Civil-rights icon and Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings of Baltimore died this morning at age 68. He was an elegant and eloquent speaker — a shining example of leadership. Watch his first speech from the floor of the House of Representatives in 1996. Rep. Elijah Cummings first speech on the floor of the House of Representatives…
obits
20 Years Later: JFK Jr., Carolyn, and Lauren
It’s been 20 years since the Friday-evening small-plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr.; his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and one of Carolyn’s older twin sisters, Lauren Bessette. I was the managing editor of People magazine’s website, three months into the job after spending the previous 10 years in business news. This era seems so…
RIP, Gloria Vanderbilt
I wish I could find a shareable version of Richard Avedon’s starkly chic portrait of Gloria Vanderbilt wearing Mainbocher for Harper’s Bazaar. Fortunately, Gloria herself posted it on Instagram. CLICK HERE. Vanderbilt died Monday aged 95 from stomach cancer. She was born into fame thanks to her father, a wealthy and dissolute great-grandson of 19th-century…
RIP, Tim Conway and Doris Day
Occasionally, when I feel down, I watch two Tim Conway clips from the great Carol Burnett show. I’m sure you’ve seen both absolutely everywhere today after the announcement of Conway’s death at the age of 85. I managed to work the “Elephant” clip into a fashion post about the SAG Awards in 2016. The “Dentist”…
RIP, Margaret Hayes
Margaret Hayes, the president and chief executive of Fashion Group International, died last week at age 79. FGI is a nonprofit organization for the fashion industry; as its website explains, the group’s mission “is to be the pre-eminent authority on the business of fashion and design and to help its members become more effective in…
RIP, Karl Lagerfeld
For years now, whenever I would read an interview with designer Karl Lagerfeld, I couldn’t help but imagine that after Andy Warhol died in 1987, Karl decreed, “Now I must be Warhol.” For instance, Karl’s response to a question about how he felt before a 2007 fashion show — “I have no human feelings” —…
RIP, Al Radley
My friend Al Radley died at age 94 on Valentine’s Day, and London won’t be the same for me without a visit with him. I first met Al at his home there in March 2005, following an introduction by our mutual friend Cameron Silver, the founder of the Los Angeles vintage store Decades. Cameron knew…
The Weeks in Review, Plus Two Tributes
In case you missed it, here’s what’s been on the blog recently. Tuesday, December 4: The sale I was talking about in this post has come and gone, but I’m very determined to move the last of my silver pieces in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for sale announcements and gifts…
RIP, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin — the Queen of Soul — always knew how to create a Moment. via GIPHY She was the diva of divas, as she proved 20 years ago this October, during the debut “VH1 Divas Live” special, at the end of which which she famously dominated Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Shania Twain,…
Thoughts on Kate Spade
I was saddened to learn today that designer Kate Spade died by suicide at age 55. Embed from Getty Images In addition, I was appalled by much of the news coverage, which failed to follow readily available guidelines for reporting on such deaths. In 2014, I blogged about suicide and mental health issues after another…