or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
43 used & new from $8.17
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
D.V.
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

D.V. (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I loathe nostalgia. One night at dinner in Santo Domingo at the Oscar de la Rentas' Swifty Lazar, the literary agent, turned to me and..." (more)
Key Phrases: back plaster, New York, Harper's Bazaar, Queen Mary (more...)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
List Price: $17.00
Price: $12.24 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $4.76 (28%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
26 new from $9.59 17 used from $8.17

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, May 11, 1984 -- $19.95 $1.87
  Paperback, May 6, 2003 $12.24 $9.59 $8.17
  Mass Market Paperback, December 31, 1984 -- $28.99 $28.95

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Vintage L.A.: Eats, Boutiques, Decor, Landmarks, Markets & More by Jennifer Brandt

D.V. + Vintage L.A.: Eats, Boutiques, Decor, Landmarks, Markets & More
Price For Both: $26.10

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Fashion 101: A Crash Course in Clothing

Fashion 101: A Crash Course in Clothing

by Erika Stalder
4.9 out of 5 stars (7) 
Front Row: Anna Wintour: What Lies Beneath the Chic Exterior of Vogue's Editor in Chief

Front Row: Anna Wintour: What Lies Beneath the Chic Exterior of Vogue's Editor in Chief

by Jerry Oppenheimer
3.6 out of 5 stars (40)  $5.98
Diana Vreeland

Diana Vreeland

by Eleanor Dwight
5.0 out of 5 stars (10) 
The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

by Alicia Drake
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  $10.19
Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball

Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball

by Deborah Davis
3.9 out of 5 stars (19)  $10.85
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

Did Lindbergh really fly over, en route to Paris, while Diana Vreeland was sitting in the sun - with "my darling bambino" and her husband's Godfather-ly bootlegger? Did the "Golden Prince" of Wales really tell his father, years before he met Wallis Simpson, "that never, under any circumstances, would he succeed him"? Does it actually matter - "a lie, to make life more interesting. . . ?" Vreeland, as multitudes know, is America's grand impresario of fashion: guiding spirit of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute, ex-editor of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Here, she is equally a raconteur of the outre, a social barometer aware that "outre" is passe, a casual aphorist. Life began for Diana in Paris (c. 1906) - "a world where beauties had something to give the world," where "everything was new" and clothes mattered. Within view, Diaghilev (a family caller) swept away the Edwardian era. Back in America, Diana adored horses, hated school, "discovered dancing [and] learned to dream." At 18, not beautiful but soignee (hints of the ugly-duckling-who-wouldn't-be), she fell-in-love-at-first-sight with banker Reed Vreeland: "older" at 25, "an achievement," and forever glamorous. ("I can remember always pulling myself up, thinking, 'I must be at my very best.' ") The self-portrayal - though spotty, discontinuous - has veracity, coherence. And extension: "Before I started working. . . I was like a Japanese wife." She relates her fondness, as a newly-wed, for Albany ("a pretty little Dutch town"); her voracious reading - self-education - as an idle young London wife; the trips with Reed to "exotic" Hungary, Morocco. She opens a lingerie shop in a London mews (where, supposedly, Mrs. Simpson orders her Belvedere-tryst nightgowns); back in America again, Harper's Bazaar's Carmel Snow spots her dancing at the St. Regis; she succeeds Snow, then eventually shifts (Hearst penury) to Vogue; lastly, she's in Russia and Hungary, scouting for the great Costume Institute shows. All in ripples of fashion-and-society talk - Balenciaga's "sense of color" to Jackie's Inaugural sable muff - and Society tattle/confabulation. Only occasionally campy: overall, a singular, immensely seductive combination of Baron Munchhausen and Roland Barthes. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

The best-selling autobiography of this century's most formidable arbiter of elegance, Diana Vreeland.

As fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar and editor-in-chief of Vogue, Diana Vreeland--and her passion, charm, insouciance, and genius for style--energized and inspired the fashion world for fifty years. In this glittering autobiography she takes us around the world with her, revealing her obsession with fashion high and low--pink plastic poodles, for example--and dropping timeless sayings like, "As you know, the French like the French very much." A fabulous, witty read.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 216 pages
  • Publisher: Da Capo Press; Rev Sub edition (May 6, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0306812630
  • ISBN-13: 978-0306812637
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #34 in  Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design > Commercial > Fashion Design
    #43 in  Books > Reference > Writing > Journalism
    #79 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Journalists

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland
George Plimpton
George Plimpton

Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I loathe nostalgia. One night at dinner in Santo Domingo at the Oscar de la Rentas' Swifty Lazar, the literary agent, turned to me and said, "The problem with you, dollface" that's what he always calls me "is that your whole world is nostalgic" Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
back plaster
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Harper's Bazaar, Queen Mary, Prince of Wales, King George, Hanover Terrace, Josephine Baker, King of Spain, Regent's Park, San Francisco, Van Rensselaer, Carmel Snow, Coco Chanel, Mona Lisa, San Simeon, Seventh Avenue, Duke of Windsor, Elsie Mendl, Long Island, Park Avenue, White House, Whitney Warren, Andy Warhol, Barbara Hutton, Baron Rodolphe
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10 books:
See all 10 books this book cites

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(5)
(5)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars SUPER FABULOUS DIVINE FIERCE!!!, October 11, 2003
By Duke Marine (Newbury Park, CA) - See all my reviews
Ok, so, I picked up this book because it was mentioned in the movie To Wong Foo and I thought, "Well this better be fabulous!"

Boi was fabulous an understatement! Why can't I give this book 6 stars?!?!

This is one of the few books where I can agree with all of the fluffy praise quotes peppering the cover LOL

A simply gorgeous work, Diana Vreeland is a fabulous, fabulous woman! Such taste! Such elegance! Such style! This is a MUST READ for everyone that wants an example of a true lady!

D.V. isn't just about clothes and decorating. While admittingly not a feminist, Mrs. Vreeland is obviously an independent, determined, disciplined woman who is, if not a role model, an inspiration to all!

God, I can't even put into words the qualities of this book that are just overwhelmingly fabulous! Its like anything full of good taste (although, as Diana points out, alittle bad taste is needed sometimes, its NO taste that's truly revolting) and true elegance, it leaves one feeling better about themselves and the world around them.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous fun! , October 5, 2004
By M. O Schmidt (Columbia Heights, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The only complaint I could make about this book is that it was too brief. I could have read this for weeks, and I would have loved another couple thousand pages. There is a paucity of photos, which is a shame, because Vreeland loved the camera as much as it obviously loved her strong, aristocratic features. Some people might dismiss her as a featherweight, but I wouldn't. To do so, would be to fail to understand a singularly fascinating woman. During her time on earth she met most of the big and small names, and has something to say about most of them. I was so enamoured of this small book, that I am going to have to buy a biography. When you read this book, she tells you everything and nothing personal at the same time. A rare gift, to be sure, and not one that I appreciated! As someone else noted, it seems a great pity to only be able to give this delicious tour de force 5 stars, but there you are: life is seldom fair. I would love to have a best friend as fascinating and maddening as Vreeland, but I doubt I ever will. She is a product of another time and another generation. If you ever wanted to be able to sit inside someone's head and watch them think, this book should do the trick. There are better writers and better subjects than D.V. but this book will spoil you for any of them.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Eureka!, January 20, 2000
By BoyWonder19 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: D.V. (Paperback)
After years of work, scientists have finally discovered the cause of homosexuality. It's not your genes, it's not your parents, it's not your hypothalamus...it's this book. The first paragraph hooks you, and the rest of the book takes care of the rest. If you're not shrieking and yearning to redecorate by the time you reach lines like "Pink is the navy blue of India," then you're either illiterate or John Wayne. Plimpton's oral history style gives the book a wonderful rambling spontaneity. A brilliant account of the brilliant life of one of the century's towering cultural figures and fabulists.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars who cares if it might not be true?
I've heard that not every word of "D.V." is necessarily, you know, true. Well, whatever. In an age of fraud and being less than truthful to the public, it's permissible here... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Georgia C.

4.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch froth mixed with moments of candor
I saw Mary Louise Wilson play Vreeland in the one-woman show "Full Gallop" in New York in 1996. I knew nothing of Vreeland before "Full Gallop," and couldn't wait to learn more... Read more
Published 16 months ago by William G. Simmons

5.0 out of 5 stars Over the top fun
It's time the world rediscovered Diana Vreeland. She's the maven we'd all love to be. Friend to all the rich and famous, she moved freely in high society, imprinting it with her... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Boomer

1.0 out of 5 stars well, I'll never get that time back
If you're looking for some insights into fashion and/or the fashion world, look else where. I thought I'd gain some insights to the world of fashion (an area of life that I'm not... Read more
Published on November 1, 2007 by therealtom winberry

5.0 out of 5 stars DV = DiVine
Okay, all the stereotypes might be true for this one, but it's a classic. She's in charge, in control and just amazing. Read more
Published on June 9, 2005 by DanR

5.0 out of 5 stars DV, divine!
How I loved this book! Diana Vreeland was one of those people whom we call a force of nature. This book captures her spirit so well it's just like chatting with her in person. Read more
Published on July 4, 2003 by Kimberley Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars A bit of all right
This book hooked me from the first page. "I loathe nostalgia", Vreeland begins, and goes on to describe how she punches a man in the face for telling her she is too... Read more
Published on January 11, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars the tale of a couture creation in a pret-a-porter world
Ms. Vreeland shares her life story using a collection ( not a SERIES--there is no organization to her tales and it WORKS ! Read more
Published on December 16, 2002 by Dickson Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story
There's nothing like autobiographies, especially when written by people who are/were so excited and enthusiastic about their lives. This is one of those books. Read more
Published on December 3, 2002 by World Music Fan

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting
When I first read all the fabulous reviews about this book, I was thinking it would be like reading about other independent, strong, iconic women of this era - Coco Chanel and the... Read more
Published on May 6, 2002 by Allyson

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

So You'd Like to...

Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:



















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.