For many people, Gloria Schiff was merely their idea of a Manhattan socialite from a bygone age. Yet through her work as an editor at Vogue in the 1960s, and via her own superlative dress sense, she brought grace and elegance into the lives of many others. Social media might be relatively new but influencers are not. It was Schiff wearing a two-piece black organza outfit by the unknown Valentino Garavani, for instance, that led to Jackie Kennedy choosing the designer to make her clothes for her period of mourning in 1963, so redefining her image and establishing Valentino’s reputation. Slim and dark-haired, Gloria O’Connor (as she was) began her career in the fashion world at just 15.

Source: The Times May 24, 2019 23:06 UTC