Solange d'Ayen facts for kids

Solange Marie Christine Louise de Labriffe, Duchess of Ayen (born April 5, 1898 – died November 3, 1976) was a French noblewoman and journalist. She was also known by her professional names, Solange d'Ayen and Solange de Noailles.

Solange was famous for being the fashion editor for French Vogue magazine. She worked there from the 1920s to the 1940s. She also wrote for the American version of Vogue.

She was born into the Labriffe family. In 1919, she married Jean Maurice Paul Jules de Noailles, who was the 6th Duke of Ayen. This marriage made her the Duchess of Ayen. They had two children together.

During World War II, Solange was arrested by the Nazis in 1942. She survived a Nazi concentration camp. Solange passed away in Paris in 1976 when she was 78 years old.

Early Life

Solange Marie Christine Louise de Labriffe was born in Amiens, a city in northern France. Her birthday was April 5, 1898.

Her family was known as the House of Labriffe. Her father was Camille, Count of Labriffe. Her mother was Countess Anne-Marie Vassart d'Hozier. Solange also had an older sister named Marie.

Her Career in Fashion

In the late 1920s, Solange began working as a fashion consultant. She soon became the fashion editor for French Vogue magazine. She used the name Solange de Noailles for her work.

By October 1928, she started signing her articles as Solange d'Ayen. She also wrote for the American Vogue magazine.

Carmel Snow, an Irish journalist who worked at Vogue, admired Solange greatly. Snow said Solange was the person she most wanted to be like. Solange knew many important people in Paris society. She helped Snow meet many of them.

In 1935, Solange helped the editor-in-chief of Vogue, Edna Woolman Chase. She convinced her close friend, French painter Christian Bérard, to work for the magazine. He became a fashion illustrator.

Solange continued as a fashion editor for French Vogue until the 1940s. Later, in 1949, she managed the fashion house of Robert Piguet. In 1951, she became an editor for Maison & Jardin magazine. Towards the end of her life, she was known as Solange de Labriffe.

Her Family Life

Solange married Jean Maurice Paul Jules de Noailles on June 16, 1919. He was the 6th Duke of Ayen, and she became the Duchess of Ayen. They lived at the beautiful Château de Maintenon.

They had two children. Their daughter was Geneviève Hélène Anne Marie Yolande de Noailles, born in 1921. Their son was Adrien Maurice Edmond Marie Camille de Noailles, born in 1925. Sadly, Adrien was a soldier and died during World War II in 1944 when he was only 19.

Solange was good friends with many famous artists. These included fashion designer Coco Chanel and photographer Lee Miller. She was also friends with Swiss fashion designer Robert Piguet and French painter Christian Bérard.

During World War II, Solange and her husband faced great danger. Her husband, Jean de Noailles, was part of the French Resistance. He was arrested by the Nazis in 1942. He died in a concentration camp in 1945, just before the war ended.

Solange was also arrested by the Nazis in 1942. She was sent to Fresnes Prison. Her friends, like Lee Miller, did not know what had happened to her. After the war, when Miller found her, Solange was described as "a shadow of herself."

French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy met Solange when he was young. He said she was a "great beauty" with "classic taste." He also mentioned that she always wore black because she had lost her husband and son in the war.

Later Years and Death

Solange passed away in Paris on November 3, 1976. She was 78 years old. She was buried at the Château de Maintenon in France, where she had lived with her family.

See also

• Duke of Ayen