How They Decorated: Inspiration from Great Women of the Twentieth Century (Babe Paley)
Tapp, P. Gaye. How They Decorated: Inspiration from Great Women of the Twentieth Century. Fifth Printing. 2020. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition. Foreword by Charlotte Moss.
David Hicks once observed, “Good taste is not expensive; often the more expensive of two alternatives is less acceptable to those who are visually aware—people with taste.” That is likely true, but that does not mean that most of the sixteen women profiled in this book clipped coupons. They did, however, overcome the temptation of too much money by emphasizing taste, style, and creativity and knowing when to champion comfort over formality. Of Truman Capote’s legendary Swans, only one makes the cut here—Babe Paley. She ingeniously consulted several top interior designers, ensuring that it would be her unique imprint on a project. This book is only recently, out-of-print. Absent future printings or editions, it is likely to increase in value, as the tastemakers profiled—Mrs. Paley, Pauline de Rothschild, Lady Diana Cooper, Elsa Schiaparelli, et al.—never seem to go out of style (much like the design projects covered in the book).
“True elegance never swims with the tide; it never follows fashion. Elegance surveys current styles, carefully selects, and adapts, leaving no trace of a trend or a must-have of the season, like the vanishing vapor trail of a jet plane.”
--Charlotte Moss