Born and raised in New York City, I started modeling on Seventh Avenue at the age of sixteen. Tall, thin and blonde, everybody said I looked like Lauren Bacall. I became a house model for a sportswear designer named Carolyn Schnurer and I also did modeling for the shows, which were held in all the major hotels at the time.

I was making my own clothes in high school because most junior sized things, were cut very small and never fit me. I took lessons at a Singer Sewing Machine store, learned how to drape and make patterns and that's when I decided I was really interested in fashion and modeling.

To me it was a hoot. It was nothing I ever wanted to do as a career but it gave me an opportunity to meet lots of people in the business.

I went to Cornell University and discovered the school of Home Economics. I used their sewing machines and made clothes, which I sold to the girls in the dorm. My summer jobs were quite wonderful. I worked at Harpers Bazaar and Lord & Taylor in their college shop as a representative of the university.

That's where I met Polly Mellen who was the assistant to the head buyer there. It was one of the most exciting stores on Fifth Avenue at the time.

Dorothy Shaver was then the president and very interested in all the college girls. She had meetings with us every week to find out what we were interested in and what merchandise was needed.

When she found out we were sending customers to the boys department to buy bathrobes and pajamas to take to college she made sure these were in the College Shop.

I spent three summers working at Harpers Bazaar. Mrs. Vreeland was then the editor and Carmel Snow, the editor in chief.

Lee Radziwill, the sister of Jacqueline Kennedy was one of the fashion editors there and all sorts of interesting people used to come and go.

Mr. Brodovich was the art director and Richard Avedon was one of their major photographers. I remember working at his studio, ironing clothes.

After I graduated from college, I got a job working for Nancy White, who was then the fashion editor at Good Housekeeping. It was a very mature magazine for my mother's generation and it really didn't interest me.

Through Miss White, I had an introduction to people at Seventeen and I got the job as accessories editor.

overview | next