Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

February 11, 2013

20130211-091153.jpg Out last week on iTunes, the documentary about Diana Vreeland that I was incredibly excited to watch. Certainly growing up I heard and read stories about the Vogue editor and her eccentric style. The film did not disappoint in the least. Quite a few years ago we were treated by friends in Seattle who took us to see the play, Full Gallop. It was then that I became smitten with Mrs. Vreeland and her very to the point quotes. She says it like she sees it–which can be incredibly refreshing & witty. I was then in New York a year later and saw Full Gallop there, wanting to compare the two performances. After seeing this documentary last week, looking back, they both nailed it. “Style is everything. It helps you get up in the morning. It helps you get down the stairs. It is a way of life,” were her thoughts starting the film. Born in Paris, or Par-isss, as she would say, her family emigrated to the United States at the outbreak of World War I, moving to East 77th Street in New York. “I certainly didn’t learn anything in school. My education was the world.” She started work at Harper’s Bazaar in 1936 and remained there until here legendary run began at Vogue in 1962. “There is only one very good life, and that is the life that you know you want, and you make it yourself.” As her son Tim said in the film, “She always made it clear that she wanted us to be originals.” Mrs. Vreeland certainly was. In spades. The documentary is really a delight.