The term “true original” can sometimes be overused but if there were ever someone for whom that description was obvious it would have to be Diana Vreeland. There was certainly no one like Ms. Vreeland before her time and many imitators after her.

“Red is the great clarifier – bright and revealing. I can’t imagine becoming bored with red- it would be like becoming bored with the person you love.”– Diana Vreeland

Born into a privileged family, Diana Vreeland, was not considered beautiful and in fact was overshadowed in her youth by her younger sister. But Diana was determined to grab attention and did so by re-inventing herself through fashion. Always dramatic, Diana began a love affair with Paris couture, adding her own avant garde flourishes and quickly gained a reputation within New York society as a clothes horse and tastemaker. This eventually led to a position with Harper’s Bazaar in the 1940’s.

While at Harper’s, Diana, began to write a feature column called “Why Don’t You?” in which she dispensed fashion tips and advice. It became wildly popular and Ms. Vreeland continued to exert ever more influence at Harper’s and the fashion world. This eventually led to her ascension as editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine. Always able to spot talent and trends, Diana helped bring photographer Richard Avedon’s work to the covers of Vogue. She spotted Verushka and Lauren Hutton in the 1960’s and made them the first supermodels. Diana styled many of the photo shoots herself which are now icons within the Vogue archives.

Diana Vreeland adored red. Red lizard boots, red nails and lips, blue/black hair pulled tight, Diana held court in her legendary all red living room on Park Avenue. Here is our homage to red in honor of Ms. Vreeland, along with some of her famous “Vreelanisms” on the subject.

“I wanted it to look like a garden. A garden in Hell.”- Diana Vreeland

Red Chippendale Chairs, Diana Vreeland by Eleanor Dwight, Red Crocodile Clutch (available at On Madison), Nars “Jungle Red” Lipstick, James Mont Style Red Lacquered Coffee Table

“All my life I’ve pursued the perfect red. I can never get painters to mix it for me. It’s exactly as if I’d said, ‘I want Rococo with a spot of Gothic in it and a bit of Buddhist temple’.”

Paint sources: Farrow & Ball “Rectory Red”, Benjamin Moore”Strawberry Red”,  Benjamin Moore “Watermelon Red”, Benjamin Moore “Million Dollar Red”

photos via DianaVreeland.com

When it comes right down to it, isn’t that what being an original is all about, the confidence to fly in the face of convention, fearlessly expressing one’s creativity and daring to be different.