looking at them though certainly we will put some of the beautiful organzas in, etc....

Nylon, dacron, synthetics, hersey....

I would like to have an answer from each and every one of you as to where these things could be found, and what you are going to do about them....

In the case of Babs and Baron de Gunzburg — they will certainly say "this is not my market". The point is that it is your Fashion Department and you should make suggestions to the girls....

Mrs. Mellon can make suggestions from her shirt collection — the shirts done in cotton this summer.

APRIL 14, 1969
(No subject)

Let's promote grey.

For everything.

At the present moment how much grey have we got?

Albert Lee is the editor of mediabistro.com. Images courtesy Visionaire.