Babe Paley

"Mrs. P. had only one fault: she was perfect; otherwise, she was perfect." -Truman Capote, describing Babe Paley

After reading about Truman Capote's Black and White Ball, I've been so intrigued by the women he called his "swans". This is the third installment, and I have to say, babe Paley may have been the Swan Queen. You can read the first two installments here and here.

Born Barbara Cushing in 1915, she was the daughter of a world-renowned Boston surgeon. babe was the youngest of three girls. Both her sisters married extremely well, and babe was no exception. After making her societal debut in 1934 and graduating from Boston's The Winsor School, she met and married oil heir Stanley Grafton Mortimer, Jr. in 1940. They had two children: Amanda Jay Mortimer and Stanley Grafton Mortimer III. The couple divorced in 1946. Some speculate that babe neglected her children while pursuing social status and another wealthy husband. Her daughter has gone as far as to say that their relationship was "virtually nonexistent" and that the distance "was her choice, not mine."

In 1946, Babe met William S. Paley, the founder of CBS. They married in 1947 and had two more children: Kate and Bill, Jr. The couple resided in a suite at The St. Regis, and spent weekends at either of their two country homes: Kiluna Farm on Long Island or Kiluna North in New Hampshire.

During this period there were still anti-Semitic prejudices in society excluding Babe and her husband from many social functions and clubs. However, Babe kept a close knit circle of glamorous friends, including Gloria Guinness, C.Z. Guest, Maria Agnelli, Slim Keith, and Truman Capote, who she, like the other Swans, dropped after he aired their dirty laundry in his book Answered Prayers.

“I never saw her not grab anyone’s attention, the hair, the makeup, the crispness. You were never conscious of what she was wearing; you noticed Babe and nothing else.” -Designer, Bill Bass

Babe was extremely influential in the fashion world. She regularly purchased entire haute couture lines, and was voted to the Best Dressed List at least 14 times, finally being induced into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1958. She was once seen leaving a New York City restaurant with a scarf tied around the strap of her handbag. Apparently she didn't know what to do with it, so she just tied it there nonchalantly. after the photo was published, millions of American women copied the look and it became the hottest trend. (Side note: My mother often does this, and I do too because my mom always had. I'm excited to learn the origin of this cute trend.)
Her influence went beyond scarfs though. She made pantsuits chic, embraced her grey hair in stead of coloring it, and often, famously, mixed costume jewelry with the real deal. And, she owned lots of the "real deal" gems. Even at the Black and White Ball, she wore costume jewelry, which was very en vogue at the time.
Her life wasn't picture perfect though. her husband was unfaithful, yet extremely demanding of his wife. He demanded she be dressed to the nine's at all time, while sometimes seeming to resent her image and status as a fashion icon. The constant pressure from her husband, the media and the public for her to maintain her "picture perfect" image put a strain on Babe.

With her husband in New York City.At the Black and White Ball.

Babe was also a heavy smoker at two packs a day. The stress and the smoking eventually took it's toll, and Babe was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1974. In true form, she planned her own funeral down to the last detail, even choosing the food and wine she wanted served. She allocated her personal belongings and jewelry collection to various friends and family members, wrapping the items in colorful paper and organizing it all in a precise filing system giving specific direction on how each gift would be distributed after her death. She passed away July 6, 1978, the day after her 63rd birthday.

She is regarded along with Jacqueline Kennedy, and Truman's other swans, as a true 1960s style icon and having embodied the young affluent class to which many Americans aspired during that decade.

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Marella Agnelli

"If they were both in Tiffany's window, Marella would be more expensive." -Truman Capote (comparing Agnelli to that other rare bird, Babe Paley)

Marella Agnelli, wife of Fiat magnate Gianni Agnelli, was another of Truman Capote's jet-set and lovely swans. In 1963, she was included on the International Best Dressed List, later becoming a member of the Hall of Fame. In addition to being a well dressed wife and mother, she was educated in Paris, and had several careers. She was assistant to photographer Erwin Blumenfeld, and also an occasional editor and photography contributor to Vogue. In 1973 after developing a textile line for Abraham-Zumsteg, she was awarded the Resources Council's prestigious 'Roscoe' (the design trade's equivalent of the Oscar). She is also an avid gardener, having authored several books on the subject, often, contributing her own photographs for the books.

Below is a photo of Marella with Princess Luciana Pignatelli on one of Agnelli's yatchts in the port of Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Azur. From Vogue, July 1, 1962:

I am currently reading Princess Luicana's book, The Beautiful People's Beauty Book. She describes much of Marella's lifestyle and beauty regimin. It seems Marella is very fast paced and active. Her husband was very impatient and also always on the move, so Marella developed the ability to be ready to go at the drop of a hat. The couple had several homes around the world, and she could be ready to travel to one of them in no time at all.

Here are Marella and Gianni at Truman's Black and White Ball:

Here she is in the library of her home in Turin, Italy, photographed for Vogue, January 1, 1967:

In a January 1977 interview with Vogue's Joan Juliet Buck, Marella said of her endevors, "One applies a certain technical know-how, some culture, and a certain amount of taste—which I hope I have. It is my little soufflé." Such a philosophy! Life as a little soufflé. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Gloria Guinness

“Chic? It is absolutely innate – I was born with it. Chic cannot be taught.”-Gloria Guinness to W magazine

Once referred to as "The Ultimate" (as in "the ultimate socialite") by Women's Wear Daily, Gloria Guinness might go down in history as just that. She was a friend of Truman Capote, and featured in the book I recently read about the Black and White Call he threw in 1966, but she was first brought to my attention when I was reading Jackie Style. She was such a fashion trendsetter that she was mentioned several times in that book. I began "googling", and read more about her interesting and jet-set life.

Gloria Guinness was born in Mexico in 1912. She was married four times and rumored to have been a Nazi spy during the second world war. By the time she married her fourth husband, Loel Guinness (a member of the Guinness beer family, yet he made his fortune in real estate and banking), she had two children from her second marriage, and apparently, no valid passport nor was she legally a citizen of any country.

She and Loel had seven residences around the world, including homes in Palm Beach, Paris, Manhattan, Acapulco, and a yacht in the Mediterranean. They also owned three planes. She has been quoted as saying, "So many people think it is difficult keeping all these homes, but I believe it is easier to keep five than one. You can’t possibly spend twelve months at any one place.” Well, wouldn't that be nice?

Gloria also contributed to Harper's Bazaar magazine form 1963 to 1971. In one article, she described the new "ruling class" of 1960s society as "original without being beginners, exhibitionists without being pompous, insolent without being patronizing. Immodest but never vulgar, observant but not inquisitive, immoral but not obscene and notorious but not infamous". How can this group not be completely intriguing?

With C.Z. Guest

Acapulco, 1970

Acapulco, 1966 for Harper's Bazaar

Arriving at Truman's Black and White Ball, November 1966

Before she was 'the ultimate", Gloria still had a perfect fashion sense, even making dresses from large inexpensive scarves. She would simply cut a hole in the center for her head and tie a sash around her waist. She is also famous for starting the capri trend, which was famously worn also by my beloved JBKO. Both women were big fans of white capri pants and wore them well. Her effortless ability and perfect taste was so well known, it also sparked envy among some her her "friends" Babe Paley (another "swan") was so envious of Gloria that one year she informed Gloria that the cruise on her yacht would be very casual and to pack her jewels and evening wear. The first night on the ship, Babe emerged from her cabin in her finest jewels and gown and announced that the party would be attending a formal dinner off the boat. The next year, Gloria packed all her finest clothing and jewelry, only to find that the yacht's guests never left the boat and spent every evening dining casually aboard.

Gloria died in 1980 at the age of 68- too young. She is said to have died of a heart-attack, but, like with much of her life, there were rumors..... this time that she took her own life. I think she will always be remembered for her elegant, effortless style, the interesting articles she penned for Harper's, her beauty- with her regal long neck and sphinx like looks, and especially for what she described in her own words, simply, “having a marvelous time.”

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