It is of no overstatement to proclaim Lee Radziwill as one of the best dressed and most elegant women or modern American history. Feud: Capotes vs The Swans, where she’ll be played by Calista Flockhart, may introduce her to a knew generation, but they likely already feel her style influence whether they realize it or not. W magazine spent the better part of its first few decades in existence obsessing over her each and every style choice, and her particular take of sophistication will forever be embedded in the DNA of this magazine. Even if her older sister Jacqueline Kenned Onassis hadn’t become First Lady, Radziwill would have still been destined to become an icon of America’s social set. After all, she counted Capote as an early friend and champion and married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwill in 1959. After stints as both an actress and interior decorator, Radziwill became a PR executive at Armani and a frequent presence of both fashion week front row and the guest lists of some of the most exclusive parties across the globe. Whether hobnobbing with Andy Warhol, stealing the show at an early iteration of the Met Gala, or being caught dressed down while walking the streets of New York, Radziwill was always a picture of grace and style. If while viewing some of her best style moments collected here her choices remind you of something that went down the runway as recently as last week that’s a testament to Radziwill’s timeless taste and evidence that her picture still graces the mood boards of designers the world over.
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