Françoise de Langlade

De Langlade was born in Paris, the daughter of an insurance salesman from Bordeaux, France, and a mother from Martinique.[1] She was educated in Paris. She started her career in fashion with The House of Schiaparelli,[3] which she left to work at Harper's Bazaar. She joined French Vogue in 1951, where she served as Fashion Editor and Editor-in-Chief.[1] In 1967, she married Oscar de la Renta and moved to the United States. In 1968, she joined American Vogue where she served as Editor-at-Large. She also worked as a Fashion and Beauty Editor for Elizabeth Arden International.[1] She is credited with using her established network of contacts to help promote her husband's brand.[4]

De Langlade married three times. Her first husband was French businessman Jean Bruere with whom she had one son, Jean Marc Bruere; the marriage ended in divorce. Her second husband was diplomat, Nicholas Bagenow; they also divorced. In 1967, she married Oscar de la Renta. The de la Rentas had homes in Manhattan, Kent, Connecticut, and Santo Domingo. She died of bone cancer in 1983.[5][6]