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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
DNF @ 33%.
I know this was written (""written""") in the 1980s by an 80 year old woman but phew it reeks of racism and elitism. It has not aged well.
I know this was written (""written""") in the 1980s by an 80 year old woman but phew it reeks of racism and elitism. It has not aged well.
Having read this immediately after finishing the crazy rich Asian trilogy I think it lends to a similar voice and love of the dramatic and fashionable. I was inspired to read this book because it makes an appearance in “To Wong Fu, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar ” And Vida says there are sections worth “committing to memory”. And that’s certainly true with this book. Clearly it’s been dictated by Diana herself as she makes many references to the space she’s in, saying things like “the size was about here to there...” but otherwise her voice is immediately eye catching and makes you want to hear every wild story she has to share.
Diana Vreeland was known for her perfectionist impossible-to-work-with attitude. That’s why it’s ironic that the editing of this book is quite sloppy. If you have seen The Eye Has To Travel you notice this book is a transcript of Vreeland sitting in her iconic red chaise longue babbling about the life she lived. And even though she has amazing stories and gossip (don’t take her too seriously though) it’s a shame the book is just a transcript with hardly any illustrations, quotes or notes. Even the cover photo is bad quality. At a certain point Diana refers to her eyesight deteriorating which makes sense because I’m pretty sure if she saw this book with a clear vision she would fire George Plimpton in a heartbeat.
But then again the stories she tells are lovely. Probably a bit exaggerated, but still worth reading. But like other people have noticed, these are her memoirs and she doesn’t really talk about her work that much. She’s indeed a very privileged woman, who doesn’t really care for gender equality and I felt a huge embarrassment whenever she talked about race, in any way. But then again the fashion industry was and still is very nepotist and despite the elitist life Vreeland has led she did change the industry for the good and in the end it’s quite nice to know more about her this way.
But you can also just watch The Eye Has To Travel, it’s basically the same.
But then again the stories she tells are lovely. Probably a bit exaggerated, but still worth reading. But like other people have noticed, these are her memoirs and she doesn’t really talk about her work that much. She’s indeed a very privileged woman, who doesn’t really care for gender equality and I felt a huge embarrassment whenever she talked about race, in any way. But then again the fashion industry was and still is very nepotist and despite the elitist life Vreeland has led she did change the industry for the good and in the end it’s quite nice to know more about her this way.
But you can also just watch The Eye Has To Travel, it’s basically the same.
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Includes some fun expressions and a few chapters were quite interesting. I do wonder how much of it is exaggerated. Makes me think of The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, though not as good.
"Well, the first thing to do, my love, is arrange to be born in Paris"
Endless charm and fantastical stories.
Endless charm and fantastical stories.
The editor of vogue during the 1950s and 1960s was influential and worldly. She doesn't come off that way in this rambling memoir. There's a lot of name dropping. It's also a bit frustrating that she lived during some great historical moments and has a very superficial grasp of her eras. It's like reading the memoir of Bertie Wooster or a character from Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies. Her old-fashioned ideas on women and race made for some uncomfortable reading.
This book is over the top fantastic. So many great one liners! I seriously want her life.