Fashion and New York in the 70s.
As abrupt as the firing of Diana Vreeland as the
editor-in-chief of Vogue in 1971,
women’s clothes immediately began to reflect the seriousness of the times. And
no one understood or represented the seventies’ woman better than Grace
Mirabella, Vreeland’s successor. She replaced fashion-fantasy spreads of the
sixties with all-American chic and girl-next-door models like Lauren Hutton.
Classic, timeless styles appropriate for active and professional woman. Suits
and sportswear became known as
‘investment clothes” in quality fabrics of good taste: English tweeds,
double-faced wool, Viyella, wool jersey, and cashmere. There was a craving for
lasting value and tradition.
With full schedules and busy days, the new American woman
chose small boutiques offering personal service, requiring department stores to
re-think retailing to create the shop-within-a-shop concept.
ABOUT THE BOOK
As
a fashion buyer at one of New York’s most glamorous department stores, Dana
McGarry is a tastemaker, her keen instinct for fashion trends and innovative
ideas coupled with a razor sharp business sense. But like the elegant and
conservative store that employs her, Dana is caught between two eras—between
being liked and standing her ground, between playing by the rules and being a
maverick. Dana is sensitive and beautiful, but what you see is not what you
get. Behind the cool and attractive facade, Dana
is both driven by her need to control yet impeded by her expectation of
perfectionism. As she competes to replace women
at the top of their game, she is challenged by jealous colleagues. And when a
wealthy love interest wants to open doors and support her ambition, she
embraces Coco Chanel’s mantra of “never wanting to weigh more heavily on a man
than a bird.” As the women’s movement paves the way, Dana finds a path to the
career she wants at the expense of happiness that was not meant to be.
Steward
captures the nuances of 70s life in New York City and provides the perfect
backdrop for an independent woman determined to make her mark. What Might Have Been is a story that
transcends any period.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Steward, a veteran of the New York fashion industry and a buyer on
the team that started the women’s department at Brooks Brothers, created the
Dana McGarry series, set at a transformational time in the 1970s world of
fashion and in the lives of multigenerational women. What Might Have Been is the second volume in the series. A Very Good Life, Steward’s debut novel,
was published in March 2014.
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