When I started in NYC my career as a (very young & very curious) journalist - I interviewed 2 heiresses that had become fashion designers: Charlotte Ford and unforgettable Gloria Vanderbilt! Ms Ford was nice and pleasantly bland - and it was Gloria -who was designing jeans- who gave me a long and most gracious interview in her office - and impressed me so very much...She had a private chef in her showroom and we had a delicious lunch, conversing non stop about everything in the universe.
She liked that I was from Cuba -and was sweet when I told her she was one of my first interviews. To this day I am still mesmerized by her fun-sophistication. Her witty & really interesting comments. Her immense “joie de vivre “ -and curiosity about everything. I was fascinated- like a student is with a larger than life teacher- with all I learnt that afternoon!
I saw her again thru the years and (I always made a point of reminding her who I was) she was always smiling from ear to ear -and quite friendly. I feel sorry she died this morning because -even at 95- I am sure she still had loads of love for life and thousands of projects and ideas. I can see all these men falling in love with her. She married 4 times. And her naughty smile when talking about it all was great!
Gloria Vanderbilt had a tough life - but made the best of everything. Her son Carter’s suicide was so horrible!! Is good she had her younger son Anderson Cooper so close to her. She was so very proud of him! A one of a kind woman, Rest In Peace. #gloriavanderbilt #andersoncooper #oneofakindwoman #americanicons #lovethememoriesofmycareer
