Betsy Bloomingdale and the Art of Entertaining
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- As Hollywood prepares for the 89th Academy Awards and the party season hits full swing, we pay tribute to the First Lady of entertaining, ahead of the second part of the Betsy Bloomingdale: A Life in Style auction on 5 April.
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‘Entertaining is not a frivolous endeavour,’ wrote Betsy Bloomingdale in her book Entertaining with Betsy Bloomingdale: A Collection of Culinary Tips and Treasures from the World’s Best Hosts and Hostesses. ‘I believe it is one of the great essentials of life.’
The legendary socialite and philanthropist kept a record of every dinner party she hosted from 1959 until her death in 2016. These notebooks contained lists of her guests, copies of the menus, notes on her choice of flowers, the wine lists and photographic records of place settings. ‘Giving a party or hosting a dinner is in many ways like a performance,’ she explained. ‘You are the producer, director, stage manager, and finally the actor. Dozens of details might go into the simplest occasion.’
Born Betty Lee Newling on August 2, 1922, in Los Angeles to Australian émigré parents, she married Alfred Bloomingdale, heir to the New York department-store fortune and co-founder of the Diners Club, in 1946. According to one newspaper’s obituary, throughout her life ‘she remained the dazzling queen of a beau monde that straddled Hollywood, the White House and the ateliers of Paris.’
When the great and good arrived at the Bloomingdales’ sumptuous Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles, it was the immaculately attired Betsy who made a point of personally greeting them. This applied whether the guests were close friends such as President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, members of Hollywood royalty such as Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Joan Crawford, titans of business and politics, or the ‘natural conversation starters’ - such as ‘a professor at a nearby university or a local artist’ - she regularly invited along to spice up conversation around the dinner table.
‘Always introduce early arrivals to one another,’ Bloomingdale advised, ‘and if they’ve never met, add a detail or two that will start them talking. A skilled hostess knows how to make this look natural.’
Betsy Bloomingdale described a party as being like ‘a dance between hostess and guests, with everyone contributing something to make it a success.’ Success, however, relied on the adherence to certain rules, which included looking the other way when spills or breakages occurred, and insisting on ‘French leave’, which was the practice of guests not making a great fanfare if they had to depart early.
Kirk Douglas was one regular guest who appreciated this relaxed approach. ‘Kirk will be the first to admit that he has a reputation for leaving parties early,’ Bloomingdale revealed in her book. ‘Since he’s an old friend, I felt I could say, “Go ahead and leave when you want to. Just don’t say goodnight”.’
‘Everyone who was anyone in Los Angeles society congregated around Betsy Bloomingdale,’ observes Gemma Sudlow, Head of Private & Iconic Collections at Christie’s. An icon of style as well as a tireless entertainer, she ‘reigned supreme within southern California,’ adds the specialist. ‘There was a perfection that surrounded her in every aspect of the way in which she lived.’
Those fortunate enough to cross the threshold of the William Haines-designed home she shared with her husband on Delfern Drive off Sunset Boulevard were, says Sudlow, offered ‘a sense of who Betsy Bloomingdale was - which is to say fabulous in every respect’.
In 2008, when she was well into her eighties, Bloomingdale told Vanity Fair that ‘good food, generous cocktails, a little night music, and after-dinner games all make for a deliciously delightful evening… And a mixture of people with some marvellously wacky guests is also nice.’
There was no great secret, she insisted, to entertaining successfully. ‘You can have all the money and privilege in the world and possess no style,’ she explained. ‘You can spend a fortune on the most elaborate parties and leave your guests feeling bored and let down. Real style comes from within.’
When it came to style, Betsy Bloomingdale was, of course, out on her own. A permanent fixture in annual ‘best dressed’ lists, she championed Dior, as well as Valentino, Chanel, Courrèges and Givenchy. She documented what she wore with the same diligence with which she recorded her lunches and dinners - in her case, lots of colour, particularly red. Detailed notes were kept not only of when and where each gown had been worn, but also with which accessories, such as earrings and belts.
In 2009, High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles displayed 60 of her gowns. At the show’s opening, Valentino succinctly described Betsy Bloomingdale as ‘the last of the great women of style’.
The curtains in the 50s were so much more beautiful and glamorous, shame they changed it.
An Inconvenient Woman by Dominick Dunne, told me everything I needed to know about Mrs Bloomingdale's world. Don't be fooled by the pretty pictures.
When you marry a billionaire, it shouldn’t be very hard to live that kind of heavenly life, have an army of servants who organize great parties for you, attract celebrities and get fashion designers gorgeous dresses.
How come some people can be so incredibly lucky? Who will ever know!?
What a flawlessly-made video! The speakers' voices were a delight to hear, and the music was not intrusive. And the camerawork captured the magic that normally one has to actually experience by being IN a Billy Haynes interior (still photos never do his work justice).
"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me."
I loved the cracked driveway
Read An Inconvenient Woman by D. Dunn based on a true story about Alfred's mistress.
I remember the 1980's scandal surrounding Alfred Bloomingdale and his mistress Vicki Morgan. It was just so scandalous!!
A beautiful, romantic and yet haunting depiction of another time.
It Really was a Special World and a Special Time one that will NEVER be again. I would give anything to have been a part of it. That mansion is the epitome of Good Taste.
I'm laughing. What a bunch of self satisfied elitist narcissists.
Donielle Stenson my sentiments exactly. I'm glad you noticed.
That's Merle Oberon standing next to the beautiful wall mirror and two gentlemen wearing a white gown and pearls.
Timeless interior
Absolutely pure and unabashed marvelous excellence!! Billy Haines and Betsy Bloomingdale - a match made in decor Heaven!
Excellent job. What a place. Betsey was so elegant.
Truly captures the essence of style and class from a bygone era! Today's nouveau riche have the money, but not the class or style these grand dames had...
I can almost smell and feel the rooms.
Such perfection-- it's unbelievable! : )
Lovely. Understated elegance
I think Betsy was born in Australia. Thank you for this glimpse into a time - which was not so long ago - where there was elegance, class, manners, taste. I have a wonderful book on the life of William Haines - well worth looking out for. Thank you this clip is a joy to watch.
Love her. Fabulous, timeless home.
"Dinner books"- I love that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree it was a special time. When I was young and saw the parties that my mom put on, I took it for granted that life would always be that way. Well-no one dresses up anymore except a rare few, life is so expensive, how can you put on a nice party and my mom passed away way too soon after the 80s! They mention Hollywood being at her parties and I saw Merle Oberon (2:05) in one of the pictures. Neat. I liked the dresses, not the house decorating. Thanks for the upload, but peanut butter and bacon-gross.
i cant wait to see what tom ford does with this - amazing!
Wonderful video. Thank you for sharing.
It's easy to hire a decorator and decorate a place when you're married to an heir. It doesn't make her Einstein.
Elitist snob.
Mimi Greenberg you hit the nail on the head. EXACTLY.
Superb.
It's nice, but boring. I think the guest list is much more interesting than the boring, expected decor
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Anyone think this girl is kind of a creep
Wow
Fabulous ... simply fabulous.
Nice, beautiful home and attention to detail .
What kind of parent, wife, animal advacat was she?
Beautiful!
her mans $$$ made from nasty mean bizness deals: bad karma lady
read the kitty Kelly book bout Nancy Reagan: monster.
The most beautiful house ever
Forget the past. What Tom Ford has done to this house makes it more exciting to be in the present. Oysters. Champagne. Polka Dots. Versace. And Dorothy Draper patterns galore. It's a spectacle, people. Many laughs and hard to behave with that pool and cabana. Can't wait to be invited again. Step aside Betsy and Nancy, the boys are back in town. And don't even think about smoking on the property, even outside. Tom goes nuts if he catches you.
okay... does any one else think she looks like a white Cardi B at 0:49 ?
Stop saying, O WOW.