Although I knew more about her than someone else in my situation might, I had no idea that she was Canadian, let alone that she was born in Vancouver (!), and on the former Dominion Day (now Canada Day) either. I always thought of her (when I did) as little more than the chain-smoking wife of crypto-fascist William F. Buckley and number one fag-hag of Truman Capote.The last I read about her was in Vanity Fair a couple years back, and when I went to find the specific article in question my stacks threatened to collapse on me, so I let it be.
It's enough to know that she was chair of the Costume Institute for nearly twenty years and worked (or, if you prefer, "worked") on behalf of AIDS, cancer, and Vietnam veterans charities.
Footnote: I was reading "Vancouver: Remembered" just after I posted this when what should I come across but a mention of - you guessed it - Patricia Buckley, nee Taylor, whose father was none other than A.J.P. Taylor, one of Vancouver's founding fathers.
ReplyDeleteSpooky!