Betty Lee "Betsy" Bloomingdale (née Newling; August 2, 1922 – July 19, 2016), was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was considered a fashion icon, first appearing on the
International Best Dressed List
The International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time. The American magazine ''Vanity Fair'' is currently in charge of the List a ...
in 1962, and in 1970 was named in the list's Hall of Fame.
Early life and marriage
Bloomingdale was born on August 2, 1922, and was raised in Los Angeles, California. She was the only child of Vera (née Browner) and Russell Lee Newling, both born in Australia.
Bloomingdale attended the exclusive
Marlborough School in Hancock Park.
On September 14, 1946, she married
Alfred S. Bloomingdale, the son of Rosalind (née Schiffer) and Hiram Bloomingdale, and the grandson of
Lyman G. Bloomingdale
Lyman Gustave Bloomingdale (February 11, 1841 – October 13, 1905) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known for retail, and in April 1872, with his brother Joseph, founded department store chain Bloomingdale's Inc. on 59 ...
, a co-founder of the famous department store
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. Bloomingdale, Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the bus ...
. The couple settled in
Bel Air, Los Angeles
Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Founded in 1923, it is the home of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and the American Jewish Universit ...
and had three children:
*Geoffrey Bloomingdale (born 1950), who married Elizabeth Fahr in 1972
*Lisa Bloomingdale (born 1951), who married R. McKim "Kim" Bell in 1974
*Robert Russell Bloomingdale (born 1954), who married Justine Hayward Schmidt in 1979
Lifestyle
In the early 1960s, Bloomingdale began travelling to Paris regularly to view and purchase
haute couture
''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...
clothing. Over the coming decades, she amassed a collection of over 100 gowns and outfits.
Bloomingdale was charged by U.S. customs officials for falsely declaring the value of two imported
Dior
Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...
haute couture gowns in 1975. She pleaded guilty to concealing an invoice from federal customs officials and was fined.
When her husband died of cancer, a media scandal ensued over his estate. Bloomingdale had cut off a financial allowance to her husband's mistress
Vicki Morgan
Victoria Lynn Morgan (August 9, 1952 – July 7, 1983) was the mistress of Alfred S. Bloomingdale, heir to the Bloomingdale's department store fortune. The details of their tumultuous relationship became known after Morgan sued Bloomingdale's est ...
in 1981. On his death, Morgan took her 12-year relationship with Alfred public.
She sued his estate and widow for $10 million, claiming that Alfred had promised her lifetime support. Most of the suit was dismissed in 1983, but after Morgan was murdered the following year, a jury awarded $200,000 to her estate. Bloomingdale's life, marriage and the affair were the basis of
Dominick Dunne
Dominick John Dunne (October 29, 1925 – August 26, 2009) was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film '' The Boys in the Band'' (1970) and ...
's novel ''
An Inconvenient Woman''.
Bloomingdale was a frequent party host, mainly for charity, for which she was dubbed "Good Queen Betts". She was well known for her attention to detail, keeping copious notes of each dinner party she hosted, including a photo of the place setting, the menu, the seating arrangement, and her outfit, so that guests would never dine on the same dishes or see her in the same gown twice. Bloomingdale published a book on entertaining and hosting, ''Entertaining With Betsy Bloomingdale: A Collection of Culinary Tips and Treasures From the World’s Best Hosts and Hostesses'', in 1994.
Her social circle included
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was born in N ...
,
Joan Collins
Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...
,
Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...
,
Lauren Bacall and
Nan Kempner
Nan Kempner (July 24, 1930 – July 3, 2005) was a New York City socialite, reputed for her fashion sense and her philanthropy.
Biography
Born Nan Field Schlesinger in San Francisco, Kempner was the only child in a wealthy family. Her father, A ...
.
Her friendship with Reagan began in the 1950s, and was so close that Bloomingdale became known as the "First Friend" during the Reagan presidency.
She frequently provided fashion, decorating and style advice to the First Lady.
A practicing Roman Catholic, she was involved in fundraising projects for the
Los Angeles Cathedral, and also contributed to the funding for the development of the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. She was also a member of the elite charitable group The Colleagues, which funded homes for unmarried mothers and their children.
She was the subject of an exhibit at the
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) is a private college in downtown Los Angeles. It offers degree programs in majors including fashion, entertainment, beauty, interior design, and graphic design. The college was founded in ...
in 2009. The exhibit, called "High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture", displayed 60 of her haute couture gowns.
Bloomingdale died on July 19, 2016, at her home in
Holmby Hills, Los Angeles
Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States.
The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los Ang ...
, from complications from a heart condition. She was 93 years old.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloomingdale, Betsy
1922 births
2016 deaths
American people of Australian descent
American socialites
American Roman Catholics
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
California Republicans
People from Greater Los Angeles
People from Holmby Hills, Los Angeles
Bloomingdale family
20th-century American philanthropists