[Ads-l] Quote Origin: Elegance Is Refusal

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The opaque statement in the subject line has been attributed to
fashion mavens Coco Chanel and Diana Vreeland. I received a request to
determine the correct authorship. I was unable to find evidence that
Coco Chanel employed this saying. She died in 1971 and received credit
by 2000.

The statement appeared in a 1980 "The New York Times" piece about a
new book by Diana Vreeland titled "Allure". Apparently, the statement
also appeared in the book, but I have not been able to verify that
yet. If someone can access the book and find the phrase (together with
a complete and accurate citation) that would be great. I think most of
the book displays photographs.

[ref] 1980 September 14, New York Times, Section: The New York Times
Magazine, A Vision of Style by Francesca Stanfill, Start Page SM18,
Quote Page SM74, New York. (ProQuest) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Fame in all its forms is celebrated by Diana Vreeland. Some of her
favorite subjects -- and her impressions of them in "Allure" -- are
presented here. …

"Elegance is innate. It has nothing to do with being well-dressed.
Elegance is refusal." …
[End excerpt]

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
Quote Origin: Elegance Is Innate. It Has Nothing To Do with Being
Well-Dressed. Elegance Is Refusal
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2024/11/01/elegance-refusal/

Garson

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