The Eye Has to Travel: Part Deux
by habituallychic
08 . 06 . 12
One New Yorker who many have admired over the years is Diana Vreeland. You might remember my post on the book about her life and career, The Eye has to Travel. It was written by Lisa Immordino Vreeland who is married to Diana’s grandson, Alexander Vreeland. Since she is part of the family, Lisa was able to comb through the family’s vast archives and gain access to many who knew Mrs. Vreeland personally. Out of the research came the idea for a documentary by the same name that will be released in New York and Los Angeles on September 21, 2012. It will feature video interviews of Diana Vreeland that have rarely been seen. What I loved most about Mrs. Vreeland is that she had to go to work to help support her family and did it with gusto. She exemplifies the can-do attitude of New York and definitely motivates me to always keep moving.
“My feeling was that she has been misunderstood. Everybody knows this external side of Diana Vreeland,” explains Immordino Vreeland. “When people talk about her, they talk about her looks and her mannerisms. I wanted to show how serious she was, the texture of the woman.”
10 Comments
Heather,What a fantastic post! The funny part is that this morning was the first time I heard of this amazing film. Now I read your post and it goes hand in hand. I will get the book and have to look out for the movie. 🙂
Maria
http://onestyleatatime.blogspot.com/
This film will be THE one to see. Great pics here as well.
Looking forward to seeing this documentary. Should be interesting.
I saw this film at the S.F. International Film Festival in May, and it is a pip! I’m embarrassed to admit that I had always admired Mrs. Vreeland grudgingly, acknowledging her brilliance & originality, but stumbling over her heavily “embroidered” versions of the past. The film beautifully captures her passion and I defy anyone to see it without succumbing to her enthusiasm. Not that my opinion would have mattered to her, but I capitulated to her completely.
Lots of “talking heads” (including Lauren Hutton, as beautiful as ever, and Verushka) the most touching of whom is Vreeland’s son Frecky. At first he seems to hold her at a distance (imagine having a mother who appeared at your boarding school looking like a Chinese idol with rouged earlobes!) but as the interview progresses he warms to her in a particularly endearing way.
A fantastic & inspiring film. I went home and straight away rouged my earlobes.
Not surprised to see Billy Baldwin armchairs in the 7th and 8th images, the spotted carpet, and the saturated wall color. Was her office red?
__ The Devoted Classicist
How fascinating. She certainly ruled the world of fashion for many years and it’s very nice to know more about her. What we tend to forget is that during that time women had to be very strong in order to survive in the business world. It is women like Diana Vreeland that opened doors for young ladies today.
Sam
I’m intrigued. Unfortunately, women still need to be very strong to push forward in today’s world. Diana Vreeland continues to be an inspiration to anyone pushing boundaries and blazing trails. Can’t wait to see the film and purchase the book–she is definitely one of my idols. Thanks.
Mary
Where do I begin? The times she lived and thrived in, the work -the world at that time,
So many aspects of what was and seems to have been this huge glossy magazine that you got lost in, fantasized about the people the parties and the places. I was in college when I read DV for the first time and was more than thrilled for every page was an education itself of how to really live a good good life. Nothings the same after her and her leadership and just a mere thumbing through a few sixties era vogues and you miss that time and her and the people, dearly. Habitually Chic thanks for the significant reminder I will re-read my DV book. I did read and see the recent The Eye Has to Travel but the DV book brings New York and Ms. Vreeland close to home, a major major in all that is art and New York and most importantly –love.
Heather I am so excited to see the documentary! One of my very favorite books is DV, which Stefan sent me. I savored every page. An incredible woman! An inspiration to us all!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
2012 Artist Series
Fantastic post! So great to see all these wonderful old photos.
Bubble & Squeak