ELSA KLENSCH

KLENSCH--Elsa, (nee Aeschbacher) died at her home in Manhattan on March 4, 2022, after a long illness. She was predeceased by Charles Klensch, her husband of 50 years. Elsa was born on February 21, 1933 in New South Wales, Australia. She studied journalism at the University of Sydney while reporting for the Sydney Daily Telegraph. However, Australia was not large enough to satisfy Elsa's pioneering spirit. Her career took her to London, New Guinea, Hong Kong and ultimately New York, where she served as Senior Fashion Editor for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and Senior Marketing Editor at Women's Wear Daily. Elsa appeared on television for WCBS and WPIX; but is best known for her appearances on CNN, where for more than 20 years, she was the host and producer of CNN's Style with Elsa Klensch, the first television program in the United States focused solely on fashion, beauty and design, and one of CNN's most popular shows in its early years. The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired the CNN archive of Elsa's show for its Costume Institute. Elsa was honored twice by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, once in 1986 for her work in fashion television and again in 1999 for "career achievement in fashion journalism." She was elected to the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List in 1990. After leaving broadcasting, Elsa authored four mystery novels, all featuring Sonya Iverson, a television news- magazine producer turned detective. She also wrote the New York Times best seller "Style with Elsa Klensch." She is survived by her sister, Pamela Lemon; nieces Ceri Stichter, Wendy Lemon and Debra Adsett; nephews, Matthew Aeschbacher and Peter Lemon, and multiple great- nieces and nephews in Australia. She is also survived by Charles' children, Elisabeth Gabriele Klensch and Charles J.B. Klensch; their children, and her many friends around the world. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate contributions to the Council of Fashion Designers of America, to be added to its scholarship fund in Elsa's name.