Vreeland, Diana (1903-1989), was an influential American fashion editor. She revolutionized the editorial content of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines with her unconventional emphasis on fantasy and the extravagant. Vreeland is credited with helping to launch the careers of many fashion designers through the two magazines.
Diana Dalziel was born in Paris to an American mother and a British father. There is some uncertainty regarding her birthdate, but she was born in 1903, probably on September 29. She grew up in New York City. In 1924, she married Thomas Reed Vreeland, a banker.
Diana Vreeland joined the staff of Harper’s Bazaar in 1936 as a free-lance writer. She later became the fashion editor and held that position until 1962, when she left to join Vogue. She served as _Vogue’_s editor in chief from 1963 to 1971. Vreeland often used what were then unconventional models and innovative photographers in her fashion layouts. Her distinctive editorial approach helped create many fashion trends.
Vreeland began a third stage in her career in 1972, when she was appointed special consultant for exhibitions at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She changed the way historical costume and fashionable dress are exhibited in museums. Vreeland died on Aug. 22, 1989.
