The gallery owners wanted to kick the artists out of their galleries. So it wasn't good for Lambert to represent them at first. Eleanor wanted to make things better. She went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and suggested that they might want to have young artists or promote a Modern Wing. They were not interested. That idea prompted her to gather a group of friends and found MOMA. 

She later became the Whitney's first Press Director and suggested that the museum could become known if it participated or had a pavilion at the Venice Biennale in Italy. The Biennale was intended to disseminate and promote contemporary art through exhibitions and research in all artistic disciplines: visual arts, architecture, film, dance, music and theater. Of course, now we cannot think of the Venice Biennale without the iconic American Pavilion.

Back then, there was a lot of drama and a story behind from the Venice Biennale. 

George Hurst, wealthy businessman and U.S. senator, agreed to underwrite the cost of shipping for the hundred works that The Whitney Museum sent to Venice. When Eleanor arrived, the set also included a portrait of Mary Anne Davis, that was not by an American artist, but of his mistress. It was the picture displayed when walking into the rotunda of the American Pavilion. The Head of the Whiney told Eleanor to make sure that painting got taken down. George Hurst’s right-hand man, Seymour Burke was sent to demand Eleanor to leave the painting. Eleanor wasn't goint to changing her mind. She wanted to send a press release to all the papers in New York saying that it was taken down. Her henchman had already paid off Mussolini and the Count of Venice, Volpi, who actually had a lot of power at the Venice Biennale. However, the painting remained up until the second to the last day. In the meantime, Eleanor didn’t know how but a press release was leaked to the New York Times saying that it was taken down. There was a cover story in Time Magazine how there were strained diplomatic relations between Italy and The United States over this matter. 

She was asked to meet with a man named Groven Walen,  prominent politician, businessman, and public relations guru in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. He was as The Major in New York City. He didn’t like public speaking and he was called The Red Man. However,you couldn't be elected president without knowing Walen. He also had a little side business called the New York World’s Fair, which was a World's profit. He asked Eleanor Lambert to do women's fashion shows. She saw the poster, mainly inspired by the triangle. She had models pop out of pyramids, which was very amusing and fun for people in 1939. 

After the war Groven Walen had another job. He was going to be chairman in addition to his official greeters. He was very involved with Coty Fragrances. He asked her for his ideas. She suggested an awards program called The COTY Awards, also known as the America Fashion Critics Awards. The COTY Awards existed for 40 years. They are today known to be the Oscars of Fashion. However, they no longer exist.

This is Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York City. Eleanor was still very young, around 35 years old. When she teamed up with Grover, a very established person, she was able to put on spectacular things and really race the visibility with fresh ideas. With the dynamic duo's experience, they really pushed what was happening in America

Source.  Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

The COTY Awards took place at the new Governor’s residence since it was hosted by the mayor. The object at the background of the picture was the Whitney, the official statue of the COTY Awards. Eleanor Lambert modeled her American Fashion Critics Awards, just like the Academy Awards, which was around 11 years old at the time. She had a jury system, which were the out-of-town editors. She suddenly had an enormous amount of power. All at the same time. She started Fashion Week, The Best Dressed List, and the COTY Awards, all at the same time.

Another idea President Roosevelt had started the March of Dimes, who was looking for a fundraising event. Eleanor Lambert contacted Elaine Whitelaw about a fundraising event and it listed all the ideas that Eleanor had. They had a lot of support from President Roosevelt because he started the March of Dimes.

Roosevelt's personal struggle with polio led to the creation of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, better known as March of Dimes. They  pioneered vaccine research leading to the eradication of polio in the U.S., and later expanded their mission to address issues of birth defects. President Roosevelt was also best friend’s with Grover Whalen and François Coty, French perfumery, entrepreneur and politician.

The New York Times called the March of Dimes shows the Most Spectacular Fashion Show ever created. It was one of the number one things on television in the 1950s. It was also on radio in the 40s and went on until the 60s. It was people from high society, from Broadway, from Hollywood, who participated. The sets were designed by young artists. Some not so young but new, for instance, Grandma Moses and Salvador Dali, Eleanor’s clients. It was held at the Waldorf Astoria. It was quite an event that raised 1 million dollars.

March of Dimes. Source.  Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

Marylyn Monroe with Sandy and Linda Lou at the March of Dimes. Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

Going back to 1939, she had talked to the MET about having a modern wing and they refused. After being successful in major projects, she asked again. In 1948, The MET said yes, founding The Costume Institute. She organizing a midnight dinner, which is still the largest fundraising gala in New York, The Costume Institute Gala, now known as the prestigious MET Gala, held annually on the first Monday of May.

Eleanor was also great friends with the duchess of Windsor, socialite and wife of King Edward VIII. Eleanor convinced her to give her wedding dress to the MET because the British wouldn’t want it after her divorce scandal. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a constitutional crisis that led to King Edward's abdication.

This is an example of how Eleanor used everything she could to promote American Fashion. She wasn’t just promoting her clients because they were clients. They were her clients because she believed in their talent. She would not represent people who she didn’t believe in. If you didn’t have money, she didn’t care about that. She did like to get paid but it wasn't imperative. If you have talent, she was there to promote you. If you didn’t have talent it didn’t matter how much money you had. She believed in talent and she gave people her opinion. She didn’t care if you were the president, or king, queen. She is most known to the public, as the person who oversaw The Best Dressed List. Because of that, people almost killed themselves to be on the list.

In 1959, she was contacted by the government. The United States formed a unique partnership between the State Department and the Department of Commerce. They had something called American Designer Showings. They went all over the world to promote American Design. 

Here is Miss Lambert with her models arriving in Indianapolis. They went all over the United States. They went to Mongolia and Japan, New Zealand and Australia and Europe. They did not go to France. Miss Lambert did not think that the U.S was ready to go up against the French. After the war from the 40s until 70s, Miss Lambert was all over the world. Promoting American fashion, creating trade shows and events.

Source.  Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

Here is the Moscow exhibition that Miss Lambert produced. She also produced fashion shows for it. It was a geodesic dome, which of course in 1959, was extremely modern.  

Source.  Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

This was a photo of the cover of Life Magazine. These models were all wearing Lilly Dache. This is the famous kitchen table debate, between Nixon and Khrushhev, in the kitchen area of the geodesic dome which all served great publicity. Muscovites came out in droves to see all the displays and exhibitions including this fashion show that Miss Lambert produced.

She also looked up for everyone. Starting in the 1940s at her COTY Awards show and her Fashion Press Week Shows, she booked all the models. She was always including what she called black models. She was always making sure every lookbook have black models. People would say Ives Saint Laurent was the first designer to use black women. Well, that was Miss Lambert’s client and she convinced him. 

In the picture, the model in the front is a black model. During the show, muscovites were shocked to see a black woman on stage. The picture also shows Miss Lambert sitting at the stage, directing the models. 

In the early 60s, a man who was elected to be president and his wife, who was rather unknown, sent a letter to Miss Lambert saying, “Eleanor my name is Jackie Kennedy. I am about to become the new First Lady and I've been shopping for all my inauguration clothes. However, Women’s Wear Daily is saying that I’m buying French fashion”. Miss Lambert wrote a note in the letter for her secretary saying “well it’s true because Givenchy is my client and he said you were in his studio”. Jackie was wearing Givenchy and tearing the labels out and putting on other labels. 

Lambert said she had to wear American clothes and that she had the perfect designer for her. His name, Halston and he designs at Bergdorf’s. She claimed he could make all of her things. She wore a Halston pillbox hat to The Presidential election Day.

Source: CNN.  Jackie's Kennedy pillbox hat at the 1961 presidential inauguration.

She started the Council of Fashion designers of America as this way of having fashion included as a way of art. To allow fashion designers set their own schedule for Fashion Week, to control their own destiny. Also, to serve as a trade organization to promote American Fashion to foreign countries. She used everything she could. 

Some of the Republic senators were refusing to spend a bill on art. Lambert promoted a Fashion Show to Republican Senators wifes extending the idea that their husbands weren’t promoting it. The next day all the senators came on board and thought it was a good bill. Eleanor was asked to testify before the Senate.

It was an outstanding testimony in 1963 where she expressed that you should dress by someone who designs who is near you, who understands your life. Americans are artists.

Miss Lambert not only testified in Congress, but there is a telegram by Congress President Johnson. When he signed the bill into law, he handed the pen to Eleanor Lambert, not to Jackie Kennedy. He knew she had worked so hard to make the bill happen. He appointed her to the Twenty-six Person Committee. In addition, she was the only person ever to serve on the National Council and the National Endowment of the Arts. 

Bill Blass, who was Lambert’s client and the president of the CFDA, asked Eleanor to create the Council of Fashion Designer’s Awards, which were inaugurated in 1981. After 40 years, The COTY Awards ended and the CFDA Awards emerged. She came back to sculpture, a personal passion she had, reminding her of her college years. She had Ernest Trova, American surrealist, pop art painter and sculptor, to design  the award trophy for the CFDA Awards. This accomplishment has been given since 1981 to fashion designers at the gala. 

Source.  Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

This is the only surviving program anyone knows about the Versailles Exhibition. It was found in Miss Lambert’s files; blue silk book. The Versailles Exhibition was the moment that Eleanor Lambert decided she would take the show to France. She had got her all around the world. She understood the cultural moment and saw that society had changed due to the shifting after the war. People were more practicing in dressing, women now were in the workforce. Eleanor understood now was the time to showcase American Design. 

Source.  Book Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

They announced to her that the Queen’s Opera House at the Palace of Versailles was redecorated and restored and wanted to have an event. She suggested a  showing, which was truly a contest between five American designers and five French. She enlisted the help of the most grand over the top person in France, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, who was a French socialité who became a doyenne of Parisian high-society and whose family owned a bank dynasty.  The French had the most over the top show. Their presentation took 2.5 hours long. Josephine Baker with the  opening number. Pierre Cardin had a spaceship that took off on stage and Ungaro had a cart that was pulled by a rhinoceros.  Christian Dior had a crazy horse cabaret, which is the 1973 version of strippers. They wore fur coats but no clothes. That was the problem, they forgot the clothes. 

Eleanor Lambert was holding the purse strings for the American Designers: Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Halston, Anne Klein, and Stephen Burrow. They were all focused on separates and sportswear. They presented a thirty-three minute pre-tapped music presentation where it was all about the show. Half of the 32 models of the American designers were black, who Miss Lambert felt represented what was happening on the streets. 

The French audience went berserk. The show ended with Steven Burrows, these colors no one had ever seen before; the ease of modern life that was really reflected in this moment. The audience went crazy. Everyone started throwing their programas to the air. Lambert’s interpretation of that action was that the French felt embarrassed and that everyone thought the French looked like idiots. That was the moment when the French started to copy the American way. They started doing separates.

When the World’s Fair came back and was not a private enterprise, the city of New York organized The World’s Fair in 1964, considered the most successful World’s Fair of all times. They asked Miss Lambert to be on the Board of Directors, so she was very involved in planning the World’s Fair and getting people there. The goal was 75 million people, but only 53 million people attended. Miss Lambert set continuous fashion shows, pavilions, and formal fashion shows. More people saw fashion in 1964 and 1965 at the World’s  Fair than any other place. She had over-the-top grand exhibitions. She was doing everything she could to promote American Fashion. 

This is a very interesting photo. She helped Truman Capote, author of the legendary 'Breakfast at Tiffany's, plan the black and white ball. Truman wanted to have a party in his own honor. Miss Lambert suggested trying to honor someone else. The person chosen was Katherine Graham, one of the first female publishers of an American newspaper. 

Miss Lambert’s story of this particular day was that she didn’t have time to get her own hair done. She was promoting clients. With a very busy day, she plopped on a turban and grabbed her mask, hoping to get to the party at the right time. Low and behold she just entered behind Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra and it was the biggest media frenzy of all times. There is an expanded version of this photo where you can see the paparazzi.

In this picture, off to the right is Truman Capote, wearing his eyeglasses. What’s behind Mia Farrow with the butterfly mask is Miss Lambert and her white turban, but that is a mirror. f Mia Farrow was shaking hands with President Johnson.