Babe Paley

Barbara "Babe" Cushing Mortimer Paley was born on July 5, 1915, and died on July 6, 1978.  She was an American socialite and style icon.  She was known by the popular nickname "Babe" and was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1958.

In 1940, Babe Paley worked as a fashion editor for Vogue in New York City. Then, In 1946, she met and married Bill Paley, the founder of CBS, which gave Babe entree into the New York cafe society she so coveted.

Babe & Bill Paley in New York

Paley was on the best-dressed list fourteen times before being inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1958.  She regularly bought entire haute couture collections from major fashion houses like Givenchy and Valentino.  Babe's personal style was inspirational to thousands of women who tried to copy her, but as Bill Blass once observed, "I never saw her not grab anyone's attention, the hair, the makeup, the crispness. You were never conscious of what she was wearing; you noticed Babe and nothing else."

Her personal, unconventional style was enormously influential. A photograph of Babe with a scarf tied to her handbag, for example, went viral, resulting in millions of women emulating her.  She often mixed real jewels with costume pieces, and embraced letting her hair go gray, instead of camouflaging it with dye. 

The day after her death on July 6, 1978, Enid Nemy wrote in The New York Times:

"She was to many the ultimate symbol of taste and perfectionist chic, the inspiration for mannequins that line the windows of Lord & Taylor and for countless sketches, photographs and articles in magazines and newspapers throughout the country. Her appearance at a public event was a signal for the kind of attention accorded such women as the Duchess of Windsor and Jacqueline Onassis."

Bill and Babe with Truman Capote
at the Paleys' home in Jamaica

"Mrs. P. had only one fault: she was perfect; otherwise, she was perfect." 
~ Truman Capote, describing Babe Paley