TRUTHPLUSBLOG INTERVIEW

A big THANK YOU to Jessica Gold Newman - not only was this a very fun interview, but Jessica's blog truthplusblog.com is a very intelligent and refreshing take on the fashion industry, check it out.

from truthplusblog.com

Fashion historian John Tiffany on Eleanor Lambert and The Coty Awards

In the past, fashion industry awards such as the Neiman Marcus Fashion Awards(1938-1995) and the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Awards(1943-1984) garnered as much interest as any of our present-day red-carpet rundowns.

The Coty Awards, in particular, were considered on-par with the Oscars and the Tonys in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and were given to American fashion designers for the excellence of their work. Award show attendees included heads-of-state, Hollywood stars, and industry power-players. Pictures of the award shows were splashed across the pages of mainstream newspapers and winners were interviewed on television by the likes of Dinah Shore. A winning designer or manufacturer was assured that he or she would benefit from the acclaim... click here to read the entire article.

The Coty Awards Show 1950, Bonnie Cashin and Charles James

(courtesy of Truthplusblog.com)

@ FASHION WEEK WITH THE FORMER ASSISTANTS...

Ian MacKintosh

Director Robert Jason

Diana Wright Milkowski

backstage filming at Academy of Art University Student Show

We started filming for the EMPRESS of FASHION documentary on Friday night. It was a great way to start off filming -- interviewing my former co-workers from Eleanor Lambert Limited.

Coming to work each day was inspiring and exciting... I often say that we knew we were living history working for a legend like Miss Lambert. It was a very exciting time in all our lives -- we were all young, adventurous and our careers in New York were just beginning! For me, it was an honor to work with Ian Mackintosh and Diana Wright. It stuck us all that here we were at New York Fashion Week for the Spring/Summer 2011 shows speaking about our former boss who created the first Fashion Week in 1943!

Ian now works for the Academy of Art University of San Francisco -- they put on an incredible student show each season at New York Fashion Week and Diana Wright Milkowski is always right there alongside him making sure things go smoothly. Diana has written an incredibly funny book... details forthcoming upon approval by Diana!

Many times when we worked together back in the 1990s.... (gulp!) we would say... "Someone should tell Miss Lambert's incredible story..." So it was not lost on any of us that finally... we have begun to tell it -- and what better way than by those of us who worked with her every single day and learned her story firsthand!

I could never have started this project without the support of Ian and Diana who are truly magnificent people -- they are both funny and intelligent, smart and driven, and I am proud to say - my incredible friends -- they are a lot like Eleanor Lambert!

For additional photos from Friday's show, become a fan of EMPRESS of FASHION on Facebook by clicking here...

A very special thank you to our friend Robin Marchant for being part of our production team on Friday night and capturing the amazing images above! Thank you Robin! Log on to Robin's website to see more of her incredible work: www.robinmarchant.com

A special thanks to the entire Brainchild Films Production crew... Director Robert Jason, Sebastian Piras, Sulay Gonzalez and Lidia Jimenez-Vilabella!

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT....

HAPPY 107th BIRTHDAY ELEANOR LAMBERT!

Today I have a big announcement to make... I have been excited to share the news for a few days now but strangely enough... everything did not fall into place officially until just a few hours ago... right before the clock ticked to August 10th which is Miss Lambert's 107th birthday! For those of you new to the EMPRESS of FASHION blog, scroll down and read the very first post and learn all about Miss Lambert's belief in the number 7....

I have been working to produce an online documentary that will give an in-depth look at the incredible life of Eleanor Lambert and today I am excited to announce that the Eleanor Lambert: Empress of Fashion pilot episode has been funded! We immediately start pre-production this week and will be filming during New York Fashion Week this September!

I want to thank Lidia Jimenez-Vilabella for kindly underwriting our initial pilot! Muchas Gracias Lidia!

In the days and weeks to follow I will be introducing you to the whole team - that is the Brainchild Films production team -- headed up by award-winning director Robert Jason. The team and their list of projects and awards is truly impressive -- but more importantly they share my incredible passion to tell Miss Lambert's story.

In the next few days I will be posting the preview trailer of the project, so keep checking back! And as always, I look forward to your comments and feedback!!

I would also like to thank my friend Andy Morris for suggesting that I blog and of course Eleanor Lambert who showed me that persistence does pay off. Unfortunately, Andy and Miss Lambert never met, but I am sure she would have approved of his advice as well as his chic art-filled offices!

RIP JUDY PEABODY

Sam and Judy Peabody, photo by Bill Cunningham, NY Times

I was surprised and saddened today to see that Judy Peabody passed away on Sunday. Judy Peabody was a well-known New York socialite, a front row fixture at Bill Blass, but she was also an amazing volunteer and an unstoppable force in truly helping those in need in New York.

She and Eleanor Lambert were friends. After I left Eleanor Lambert Limited, Miss Lambert called me and invited me to attend a fashion show in Bryant Park and suggested we could go to Judy Peabody's after the show for "one of Judy's fancy luncheons" It was towncar gridlock outside the tents in Bryant Park and towncar gridlock at Mrs. Peabody's too!

Miss Lambert had the best way of introducing people: "Oh Judy, of course you know John Tiffany, don't you" (of course, why would she?) Judy replied: "Well, I know him now and I am so glad he is here." It goes without saying -- or maybe it should be said -- that Judy's home and her luncheon were perfect in every way, she made everyone feel welcome no matter who they were.

New York City and its citizens have lost a great friend and champion today. Read more about the amazing life and philanthropy of Judy Peabody here.

LIVING HISTORY

photo of Eleanor Lambert by Cecil Beaton

When I worked for Miss Lambert, she used to encourage us all to go through the files. Well actually she used to say, "Does anyone around here ever go through those files?" I know I did.

There were many "unspoken rules" at Eleanor Lambert Limited. One of the rules was you could make or take a copy of whatever you wanted -- just don't take the last one. Growing up, I was obsessed with photographer Cecil Beaton who also wrote The Glass of Fashion. Imagine my reaction when I came across several incredible photos taken by Cecil Beaton of Miss Lambert. Even though there were still a few copies in the files, I approached Miss Lambert and asked if I could have a copy. She agreed and we had an interesting conversation about Cecil Beaton, who was not only a client, but her great friend.

Every single day was an adventure working for Miss Lambert. There was always something surprising, someone famous or something completely over the top happening each day (or all of the above). Mariam Docrat who was the most senior person working for Miss Lambert at that time said to me on several occasions, "John Tiffany, we are living history." And we knew it.

UNDERSTANDING TODAY

Eleanor Lambert and John Tiffany, photo by Patrick McMullan

If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.

-Pearl Buck

When my brother Thomas saw this picture, he told me that he really admired the fact that I moved to New York City and worked for "that lady with the turban." Later on, he told me he was impressed and inspired that I had done something I really wanted to do in my life - which was to work in fashion. I told him that one of the things I also really wanted to do was create a film project that would capture Eleanor Lambert, her life, and all of her accomplishments. He thought it was a great idea and said he hoped I would do it, I promised I would. This was the last conversation I had with Tom before he died on this day nine years ago.

Today, this project of telling the story of Eleanor Lambert has grown into a few big pieces. Not only is there the Empress of Fashion blog, but I am also in the process of producing a documentary and book on her incredible life. The response lately has been incredible!

I would just like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has logged on, sent emails, become fans of this blog, the FaceBook and the Twitter this first week! I hope you will continue to share this blog with your friends and come back in the days, weeks and months ahead as more will be shared and revealed...

LET’S GET STARTED WITH LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

In this photograph by Cecil Beaton, it is clear that he could see the potential Empress in his friend Eleanor Lambert even when she was in her 20s.

Eleanor Lambert believed in destiny, she claimed she had lived a lucky life – and she lived to be 100 years old.

Miss Lambert often told the story of an early visit to a fortuneteller who predicted that although she would never be rich, she would always be surrounded by beautiful things and seven-letter names.

She considered her own seven-letter names and people with seven-letter names lucky, she pointed out to me that the person who had referred me to work for her (James LaForce) had a seven-letter last name. Her husband (Seymour Berkson) and son (William Berkson) had seven-letter names. And finally, she pointed out that I had a seven-letter last name (Tiffany) which she suggested was indeed very lucky.

It’s only fitting that Empress and Fashion are seven-letter names that fit well with hers. ELEANOR LAMBERT: EMPRESS of FASHION