sedona legend helen frye

Helen Vanderbilt Frye

Designer Extraordinaire!

Sedona Legend Helen Frye

A Hat Shoppe
in Beverly Hills!

March 14, 1941

Often times the keys to a person's past are misplaced and lost forever. Not in the case of Helen's fashion connections! For years, I have heard that Helen designed clothes and hats for Marlene Dietrich, helped design new uniforms for Transcontinental and Western Air Hostesses and had a fashionable Hat Shoppe in Beverly Hills California. Some doubted the rumors, saying it must be made up. However, persistence does indeed pay off, finally I have found the evidence of this endeavor and hope to someday find even more information. As far as the Hat Shop, I always assumed it was during her Vanderbilt days- but a surprise! Helen opened the shop soon after her marriage to Jack Frye, who fervently
supported her fashion insights!

By Times Fashion Editor Sylvia Weaver

Men complain about women's hats because they have to have something to talk about! That's the opinion of dark haired, blue-eyed Mrs. Jack Frye, the former Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., who is visiting in Los Angeles with her husband, president of T.W.A., at the Ambassador Hotel. And Mrs. Frye ought to know. She has some two dozen hats in her suite at the Ambassador. And she's constantly thinking up new ideas for milady's head as she flies and drives with her husband across the prairies, south to the Caribbean, up the East Coast, and along the mesas of New Mexico.

Jack and Helen Frye often stayed at the Ambassador when in Los Angeles. Home of the famous Coconut Grove nightclub, Jack and Helen Frye were often seen there with their friend Howard Hughes.

FRAME FOR FACE

"The hat frames the face," declared Mrs. Frye yesterday as she looked the picture of chic in a beige gabardine tailleur, a bright green blouse, a beige straw hat trimmed in red and green crocheted designs around the wide brim.

"A man wants to look at a woman's face; if he can't see her face he complains. What's the use of hiding your eyes, your hairline under a lot of flowers or straw or ribbons?

"There's a purpose behind a hat," went on the aviator, who is quite a designer herself. "A hat is supposed to make a woman more attractive, more alluring to the eyes of the beholder, male or female. Women shouldn't forget the reason why they're wearing a hat-- if they do forget, the men will complain as men believe in simplicity, not fussiness, in all styles."

FOLDING BONNET

Daring and original is Mrs. Frye in her own hat designs, all which her husband okays before she wears them.

"I get ideas for hats all the time," she explains. "When Jack and I were in Florida recently, I wanted something to keep the sun out of my eyes so I cut up a newspaper folded like a little boy's soldiers hat and, presto, I had a bonnet which folds into nothing for packing, yet unfolds into a very attractive off-the-face hat, I'm having it patented now. Jack encourages me in designing.

"I tie scarves around my head in a circle halo on top of my hair, letting three corners hang down in the back which gives a new hair line. I'm having a hat made now Philippine grass which I saw on a piece of furniture-- and of course you've seen my hat made of copper chicken wire and antennae, haven't you?"

One of Helen's most famous clients was Marlene Dietrich

Helen was at a party and as always she was wearing one of her famous hats. Marlene Dietrich was also in attendance and joined Helen. After introductions, Marlene exclaimed, "Where did you buy that lovely hat," to which Helen replied, "I designed it myself!" Marlene said, "please Helen dear, won't you design hats for me?"

Helen graciously agreed to supply Marlene with smart stylish hats and a wonderful friendship was cemented in the process. Later, Helen also designed clothing for Marlene, specifically pants. Marlene Dietrich was a trend setter in regard to slacks! Could it be that Helen herself helped contribute to this "Marlene signature look?" Most assuredly she did! I have contacted the Marlene Dietrich museum in an effort to track down hats made by Helen in their collection. As a matter of fact, Helen at one time actually delivered an entire outfit design personally, to Marlene in Beverly Hills. Marlene had the outfit produced by her favorite seamstress. So yes, it is true that Marlene did visit Jack and Helen's, Sedona Smoke Trail Ranch for more than one western get-a-way vacation, bringing her exquisite beauty and presence with her. Please see this page.

AIR WARDROBE

Mrs. Frye is preparing to create an air wardrobe. She has been a designer ever since her high school days in Clarksburg, W. Va., where she learned to hunt, shoot and ride. An ardent sportswoman, a flyer herself, an inveterate traveler over America, which she knows from State to State, mostly from driving alone with her dog, she's especially suited to getting ideas for American women's styles as she understands, not only the women, but the country itself, so well.

"Hollywood film designers will bring the fashion capitol of the world to California," concluded Mrs. Frye. "In Florida recently I didn't see any styles as exciting as the California sports clothes. This is where all the originality, the color, the simplicity are."

Mrs. Jack Frye, as seen above, on a flight to visit her nieces in Clarksburg, West Virginia in about 1943. Helen is wearing one of her elegant hats and holding a mink stole.

TO TAKE PARIS PLACE

"Los Angeles will take Paris' place eventually as a source of artistic design ideas.

"My Shop? Oh yes, I am part owner of a hat shop. But my fashion career comes second, definitely second to my marriage. Why should I bother about selling hats when I'm happily married for the first time in my life?"

Mrs. Jack (Helen) Frye Contributes to Design of
New Hostess Uniforms

May 31, 1941

Helen Frye is remembered within Transcontinental and Western Air to have contributed to the redesign of the 1940's TWA uniforms. It was Jack and Helen Frye's desire to update the dowdy and dated TWA attire. The following article, describing another Air Line Hostess Fashion design was an off-shoot of this TWA project. See this page.

Sky Hostess to Play Model

Will Show New Togs Designed In Southland for Stewardesses

To preview the new Southern California- designed stewardess uniforms of Western Air Lines was an easy task for Times Fashion Editor Sylva Weaver.

But when she was asked to select a sole girl from among seven stewardess-models as the best one to wear this smart new outfit at the Wings Over the Nation celebration, annual four-day event in Long Beach honoring airline stewardesses, from all over the country, Miss Weaver had her troubles!

STEWARDESS CHOSEN

Her final choice from among the line-up of flying fashionettes was petite auburn-haired Margaret Patricia Gillette of Butte, Montana, who flies the airline's division from Salt Lake City to Lethbridge, Canada.

Margaret will have the honor of introducing June 6 in Long Beach the first stewardess outfit ever designed and made in Southern California. The suit of light beige wool, created in Hollywood along simple lines typical of fashions from this section, is worn with a lemon-colored open necked shirt.

HAT DESIGNERS

The gay hat of open-crown beige cloth and brown silk jersey drape is a radical departure from severe uniform hats. It was designed in the Beverly Hills shop of two women quite familiar with the aviation industry - Mrs. Jack Frye, wife of T.W.A.'s president, and Mrs. Mark McKee, wife of a Pan American Airways director.

Brown pumps and a large brown leather bag are the final harmonious touches to the costume which Southern California puts forth a "tops" in what the well-dressed stewardess should wear.

That Fabulous Bird Cage Hat!

An �oft told story by Helen about her hats, as told to amused acquaintances, was that she was wearing one of her more creative designs one day while shopping in Beverly Hills, when she passed a little boy being led down the sidewalk by his mother, Helen overheard him say as he passed her, �Mommy, Mommy, look at the lady with the bird cage on her head!� The mother turned around and looked, while telling her little boy to shhhhhhhhsh!

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