Gloria Guinness

Gloria Guinness
Born	Gloria Rubio y Alatorre Template:Birth date Guadalajara, Mexico
Died	November 9, 1980(1980-11-09) (aged 68)
Occupation(s)	Socialite, contributing editor
Years active	1963–1971
Known for	Contributing editor for Harper's Bazaar; fashion icon; muse of Truman Capote's "swans"

Gloria Guinness (born Rubio y Alatorre; 27 August 1912 – 9 November 1980), previously known as Countess Gloria von Fürstenberg-Herdringen, was a prominent Mexican socialite and served as a contributing editor for Harper's Bazaar between 1963 and 1971. Renowned photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Slim Aarons, and Alejo Vidal-Quadras frequently captured her image; she favored creations by designers like Cristóbal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Hubert de Givenchy, and Yves Saint-Laurent; additionally, she maintained a close friendship with and inspired Truman Capote.

Family and childhood

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Gloria Rubio y Alatorre was the daughter of José Rafael Rubio y Torres (1880–1916), a liberal journalist who backed Francisco I. Madero and passed away in exile in the United States, and Maria Luisa Alatorre y Diaz-Ocampo (1882–1961), who hailed from a wealthy Spanish colonial family in Jalisco with fortunes tied to sugar cultivation. Their ancestry traces back to the conquistador Don Diego de Ochoa-Garibay, partially chronicled by relative Alfonso Reyes Ochoa in Parentalia.

On her father's side, Gloria was connected to art collector Ramón de Errazu y Rubio de Tejada as well as Mexican nobleman Jesús Colón de Larreátegui y Vallarta, a descendant of the first Duke of Veragua, son of Christopher Columbus. Gloria had two older siblings named Rafael and Maria Luisa.

Her early years were disrupted by political upheaval stemming from her father's persecution during the Mexican Revolution and his untimely death when she was only five years old. Subsequently, Gloria and her siblings were primarily raised under the care of their mother's aristocratic relatives—including the Ochoa-Garibay, Villaseñor-Jasso, and Sánchez de Aldana families. The outbreak of the Cristero War in Jalisco compelled the family to move to Mexico City, where she eventually met her first spouse.

Mythical beginnings

Guinness frequently concealed her background, asserting that she hailed from Veracruz and was the daughter of a revolutionary soldier and a mother who worked as either a laundry maid or a seamstress. Despite circulating gossip intended to diminish her social stature, she upheld a reputation as "the most elegant woman in the World," a description attributed to Eleanor Lambert, the founder of both the Met Gala and the International Best Dressed List.

Marital history and lineage

Gloria Rubio entered into four marriages, each significantly influencing her social network and business ties.

Her initial marriage took place on 31 March 1933 in Mexico City, where she wed Jacobus Hendrik Franciscus Scholtens, a Dutch director of a sugar refinery based in Veracruz. This marriage ended shortly thereafter, culminating in a divorce by 1935 without any offspring.

Her second spouse was Franz-Egon Maria Meinhard Engelbert Pius Aloysius Kaspar Ferdinand Dietrich, the third Graf von Fürstenberg-Herdringen. They married on 4 October 1935 in Kensington, England. This union connected her to European aristocracy and made her the stepmother of actress Betsy von Furstenberg. Together, they had two children:

• Dolores Maria Agatha Wilhelmine Luise, Freiin von Fürstenberg-Hedringen (1936–2012), who in 1955 married Patrick Benjamin Guinness (her stepbrother). Their descendants include Maria Alexandra Guinness, Loel Patrick Guinness, and Victoria Guinness—who became the wife of Philip Niarchos, son of Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos.
• Franz-Egon Engelbert Raphael Christophorus Hubertus, 4th Graf von Fürstenberg-Hedringen (born 1939), who married Swedish model Agneta Sundby and later art curator Adelina von Fürstenberg.

Her third marriage was to Ahmad-Abu-El-Fotouh Fakhry Bey (1921–1998), grandson of Egypt’s King Fuad I. They were wed from 1946 until their separation in 1949; this marriage did not produce children.

The fourth union was with Thomas Loel Guinness (1906–1988), a Member of Parliament and shareholder in Guinness Mahon banking. Married on 7 April 1951 in Antibes, this alliance brought her into the prominent Guinness banking family. Through this marriage, she became stepmother to three children: Patrick Benjamin Guinness (who married her daughter Dolores), William Loel Seymour Guinness, and Belinda Guinness, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava.

Between these marriages, she was reportedly romantically linked to notable personalities such as David Beatty, 2nd Earl Beatty, and British ambassador Duff Cooper.

Fashion and cultural prominence

In 1963, Guinness began contributing columns to Harper's Bazaar, famously declaring in the July issue that "Elegance is in the brain, as well as in the body and in the soul."

Subject of artists

She was depicted by artists including René Bouché, Kenneth Paul Block, and Alejo Vidal-Quadras. Additionally, photographers like Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, and Horst P. Horst captured her image for publications such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Women's Wear Daily.

Capote's swans

Truman Capote included Gloria among his "swans," an elite circle of high-society women comprising Lee Radziwill, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Babe Paley, who served as muses for his characters—most notably in "La Côte Basque 1965."

Fashion

Gloria Guinness’s wardrobe featured creations from leading designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Marc Bohan during his tenure at Christian Dior, as well as Chanel, Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, and Valentino Garavani. Her footwear was often crafted by Roger Vivier. Notably, she was among the earliest to showcase capri pants designed by Emilio Pucci.

She generously contributed seventeen ensembles, including a dozen hats and pairs of shoes, to museum archives. Among the standout pieces are a 1948 Balenciaga organdy evening dress adorned with flocked floral details, a 1965 gown by Balenciaga, a 1949 hand-painted evening gown by Marcelle Chaumont, and a 1950s evening dress by Jeanne Lafaurie—the sole example of this designer’s work held at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The most elegant woman in the world

While Time magazine placed her second to Jacqueline Kennedy in its 1962 "Best Dressed Woman in the World" ranking, fashion authority Eleanor Lambert proclaimed Guinness as "the most elegant woman in the World." She was featured on the International Best Dressed List consecutively from 1959 through 1963 and earned induction into its Hall of Fame in 1964.

Design and properties

The Guinness family possessed an array of prestigious residences, including an apartment within Manhattan’s Waldorf Towers, Villa Zanroc—an 18th-century farmhouse located in Épalinges—and a Parisian flat on Avenue Matignon, decorated by Georges Geffroy. Their holdings also included the Haras de Piencourt stud farm in Normandy, a 350-ton yacht, and Gemini, an estate situated in Manalapan, Florida. This Florida property was uniquely split by U.S. Highway A1A, with its two sections—one facing a lake and the other the ocean—connected by a soundproof living room constructed beneath the roadway. Furthermore, they commissioned a residence in Acapulco designed by Mexican architect Marco Aldaco. For transportation, the Guinnesses operated three aircraft: an Avro Commander for European travel, a small jet, and a helicopter used to shuttle between their Manalapan home and the Palm Beach golf course.

Death

In 1980, Gloria Guinness passed away from a heart attack at Villa Zanroc in Épalinges. She was laid to rest beside her final husband at the Bois de Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne; he had died in Houston, Texas, in 1988.

See also

• House of Fürstenberg (Westphalia)
• King Fuad I of Egypt
• Guinness family
• Alfonso Reyes
• Aline Griffith

References

• No author. "Thomas L.E.B. Guinness Weds", The New York Times, 8 April 1951.
• Ballard, Bettina, In My Fashion, New York: David McKay, 1960.
• Donovan, Carrie, "Mrs. Guinness: Rare Fashion Leader; Couturiers Are Guided by Her Personal Style Flair Has Plan for Dressing for Four Homes in Varied Locales", The New York Times, 5 December 1961.
• No author. "The Rich: Having a Marvelous Time", Time, 26 January 1962.
• Guinness, Gloria, "Gloria on Elegance", Harper's Bazaar, July 1963.
• Guinness, Gloria, Gloria Guinness, New York: Hearst, 1966.
• Bender, Marylin, The Beautiful People, New York: Coward-McCann, 1967.
• Nemy, Enid, "Venice Draws International Set; Masked Ball to Aid City's Craftsmen Gala to Be in Palace on the Grand Canal", The New York Times, 4 September 1967.
• Bender, Marylin, "A Prize for Mrs. Guinness", The New York Times, 2 November 1967.
• Klemesrud, Judy, "They Expected a Snob, They Heard a Comedian", The New York Times, 3 December 1970.
• Ginsburg, Madeleine, Fashion: An Anthology by Cecil Beaton, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1971.
• No author. "Gloria Guinness, 67, Trend-Setter in Fashion and Hospitality, Dead", The New York Times, 10 November 1980.
• Payn, Graham and Sheridan Morley, editors, The Noel Coward Diaries, Londong: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1982.
• Jouve, Marie-Andree and Jacqueline Demornex, editors, Balenciaga, Paris: Editions du Regard, 1988.
• Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Freiherrliche Häuser, Band XV, Seite 135–177, Band 69 der Gesamtreihe, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1989.
• Join-Dieterle, Catherine, Train, Susan and Lepicard, Marie-Jose, Givenchy – 40 Ans de Creation, Paris: Paris-Musees, 1991.
• Tapert, Annette & Edkins, Diana, The Power of Style - The Women Who Defined the Art of Living Well, Crown Publishers, New York, 1994.
• Jouve, Marie-Andrée, Fashion Memoir - Balenciaga, London: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
• Plimpton, George, Truman Capote, in Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, New York: Nan A. Talese, 1997.
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• Werle , Simone ,Fashionista : A Century of Style Icons ,Prestel Publishing ,2009 .
• Killen , Mary ,"Make Mine a Guinness ",Tatler ,November2009 .
• Fiori , Pamela ,"The Glory of Gloria Guinness ",Harper's Bazaar ,October2010 ,pp. 273–280 .