Polly Allen Mellen was the longtime fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, known for her deep influence on the fashion world.
- Died: December 12, 2024 (Who else died on December 12?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 100.
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Polly Allen Mellen’s legacy
Mellen grew up interested in fashion, helped along by parents who were “enormously chic,” as she told Interview magazine. She loved dressing her dolls in interesting combinations, and she followed movie stars, fascinated with their high-octane styles. Mellen got her start in fashion as a young woman working at New York City’s Lord & Taylor department store, then entered the magazine world via Mademoiselle. She was its fashion editor when a friend arranged a meeting for her with iconic fashion tastemaker Diana Vreeland, who was then helming the fashion section at Harper’s Bazaar.
Vreeland was impressed with Mellen, and she brought her to Bazaar, launching a legendary career. Mellen’s early work under Vreeland – a leader in the industry from the 1930s through ‘80s – made her one of the last links to an illustrious era of fashion. She was also known for her vision and creativity alongside such great photographers as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Helmut Newton. One of Avedon’s most famous photographs came from an idea of Mellen’s: She styled model and actress Nastassja Kinski with a large snake after learning Kinski liked the reptiles, and Avedon’s photo of the moment for Vogue became a best-selling pinup poster in the 1980s.
Mellen had a love for cutting-edge fashion that brought her to the shows of young, up-and-coming designers. Often the oldest person at those events by many years, she gave the greatest talents a boost with her enthusiastic embrace of their designs. Her unabashed delight with fashion led some to call her the industry’s cheerleader.
After many years at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines, Mellen moved on to Allure in the early ‘90s. She remained at that publication until her 2001 retirement. In 1994, she was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America – though she insisted that she was far too young to receive such an accolade.
Mellen on her school days
“I’d wear my sweaters backward or tie my shoes with red laces. Looking like everybody else bored me. I should have paid more attention to my studies. Instead of college, I went to the College Shop at Lord & Taylor.” — from a 1994 interview for the New York Times
Tributes to Polly Allen Mellen
Full obituary: W Magazine
