Lisa Immordino Vreeland was at Barneys New York on Oak Street on October 13th signing her newly released book, “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel.” Lisa was in town to attend the screening of her documentary of the same name at the Chicago Film Festival, which debuted at both the Venice and Telluride film festivals in September.
I had the opportunity to meet the the elegant, warm and energetic author at the book signing where she took time to talk to everyone who came to see her.
SCS: Which came first, the book or the documentary?
LIV: The book was first! I started it 3 years ago, and the documentary came quickly. We had 50 interviews that we edited with my co-directors in December. They are the same directors who did the Valentino movie. It came together very quickly.
SCS: The book has amazing photos, many that I remember seeing through my lifetime. Was it difficult to edit?
LIV: Yes, very difficult. It could have been 500 pages! So I made sure that I knew that it included things that she was passionate about: Dance photos, Nureyev, Maria Callas, Cecil Beaton and Truman Capote. And the nose photos…
SCS: How has Diana Vreeland shaped what what we know about style?
LIV: I think she shows that style is a form of feeling confident and it is something of your own to create. Through her travels to different countries, she brought new and things to show us, and today these differences are not as defined.
I couldn’t wait to look carefully through every page of this book. I ran back up to her with my copy and she signed it, “D.V. lives on!”
This book is a treasure, loaded with intriguing photos. It would make a wonderful present for anyone who loves fashion, including yourself. $55 at Barneys New York.
About The Book
Called the “High Priestess of Fashion” Diana Vreeland (1903 -1989) was an American original whose impact on fashion and style was legendary. Beginning in 1936, when she became a fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar, Vreeland established herself as a controversial visionary with an astonishing ability to invent and discover fashion ideas, designers, personalities and photographers. She was a memorable writer with a vivid personality and a talent for coining aphorisms. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel chronicles 50 years of international fashion and Vreeland’s rich life. With more than 350 illustrations, including original magazine spreads and many famous photographs, this intensely visual book shows fashion as it was being invented, and how Vreeland shaped American taste through her superb vision.
About the Author
Lisa Immordino Vreeland runs her own fashion design and production consulting business. She is the producer of a documentary film about Diana Vreeland, and is married to Vreeland’s grandson Alexander.
—Carol Calacci
Photos: Second City Style
