Babe was born Barbara Cushing. Her father, Harvey, was a renowned neurosurgeon and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Babe followed her mother’s example by marrying rich-and not just once, but twice. Babe’s first marriage, to Stanley Mortimer of the Standard Oil family, was brief. Then she married William S. Paley, the chairman of CBS Television.
In the ’40s Babe was the fashion editor of Vogue. Art was important to the Paleys. William’s board membership at the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) helped them establish many of the era’s modern artists. Their personal art collection was valued at over $200 million and included works from Picasso, Cezanne, and Jackson Pollock. Their homes were designed by posh interior decorator Billy Baldwin.
One of her closest friends was Truman Capote. She introduced him into society, and he infamously betrayed her when he published Answered Prayers, which aired her “dirty laundry.” They never talked again.
What would Babe wear?
Babe was on best-dressed lists for three decades. Oscar de la Renta coined the “Paley Chic” motto as, “I’m rich, but I don’t have to flaunt it,” or as Vogue described, “effortless chic achieved at great effort.” Her clothes were always high quality and crisp, without a wrinkle in sight. She commonly wore twin sets, skirts to the knee, and pants suits. She powdered her face to perfection and meticulously lined her lips. Even while yachting, she managed to keep her hairstyle in place.
Her “effortless” efforts were copied all over the nation. She accidentally started the trend of tying a scarf around a bag’s handles. When she let the gray in her hair show, American women followed. In the accessory department, Babe favored diamonds, but also popularized mixing dime-store jewelry and costume jewelry with haute couture.
Babe’s style was, in a word, flawless. And it is not easy to be flawless, but it’s fun to try.
