Gloria Laura Vanderbilt
- Born:
- February 20, 1924, New York City, New York, USA
- Died:
- June 17, 2019, New York City, New York, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Artist, Author, Fashion Designer, Actress, Socialite
Early Life and Education
- Heiress to the Vanderbilt fortune, subject of a highly publicized custody trial in her youth.
- Educated privately and at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut.
- Studied art at the Art Students League of New York.
Career and Major Achievements
- Began her career as an actress and model.
- Achieved significant success as a fashion designer, particularly for her designer jeans in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Expanded her design work to include dresses, shoes, accessories, and home goods.
- Authored several novels, memoirs, and works of non-fiction. The existence of several gloria morgan vanderbilt biography books showcases the interest in her life.
- Worked as a visual artist, creating paintings, collages, and textile works.
Notable Works
Published Works
- Love Poems (1955)
- Gloria Vanderbilt's Book of Collage (1970)
- Once Upon a Time: A True Story (1985, memoir)
- Black Knight, White Knight (1987, novel)
- A Mother's Story (1996, memoir about the suicide of her son, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper)
- It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir (2004)
- The World According to Gloria Vanderbilt (2010)
- Nothing Left Unsaid: A Mother and Son Converse (2016, co-authored with Anderson Cooper)
Fashion and Design
- Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans (launched in the 1970s)
- Line of clothing, accessories, shoes, and home goods.
Legacy and Impact
Gloria Vanderbilt left a lasting impact on the fashion world through her commercially successful designer jeans and other apparel. Her personal life, marked by both privilege and tragedy, fascinated the public and made her a subject of numerous books and media appearances. She demonstrated versatility across various creative fields, including art, writing, and design.