Babe Paley

Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley (July 5, 1915 – July 6, 1978) was an American magazine editor and socialite. Affectionately known as Babe throughout her life, Paley made notable contributions to the field of magazine editing. In recognition of her distinctive fashion sense, she was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1958. Together with her two sisters, Minnie and Betsey, she was a popular debutante in her youth and the trio were dubbed "The Fabulous Cushing Sisters" in high society. She was married twice; first, to the sportsman Stanley G. Mortimer Jr. and second, to CBS founder William S. Paley.

Early life
Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley, born Barbara Cushing in Boston, Massachusetts, was the daughter of renowned brain surgeon Harvey Cushing, who belonged to a prominent Cleveland medical family and held professorships at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale, and Katharine Stone (née Crowell), a granddaughter of Ohio congressman John Crowell. She spent her formative years in Brookline, Massachusetts. Barbara had two older sisters, Mary and Betsey, who both entered into unions with affluent families: Mary Cushing became the second wife of Vincent Astor, while Betsey Cushing married James Roosevelt, the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and later John Hay Whitney. Together, the Cushing sisters were often referred to by the public as 'The Fabulous Cushing Sisters'.

Barbara attended the Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut. In October 1934, she made her debut as a debutante in Boston, an event that garnered attention amid the challenges of the Great Depression. Notably, sons of Roosevelt attended her debut. This marked the beginning of her social journey. She completed her high school education at Winsor School in Boston in 1934.

Career
In 1938, Paley embarked on her career as a fashion editor at Vogue in New York City. This role granted her access to designer clothing, often obtained in exchange for her high-profile image. In 1941, Time magazine ranked her the world's second-best dressed woman, following Wallis Simpson and preceding Aimée de Heeren. She was also named on the best-dressed lists of 1945 and 1946.

Following her second marriage in 1947, Paley left her position at Vogue.

Style
Babe and William Paley maintained an apartment at the St. Regis, which was adorned by the interior design expertise of Billy Baldwin. They resided there during the week and spent weekends at their 80-acre (32 ha) estate, Kiluna Farm, located in Manhasset, Long Island. In 1957, they acquired Kiluna North, a retreat on Squam Lake in New Hampshire, which afforded them privacy and played host to numerous celebrities.

Despite encountering social exclusions and discriminatory practices due to prevalent anti-Semitic prejudices against her husband, the Paleys cultivated a circle of high-society friends that included author Truman Capote and fellow socialite Slim Keith. Capote included Paley and Keith in his group of "swans," comprising New York socialites such as Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, and C.Z. Guest Paley severed her friendship with Capote when he published excerpts from Answered Prayers, his tell-all about New York's elite.

Her personal, unconventional style was enormously influential. A photograph of Paley with a scarf tied to her handbag, for example, created a trendy tidal wave that millions of women emulated. She often mixed extravagant jewelry by Fulco di Verdura and Jean Schlumberger with costume pieces and embraced letting her hair go gray instead of using dye.

Paley's distinctive style earned her a place on the best-dressed list a remarkable fourteen times before her induction into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1958. Her ability to command attention, with her impeccable hair, makeup, and overall crispness, was legendary. As fashion designer Bill Blass once remarked, 'I never saw her fail to capture anyone's attention. You noticed Babe and nothing else.'"

Personal life
While working at Vogue, Barbara met and married Stanley Grafton Mortimer Jr. (1913–1999), an oil heir and member of a prominent New York family, in 1940 at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in East Hampton, New York. However, their marriage ended by 1946 after they had two children together:


 * Stanley Grafton Mortimer III (born 1942), a Harvard graduate who married Siri Larsen in 1971.
 * Amanda Jay Mortimer (born 1944), who married Carter Burden Jr., a descendant of the Vanderbilt family, in 1964. The couple divorced in 1972.

Retrospectives have suggested that Barbara neglected her children while pursuing social status and relied on her husbands' wealth to support her extravagant lifestyle. Her daughter Amanda has acknowledged that their relationship was "virtually nonexistent" and that the distance "was her choice, not mine". After her divorce from Mortimer, Barbara received a settlement from a trust fund. In 1946, she met William "Pasha" Paley, who was estranged from his wife Dorothy Hart Hearst (1908–1998), the former wife of John Randolph Hearst. William Paley was wealthy and interested in the arts, and sought acceptance in New York's café society. Barbara's social connections provided him a better chance of gaining entry into the exclusive circles that had previously eluded him. For Barbara, William Paley offered wealth, security, and worldly experiences. William's divorce was finalized July 24, 1947. He and Barbara married the following year. She had two children with Paley:


 * William C. "Bill" Paley (born 1948), who relaunched La Palina, a cigar company established by grandfather Sam Paley in 1896. He married Alison Van Metre, daughter of Albert Van Metre, founder of Van Metre Homes.
 * Kate Cushing Paley (born 1950), who made her "nondebut" in 1968, shortly after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

According to several biographers, Barbara experienced loneliness and frustration as William Paley engaged in extramarital affairs. This emotional toll affected her and her family. Moreover, she faced public and media scrutiny, expected to maintain an unrealistic standard of beauty and social grace.

Final years and death
Barbara was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1974, attributed to her heavy smoking. Preparing for her impending death, she meticulously planned her own funeral, including the selection of food and wine to be served at the funeral luncheon. She allocated her jewelry collection and personal belongings to friends and family, wrapping them in colorful paper and creating a comprehensive file system with instructions for their distribution after her death.

Paley died from lung cancer on July 6, 1978, a day after her 63rd birthday.

Legacy
Barbara Paley remains an icon in the realms of fashion and style. Truman Capote, a former friend, once commented, "Babe Paley had only one fault. She was perfect. Otherwise, she was perfect."

In popular culture
Babe Paley has been portrayed in various films and series, including:
 * Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998) by Joan Severance
 * Capote (2005) by Michelle Harrison
 * Infamous (2006) by Sigourney Weaver
 * The Capote Tapes (Documentary) (2019) documentary
 * Halston (2021) by Regina Schneider in episode 1
 * The Love Machine (1969) by Jacqueline Susann: The characters Judith and Gregory Austin, a socialite and television network CEO, are reportedly based on Babe and William Paley. Dyan Cannon portrayed Judith in the 1971 film adaptation.
 * The Swans of Fifth Avenue (2016) by Melanie Benjamin: The novel depicts Babe Paley alongside Truman Capote and Slim Keith
 * Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024) by Naomi Watts