Today is 95th birthday of the iconic fashion maven Carrie Donovan. I am a sucker for huge glasses, truth be told. You have got to OWN your look, make it yours, and do not hide from it. Become know by it and your “style” becomes stylish and copied. The world was a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.
NAME: Carrie Donovan
BIRTHDATE: March 22, 1928
BIRTH PLACE: Lake Placid, NY
DATE OF DEATH: November 12, 2001
PLACE OF DEATH: NYC, NY
BEST KNOWN FOR: Fashion editor for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New York Times Magazine.
Carrie Donovan was fashion editor for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New York Times Magazine. Later in her life she became known for her work in Old Navy commercials where she wore her trademark large eyeglasses and black clothing, often declaring the merchandise “Fabulous!”. In almost all of the commercials, she appeared alongside Magic the dog and various other stars from TV and fashion.
When Donovan was just 10 years old, she mailed her own sketches for a design collection to the actress Jane Wyman, who replied with a handwritten letter. She later attended the Parsons School of Design, graduating in 1950. She worked as a journalist for 30 years but always wrote her copy out by hand, because she never got the hang of the typewriter.
“Fashion is entertainment. That’s why these top models are so fascinating to kids. They’re dying to know about Naomi and Christy, or whoever we’ve declared the new one this afternoon.”
One of her best talents was her ability to flit easily between high society and the common masses, both in her personal life and as a style professional. She helped bring Donna Karan and Perry Ellis to fame, and she united Elsa Peretti with Tiffany’s, feeling sure that Peretti would open the doors to a new demographic for the upscale company. Even her work with Old Navy gave new fashion credibility to the casual-wear company. Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland told her: ”My dear, you’ve got the common touch!”
She was portrayed as a parody by Ana Gasteyer on an episode of Saturday Night Live.
Waldina 