Then she went to Vogue, where she became editor-in-chief. She didn't actually get going until relatively late in life, in her mid-30s, when she joined Harper's Bazaar, which was an extraordinary magazine in 1936, and she stayed there right through till 1962, not as its editor, but as its fashion editor. Her story is captured in the new book, 'Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland.' Michel Martin recently sat down with the author, Amanda MacKenzie Stuart.įor our listeners who are not fashionistas, can you just give us - just briefly - an idea of Diana Vreeland's influence in fashion?ĪMANDA MACKENZIE STUART: Her career in fashion spanned many decades. Vreeland later launched groundbreaking costume exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and she accomplished all that after a childhood filled with pain, insecurity and a mother who called her ugly. She spent more than 20 years at Harper's Bazaar before taking the helm of American Vogue. Coming up, a discussion about why fashion is so important for many African-American men.īut first, a look at a woman who helped shape American fashion, icon Diana Vreeland.

Over the next few minutes, we'll focus on the unique history of American fashion. Despite challenging economic times, many of us will dress up for New Year's Eve.

Linda Ignês by Rocha Martins