talbotlucas.org: a word to the wise is sufficient

One of the so-called "social x-rays" and one of the most ardent supporters (and wearers) of haute couture, Nan Kempner died on Sunday.

A devotee of Yves Saint Laurent and a woman who seemed to have achieved the goal of always being camera-ready, Nan Kempner was singled out by Diana Vreeland as the one exception to Vreeland's view that there was no such thing as a chic American woman. This snippet (from a salon.com piece on YSL) reflects Kempner's enthusiastic admiration for YSL and the craftsmanship of haute couture, and her joie de vivre:

The most famous story about Saint Laurent's trousers and the stir they caused is the one about the evening sometime in the late '60s when socialite Nan Kempner (who has been a vocally enthusiastic Saint Laurent client for nearly all the 40 years of his career) stepped into a tony Manhattan restaurant [supposedly La Cote Basque - L.] wearing one of Saint Laurent's remarkable trouser suits, only to be told that women in trousers (I'll bet anything the hostess actually used the word "slacks") were not allowed. Kempner stepped out of the pants and strode into the restaurant wearing only the jacket. [Kempner supposedly took her seat and dined with her husband, with her only concession being an extra napkin on her lap. -L.] Many years later, giving a lecture on couture at New York University, Kempner wanted to make sure people understood the degree of workmanship that went into a completely handmade couture garment (which can take hundreds of hours to make, and tens of thousands of dollars to buy): She slipped out of her Saint Laurent skirt and jacket and passed them around the room. (Her Saint Laurent blouse stayed on.)

Her father supposedly told her at a young age that "You'll never make it on your face, so you'd better be interesting." Nowadays such a comment would probably engender years of therapy, but Nan Kempner seemed to have taken the advice to heart, to her (and many others') benefit. (Interesting that Diana Vreeland was described as having "the profile of a cigar store Indian" but that never stopped her from putting her best foot forward, and becoming one of the most sought-out guests in circles around the globe. But I digress...)

For more reading, there was a "Day in the Life" piece about Kempner in the SF Chronicle last year. Kempner was also the subject of a profile by Bob Colacello in the April 2005 issue of Vanity Fair.