I love getting inspired by fashions from the past, and I hope you do, too! What I like even more is fashionable women who, through their innovative mindset, their quest to create a legacy, or their personal creative drive, made a real contribution to the stylish world in which we live today. I collected some of my favorite contributors and have highlighted them here.
Ms. Rogers was a true original. She had the money, the style, and the class. She was a curious combination of drive, privilege, and impeccable taste -- and I wish I heard more about this fascinating woman in general. There is a great museum in New Mexico dedicated to her collection of Native American art, and I'm in the process of digging up some wonderful literature dedicated to Millicent. Hopefully that will give us more insight on the intensely interesting, powerful woman Rogers was.
Talk about style makers! Elsie de Wolfe has been branded the first female interior decorator and was the creator of some beautiful home design trends. She tossed aside Victorian furnishings and stuffy decor and embraced a whole new way of living. While her new ways of thought didn't have to do with fashion per se, fashion and interior design do go hand in hand. Besides getting into yoga as early as the 1930s, de Wolfe has been credited with masterminding the cocktail party concept, animal prints, chaise lounges, and small writing desks. Oh, and she dyed her hair a soft blue way before it was a thing!
Miss Exeter was a fictional character, but an interesting one. This larger-sized woman introduced by Vogue in the 1940s to better woo moneyed women looking for clothes in European sizes 42+, and she was darn sassy. Miss Exeter knew how to flatter her figure and sew up a storm, and she still had time to socialize, work, decorate, and travel. A series of patterns were issued and branded "Miss Exeter-friendly," and while her column died out in the 1960s, she still made quite the impression on her readers.
1. Millicent Rogers
Ms. Rogers was a true original. She had the money, the style, and the class. She was a curious combination of drive, privilege, and impeccable taste -- and I wish I heard more about this fascinating woman in general. There is a great museum in New Mexico dedicated to her collection of Native American art, and I'm in the process of digging up some wonderful literature dedicated to Millicent. Hopefully that will give us more insight on the intensely interesting, powerful woman Rogers was.
2. Marjorie Hillis
Marjorie Hillis was the author of Orchids on Your Budget (republished as Bubbly on Your Budget) and Live Alone And Like It, among others. An author I've mentioned before, Hillis was a bestselling author, a dedicated writer, and a fabulous single woman up until the age of 49. Her book are an absolute joy to read, and as a Vogue writer for nearly the entirety of her career until she went freelance, Hillis was stylish, too. I love her descriptions of what to buy for less, and when to do it. Many of her practical tips hold true today.3. Elsie de Wolfe
Talk about style makers! Elsie de Wolfe has been branded the first female interior decorator and was the creator of some beautiful home design trends. She tossed aside Victorian furnishings and stuffy decor and embraced a whole new way of living. While her new ways of thought didn't have to do with fashion per se, fashion and interior design do go hand in hand. Besides getting into yoga as early as the 1930s, de Wolfe has been credited with masterminding the cocktail party concept, animal prints, chaise lounges, and small writing desks. Oh, and she dyed her hair a soft blue way before it was a thing!
4. Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker's pet cheetah, wonderful car, daring dresses, and wild jewels provide plenty of fodder for stylish interpretation. Luxe fabrics, lush designs, and no shortage of interesting contacts in the fabric of Paris society? I would love to see some more films of her cutting the rug in her fabulous fringed pieces -- and dripping with diamonds, natch. Those button earrings, those curly tendrils... it's hard not to start frantically Pintrest-ing.5. Miss Exeter (Fictional)
Miss Exeter was a fictional character, but an interesting one. This larger-sized woman introduced by Vogue in the 1940s to better woo moneyed women looking for clothes in European sizes 42+, and she was darn sassy. Miss Exeter knew how to flatter her figure and sew up a storm, and she still had time to socialize, work, decorate, and travel. A series of patterns were issued and branded "Miss Exeter-friendly," and while her column died out in the 1960s, she still made quite the impression on her readers.
6. Jessica Mitford
Not fashion-related if you get right down to it, but a reminder that what you think and how you act shows on the outside, too. Lovely Jessica Mitford -- part of the famous clan of Mitfords -- headed off to the States and got a little revolutionary. She was a fabulous writer, a formidable journalist, and a daring woman all in all. Style doesn't just crop up out of nowhere. Jessica has class.
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