{"product_id":"the-fabulous-frances-farquharson-the-colourful-life-of-an-american-in-the-highlands-9781803992532","title":"The Fabulous Frances Farquharson: The Colourful Life of an American in the Highlands","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom society belle in turn-of-the-century Seattle, to editor of \u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e and lady of a vast Scottish Highland estate that borders Balmoral Castle, \u003ci\u003eThe Fabulous Frances Farquharson\u003c\/i\u003e is the colorful biography of a charming, one-of-a-kind, and sartorially flamboyant woman.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e She was born Frances Lovell Oldham, a Seattle society girl who left her hometown at the age of 17 to pursue a career in Europe, and who would charm Eastern European princesses and British royalty on her travels. In the twenties, having moved to London, she partied with the Bright Young Things before becoming Mrs James Rodney, the blue-blooded wife of a cousin of Winston Churchill, and fashion editor at British \u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e, when those magazines were expressively modernist in their design and output. At a time when women rarely found independent success, Frances transcended boundaries as a working woman in the thirties. \u003cp\u003e Her story was even more remarkable given she made a career comeback after fracturing her spine during a fatal house fire that killed her first husband in 1933. Promoted to editor of \u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e, she boosted the morale of British women during the Second World War, and successfully worked as a trade envoy to America, fiercely championing British products in boardrooms full of men. After marrying Captain Alwyne Farquharson, the 16th Laird of Invercauld (who was 17 years her junior), Frances threw herself into life at Braemar Castle as a neighbor of the Queen, bringing glamour and eccentricity to the grouse moors of Deeside. Fully embracing the shocking pink of her good friend, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, she wore a polar bear coat at a time when it was acceptable to wear fur and draped herself head-to-toe in custom-made tartan outfits as a tribute to her new home in the Scottish Highlands. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Described in the press as \"an intensely dynamic, tiny and compelling lady of great beauty,\" Frances Farquharson brought American charm and flamboyant fashion everywhere she went, and this first biography of \"arguably one of the most stylish and intuitive [women] of her age\" will surely fascinate and enthrall. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaroline Young\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eStyle Tribes: The Fashion of Subcultures, Classic Hollywood Style\u003c\/i\u003e and the upcoming \u003ci\u003eTartan and Tweed\u003c\/i\u003e, all published by Frances Lincoln. She has worked as a fashion writer and assistant digital editor at \u003ci\u003eHerald Scotland\u003c\/i\u003e. She has a strong interest in the history of fashion and the golden age of Hollywood, and extensively researched the period at archives in Los Angeles for both her book\u003ci\u003e Classic Hollywood Style\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"History Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50500829249810,"sku":"9781803992532","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0f5bfaaf-5c30-471a-abdb-58f1bfdbbc44.jpg?v=1730755105","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-fabulous-frances-farquharson-the-colourful-life-of-an-american-in-the-highlands-9781803992532","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}