Babe Paley was more than just a style icon – she was a woman who captivated the world with her grace, elegance, and influence, leaving a lasting legacy on mid-20th-century society. Known for her impeccable fashion sense and her role as one of Truman Capote’s famous “swans”, she moved effortlessly through the most exclusive circles, shaping trends and setting standards for beauty and poise.
However, beneath the glamorous facade, Babe’s life was also marked by personal challenges and the pressures of maintaining a seemingly perfect image. Her story is one of charm, resilience, and the complex interplay between society’s expectations and personal identity.
Early Life
Barbara “Babe” Cushing Mortimer Paley was born into privilege in Boston, Massachusetts, as the daughter of the esteemed neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing and Katharine Stone Crowell. Her father, a member of a distinguished Cleveland medical family, held academic positions at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale, while her mother was the granddaughter of Ohio congressman John Crowell. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, Babe was part of an influential family, with two older sisters, Mary and Betsey, who both married into prominent families. Mary became the second wife of Vincent Astor, while Betsey married James Roosevelt, son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, before later wedding John Hay Whitney. The trio became known as “The Fabulous Cushing Sisters” and were social icons of their time.
Babe attended the exclusive Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut, and made her debut in October 1934 during the Great Depression, a Boston society event that even drew the sons of President Roosevelt. She went on to complete her education at the Winsor School in Boston that same year, setting the stage for her storied social life.
Fashion Editor, wife and mother
In 1938, Babe Paley launched her career as a fashion editor at Vogue in New York City, a position that placed her at the heart of the fashion world. This role not only allowed her to work with the most coveted designer pieces but also leveraged her social status, as designers often provided her with their creations to enhance her high-profile image.
While working at Vogue, Babe Paley met and married Stanley Grafton Mortimer Jr., an oil heir from a well-known New York family, in 1940 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton. In 1941, Time magazine ranked her as the second-best dressed woman in the world, just behind Wallis Simpson and ahead of Aimée de Heeren.
Clifford Coffin, Portrait of Barbara “Babe” Paley, British Vogue, 1946
John Rawlings, Portrait of Barbara “Babe” Cushing Mortimer Paley, Vogue, February 1946
She continued to receive acclaim, appearing on best-dressed lists again in 1945 and 1946. It was also during 1946, that her marriage to Stanley Grafton ended after the couple had two children: Stanley Grafton Mortimer III, a Harvard graduate who married Siri Larsen in 1971, and Amanda Jay Mortimer, who wed Carter Burden Jr., a descendant of the Vanderbilt family in 1962, before divorcing in 1972. Reflecting on her life, some have suggested that she prioritised her social status over her children, relying heavily on her husbands’ wealth to support her lavish lifestyle. Her daughter Amanda later admitted that their relationship was “virtually nonexistent” and clarified that the distance was “her choice, not mine”.
After her divorce from Stanley Mortimer, Babe Paley received a settlement from a trust fund. She met William “Pasha” Paley, in 1946, who was separated from his wife, Dorothy Hart Randolph Hearst, the former spouse of John Randolph Hearst. William was a wealthy art enthusiast who was eager to gain acceptance in New York’s elite café society – a world that had previously been out of reach for him. For Babe, William Paley provided not just financial security but also the promise of a more cosmopolitan lifestyle.
William’s divorce was finalised on the 24th of July 1947, with he and Babe marrying the following year. It was during this period that she stepped away from her role at Vogue. Babe and William Paley split their time between an elegant apartment at the St. Regis in New York City, styled by the renowned interior designer Billy Baldwin, and their expansive 80-acre estate in Kiluna Farm, in Manhasset, Long Island, where they spent their weekends.
Together, William and Babe had two children: William C. “Bill” Paley, born in 1948, who later revived La Palina, the cigar company his grandfather Sam Paley had founded in 1896. Their second child, KateCushing Paley, was born in 1950 and had her “nondebut” in 1968, shortly after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Not everything was as it seemed, with Babe enduring loneliness and frustration due to William’s infidelities. The emotional strain of his extramarital affairs took a toll on both her and her family. Additionally,she was under constant public and media scrutiny, pressured to uphold an unrealistic standard of beauty and social elegance.
A triumph and a style icon
Despite facing social snubs and discrimination due to the widespread anti-Semitic attitudes against her husband, Babe and William Paley still managed to build an influential social circle that included writer Truman Capote and socialite Slim Keith. Capote famously dubbed Paley and Keith as part of his exclusive group of “swans,” a glamorous clique of New York socialites that also included Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, and C.Z. Guest. Paley eventually cut ties with Capote, after he published scandalous excerpts from Answered Prayers, his exposé on New York’s high society.
Jean Murray Vanderbilt, Barbara “Babe” Paley, and Truman Capote in 1957
Babe Paley’s distinctive and effortless style had a powerful influence on fashion trends. One iconic photograph of her with a scarf tied to her handbag sparked a craze, inspiring millions of women to do the same. Known for her impeccable taste, she paired luxurious jewellery by designers like Fulco di Verdura and Jean Schlumberger with costume pieces, creating a signature blend of high fashion and low fashion. In another bold move, she embraced her natural gray hair, choosing to forgo dye and setting another trend in the process.
Babe Paley’s iconic style secured her a spot on the best-dressed list an impressive fourteen times before she was inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1958. Her flawless appearance, from her perfectly styled hair to her immaculate make up and polished outfits, was the stuff of legend. As designer Bill Blass famously noted, “I never saw her fail to capture anyone’s attention. You noticed Babe and nothing else.”
Richard Avedon, Portrait of Barbara “Babe” Paley, 1960’s
End of Life
In 1974, Babe Paley was diagnosed with lung cancer, a result of her long-term smoking habit. Facing her mortality, she took control of her final arrangements with her characteristic attention to detail. She planned everything from the menu and wine for the funeral luncheon to the distribution of her personal belongings and jewellery. She wrapped each item in colourful paper and created an organised filing system with instructions for their allocation to her friends and family. Babe Paley passed away from lung cancer on the 6th of July 1978, just one day after her 63rd birthday.
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