Comments on the style saloniste: The Divine Debo

An extremely informative post.

2011-06-11T06:48:19.454-07:00

An extremely informative post.

One of the best reviews of Wait for Me. I have lin...

2011-05-31T12:20:49.311-07:00

One of the best reviews of Wait for Me. I have linked this to The Mitford Society on facebook.

Now this is my kind of lady!!!! She put live chick...

2010-11-16T10:40:21.041-08:00

Now this is my kind of lady!!!!
She put live chicks and pigs on the center of her table instead of the usual flower arrangments...

I had a friend that let her kids bring in the pony into the house and then they could not get him out.. I was the funniest thing I have ever seen...

Let's just say that she turned out to be CRAZY so, I enjoyed it while it lasted, but she made me feel like I was not as crazy as I thought I was...

She seems so fresh and maybe less repressed then most... Me included..

xxoo
Melissa

Diane my dear, a lot of hard work and research had...

2010-11-16T01:31:44.619-08:00

Diane my dear, a lot of hard work and research had gone into this post. Many people would be more enlightened by reading this post. Debo is an extraordinary woman! Very quintessentially English! She writes about her life without a trace of self-pity and she writes so well considering she never sees herself as erudite as her sisters Nancy or Diana. Thanks x

As a student in the Attingham Summer School, I was...

2010-11-15T14:06:58.748-08:00

As a student in the Attingham Summer School, I was fortunate to meet the duchess, a patron of the school, several times. She is a charming, devoted supporter of decorative arts.

Dear Friends- Thank you so much for stopping by! ...

2010-11-14T21:50:42.772-08:00

Dear Friends-

Thank you so much for stopping by! In the last two weeks on THE STYLE SALONISTE I've written about two grandes dames--Madeleine Castaing, the French designer and now the Duchess of Devonshire, the brilliant author and instigator of Chatsworth and the memoirist! Thriving and surviving and creating and bringing pleasure and joy to many--that is what these two nonagenarians certainly have in common. Inspiration for all!
Albarosa-I loved your message, thank you. I loved the book and found it deeply moving and fascinating from beginning to end. It is true that I had read 'Hons and Rebels' and all the letters between the sisters, and biographies of Nancy and Diana--but somehow, hearing it all from day one from Deborah was the most enlightening. A reader trusts her. She's witty and bright and laconic--and you feel that after all of her life has been exposed (by her sisters and others) she is not dissembling here.

Megan! The Carlyle! I am so envious. Lucky day. Sitting with the Duchess, in this very elegant hotel, in New York, after the Frick...the height of fabulousness. Did Deborah know her book has been such a critical success and a best-seller! New York Social diary said her book signings were the best of the season, and that DD herself was the toast of the town. Pretty wonderful. Do stay in touch--your message and your laconic wit are treasured.
Shrieks! That is such a Mitford work...the girls used it constantly.

Debra- Loved hearing from you. Do stay in touch--and do get the book. You will thank me...and then order 'In Tearing Haste'...

Hill House--welcome to blog land--and please be sure to stay in touch. It will be very jolly to have your company and ideas and humor.

cheers, DIANE

i am thoroughly enthralled. what an in-depth story...

2010-11-14T10:41:47.733-08:00

i am thoroughly enthralled. what an in-depth story you shared with us. my love of english history is piqued,
off to find the book

warmly
debra

This book is on my Christmas list, but I highly do...

2010-11-13T10:52:38.819-08:00

This book is on my Christmas list, but I highly doubt I'll be able to wait that long! Thank you Diane for such a wonderfully interesting and thorough post. I can't wait to read it!

H.H.

Hello As graphic designer in waiting for The Mitf...

2010-11-12T18:52:38.382-08:00

Hello

As graphic designer in waiting for The Mitford Industry I spent a delightful morning having coffee with Debo in her suite at the Carlyle Hotel yesterday. She is as informal, immediate and interested in all things as she seems in her writing. We sat on the sofa and talked about anything that came to mind, including Tony Blair's sex life (shrieks if laughter). I left on a cloud, not just because I'd met a Mitford but because I'd met a jolly nice lady. Having been a fan of the Mitfords since adolescence it was a bit like, well, having a cosy chat with Elvis.

(By the way, the photo of the duchess in fox hunting gear is not Debo. Corbis have mis-labelled it for some reason).

Love your blog!

From the title to the images to your passionate de...

2010-11-12T13:28:19.718-08:00

From the title to the images to your passionate description of the lady and her book...I am intrigued.

Dear Friends- I love your messages from far and ne...

2010-11-12T11:41:20.142-08:00

Dear Friends-
I love your messages from far and near--and from very far! Bangkok! UK! US! East Coast, West Coast! I love my readers wherever they may be.
Columnist, so very Corinthian: How lovely to hear from you in Thailand! Yes, you are right--at 90, and having lost most of her family and her husband (well, she has children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and lots of them) Deborah is alive and kicking and is bright and generous and flat-out fun. She just had a signing for her books at the FRICK and I heard it was the party of the season.
Yes, dear friends...when I'm 90 I definitely want to be writing books!
Peggy: if you are in London go to Hatchard's on Piccadilly and see if they have SIGNED copies of Deborah's book. She is often in London and signs her books. That would be lovely.
Modern Country Lady: Welcome to blog land! I loved hearing your 'reports from the field' of Devonshire family members and yes of course in the end you may be super-glam but you still have to go to the supermarket. One thing I adore about the Duchess-she is never pretentious. She's droll and very self-deprecating. It's ironic: Nancy was the 'writer' of the family, the glamorous one, and Decca was the campaigner--but now it's Deborah who is the star.
Deborah: yes, you must get the book...and then continue with the 'Letters' among the 6 sisters, or second you should read 'In Tearing Haste' of letters over 60 years between Deborah and Paddy Fermor...now, he is really an adventurer and a war hero and at 94 considered the greatest travel writer. Highly recommend. Let me know what you think.
Today, a friend on Facebook, a designer, said she was going to recommend these books to her book club. I thought that was perfect.
Cheers to all, and happy weekend, DIANE

Diane a huge thank you for posting about this amaz...

2010-11-12T06:50:56.020-08:00

Diane a huge thank you for posting about this amazing woman so thouroughly. I spotted this book in a recent magazine and was fascinated by it immediately. A 'remarkable' family does not seem like a strong enough word. I am logging onto Amazon to purchase a copy.

Many thanks,

Deborah

Sounds like a great book- I love the Mitfords- hav...

2010-11-10T10:43:19.795-08:00

Sounds like a great book- I love the Mitfords- have to say, really enjoyed ‘The Mitfords, Letters between Six Sisters" - so funny- also quite poignant and sad sometimes.
Must be hard for the youngest sister of such a big family to see all her sisters pass on, and just live with the memories.What a life she has lived !!
Thanks for sharing this- really love your blog.
I am new in the blog-world and just started my blog http://moderncountrylady.blogspot.com/
Have a look if you have the time and let me know what you think....
PS The Dowager Duchhess her non-model granddaughter,Sophia, lives near me and I see her in the supermarket sometimes- she has the same Mitford genes and is statuesquely tall ( is statuesquely is proper word ?? ).
Thanks also for the great pictures.

This is wonderful! I will run right out and get th...

2010-11-10T09:18:28.188-08:00

This is wonderful! I will run right out and get that book. I read every word of your beautiful post.
Lucky me-I am working in UK in latter part of nov. how I love England. Now even more because of your divine blog. xx peggybraswelldesign.com

I am always inspired by The Duchess. She is an ext...

2010-11-10T09:14:34.682-08:00

I am always inspired by The Duchess. She is an extraordinary person and a role model for all women. I'm ordering the book today. Thank you immensely for writing, once again, about her.

Inspiring! When I'm 90, I want to be writing ...

2010-11-10T09:04:31.636-08:00

Inspiring! When I'm 90, I want to be writing books too.

Thank you for this absolutely fascinating and incr...

2010-11-10T06:41:18.805-08:00

Thank you for this absolutely fascinating and incredibly comprehensive post!!

I have a friend in London of about the same vintag...

2010-11-09T20:21:43.223-08:00

I have a friend in London of about the same vintage - 92 or 93 - similarly widowed, titled etc, and probably good friends. She is one of the most interesting people I know. They were made of finer stuff these ladies, unlike the sad shopping wannabes of today's monied "class", who actually of course don't have any. And by that I don't mean the obvious aristocratic background, I mean the purpose in their lives, the culture, and above all the refusal to feel self pity. They get on with their lives. It's difficult not to admire them, and to enjoy their company.

Hi Dear Friends--Royalists, all! I'm so glad ...

2010-11-09T15:36:01.692-08:00

Hi Dear Friends--Royalists, all!

I'm so glad I enticed you to read her new book. It is a rich and tasty feast, with never a dull moment or paragraph to skip over.
I've been amazed at how many interviews she has done in the last two or three months. Today I opened WWD and there is a full-page interview, focusing on her couture collection and favorite designers. Scottish papers, all the London papers, and her local rags have all done special features. It is incredible--she's pushing 91, has macular degeneration (her interviewees are a blur) but she is droll, gracious (noblesse oblige, always) and patient throughout--and seldom is cross even when they ask dull questions. Or ask the same boring ones over and over.
Yes, Julie Anne, no whingeing! Order the book and start reading--and let me know your reaction.
Then you might read 'In Tearing Haste' her letters with Paddy Fermor...he is a fantastic and compelling writer...and she's a charming letter writer.
cheers to all, DIANE

On my list, arriving soon! Absolutely perfect post...

2010-11-09T15:05:44.900-08:00

On my list, arriving soon! Absolutely perfect post!
Brilliant!!

I've been whinging that I haven't had time...

2010-11-09T14:17:12.184-08:00

I've been whinging that I haven't had time to go abroad this year - this memoir seems just the ticket ! A mini holiday not only to a distant land, but through a lifetime as well. Perfect, and thank you for bringing it to my attention.

I must get this book! What a wonderul account of t...

2010-11-09T11:25:56.871-08:00

I must get this book! What a wonderul account of the Dowager Duchess's life. How sad about her sister Unity. Clearly she suffered from a form of mental illness. And how tragic about the loss of her babies and the way she was expected to snap out of it. Another book to add to my Christmas list!

I simply cannot wait to dive into this book. Such...

2010-11-09T11:07:49.530-08:00

I simply cannot wait to dive into this book. Such a fascinating family. Wonderful post!