Farewell to the woman who styled Diana
‘Vogue’ editor-at-large Fiona Golfar reflects on the life of Anna Harvey, the creative force behind the world’s most elegant women
Anna Harvey, who died on Tuesday aged 74, epitomised what an editor at Vogue should be. Elegant, beautiful and discreet with a classic style – crisp, white shirt, immaculately-cut black Jil Sander trousers, Manolo pumps – with a twinkle in her eye.
Born in South Africa, Anna shared a love of fashion with her mother:
“Harpers & Queen and Vogue would arrive after three months on the high seas and be greeted by great excitement. I decided then that I wanted to work for one of the titles.”
She moved to London and after a short stint working as a junior at
Harpers alongside Anna Wintour, she landed a job at Brides. Her career at Condé Nast would then span over 40 years and included 13 years at Vogue as fashion editor and then as deputy editor to Alexandra Shulman.
In 1996, she became editorial director of new markets. Anna was the perfect brand ambassador and played a crucial role in launching many of the international Vogues including Russia, Greece and India. But it was during her time at British
Vogue, when she became responsible for nurturing the magazine’s relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, that her name really was made.
Diana’s sisters had worked there and hoped that Vogue might help the young bride to step out of her “Sloaney” image. Anna recalled “shaking like a leaf ” before meeting Diana, but the two hit it off and she became Diana’s personal stylist for years.
She would also style her on sittings for the magazine with Tony Snowdon, Terence Donovan and Patrick Demarchelier. One of Anna’s old assistants, Vanessa Gillingham, remembers her saying to her in her rather regal voice: “I need 25 belts in tan and navy, an inch thick, 15 pencil skirts, 20 cream blouses and endless Manolo’s right now!” Vanessa said: “I had no idea what they were for, then we hopped in a car and the next thing I knew we were [at] Kensington Palace.”
It was Anna who introduced the young princess to a fashion world she fell in love with and to hairdresser Sam Mcknight, who was to become one of her closest friends and confidantes. Yet even though Anna managed to eventually get Diana into Versace – a dramatic sartorial departure for a young royal at the time – she was also incredibly supportive and nurturing of photographers and unknown designers, too. She was the first person to work with the photographers Bruce Weber and Stephen Meisel and was, as Shulman recalls, “responsible for fostering a whole generation of British designers: Bruce Oldfield, Catherine Walker, Jasper Conran, Bellville Sassoon and many others. Her relentless support of them when British fashion wasn’t fashionable was testament to her vision.”
When Shulman arrived at Vogue in 1992, it was also testament to Anna’s character that, despite not getting the top job herself, she unquestioningly supported her new boss. Shulman is the first to attest to this: “She was appointed my deputy and, unstintingly and generously, shared her knowledge, contacts and experience with someone who knew next to nothing. I’m not sure how I could have managed those early days without Anna’s support.”
Her slightly formal manner belied what might now seem an old-fashioned quality, good manners. People were called by their full names, letters were hand-written, Vanessa remembers that after one particularly tough shoot, Anna sent her a bunch of flowers with a note saying: “Dear Vanessa, I hear you have been a star this week. It’s people like you who keep the wheels turning at Vogue.”
Vanessa said: “I remember mentioning to Anna that I was going to a dinner to celebrate the engagement of David and Serena Linley. ‘Ask him why they have pulled out of being on the cover,’ she told me. I did and I ended up with a glass of wine down the front of my beloved vintage blue grunge dress. The next morning, I told Anna about the soggy result of the conversation. ‘Oh no! You must let Vogue pay for the dry cleaning!’ she exclaimed.”
She had a natural authority, but, in fact, for all her professional confidence, she was really quite shy. She was also devoted to her family and adored her four children, Oliver, Charlie, Hettie and Eleanor, managing to juggle the demands of a career that involved travel and long hours without too much complaint. She loved her job, but she had a private line in her office just for them – they always came first. Anna left Condé Nast after 45 years. Her leaving party was filled with generations of people she had helped along the way. She had been ill, undergoing chemotherapy and her hair was just growing back. But, of course, she looked amazing, in a black dress topped off with a huge statement diamanté necklace and earrings.
Once in remission, Anna was persuaded by another great friend from the Brides days, Caroline Levison, to write a book called Timeless Style. “She didn’t want to do it,” Caroline recalls, “but I forced her. We wanted it to have illustrations but we couldn’t find the right person, then I remembered that she could draw. She finished up doing all the illustrations herself and they were terrific. Anna never understood how good she was.”
And, of course, she would go on to write a column giving fashion advice for this newspaper, which readers loved.
Anna introduced the young princess to a fashion world that she fell in love with