The Fabulous Frances Farquharson tells the story of a flamboyant American fashion editor who became lady of a vast Highland estate. And what popped out during my research was the number of famous names she encountered.
Born in Seattle in 1902, Frances Oldham had a burning desire to be a writer and to see the world. Sailing to Europe in 1925, she used her gift of the gab to thrive in Paris and London. She received invitations for lunch with Princess Mary at Marlborough House and overnight stays with the Queen of Romania in her palace in the Carpathians mountains.
Even after her marriage to the Laird of Invercauld in 1949, she ensured her home, Invercauld castle, was a hive of activity. She invited close friend Elsa Schiaparelli, and wealthy Americans like the Rockefellers and the Du Ponts, and even Zsa Zsa Gabor, to stay. Here are just some of the famous names she rubbed shoulders with.
Marguerite Cassini
Arriving in Florence in 1925, Frances visited a boutique that was all the rage amongst wealthy Americans – The Cassini Model House, on the Via de Tornabuoni. The shop belonged to Marguerite Cassini, the mother of fashion designer Oleg Cassini (who briefly engaged to Grace Kelly and became a stylist for Jackie Kennedy) and an escapee of the 1918 Russian Revolution.
Completely charmed by Frances, Margeurite introduced her to two fellow Russian designers, the Lobanov-Rostowsky sisters. They owned the Paul Caret boutique in Paris and London. By taking Frances under their wings, they introduced her to Queen Marie of Romania, Princess Mary and other well-heeled figures.
Amelia Earhart
A little-known fact about Frances is that she was swept up in the world of aviation in the 1930s. Her interest was sparked by her 1928 marriage to First World War RAF hero, James Rodney, a cousin of Winston Churchill, James was senior pilot and manager of Hanworth Park Airfield. He and Frances organised aerial tea parties that attracted high-flying celebrities like Amelia Earhart and Amy Johnson, and which displayed the Graf Zeppelin airship on its tour of the UK in 1931.
Amy Guest, the wife of James’s uncle, politician Freddie Guest (who was the founder of the auxiliary air force) dreamt of being the first woman to cross the Atlantic in her airplane, Friendship. But when her family insisted it was too dangerous, Amelia Earhart took her place.
Elsa and Gogo Schiaparelli
By the 1930s Frances was a successful writer and fashion journalist, working under her married name Mrs James Rodney. By the time she had been appointed fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar in 1935, she and Schiaparelli were good friends. Frances adored the Italian designer’s smart black suits and surrealist hats, which she bought from the designer’s London salon. Frances even agreed to be chaperone to Schiaparelli’s daughter Gogo for her coming out as a debutante in 1938. Gogo’s eye-catching fashion choices popped against the clouds of pale pink tulle, while Frances also earned column inches for her unique turbans and elegant evening gowns.
Idina Sackville – aka “The Bolter”
Tragically, Frances’ beloved husband James Rodney died in a house fire in 1933. Frances broke her back when she jumped from a window to escape the flames. After a couple of years recovering from her injuries, she married for a second time, to Charles Gordon.
His ex-wife was Idina Sackville, famed as “The Bolter” of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love, and the wife of a murder victim in James Fox’s White Mischief. Charles Gordon moved to Kenya with Idina in 1919 to manage a farm next to Karen Blixen’s. But he left her because, according to what he told Frances, she “was a nymphomaniac.”
The Swans – Babe Paley, Happy Rockefeller and CZ Guest
If you’ve seen Feud: Truman Capote v The Swans, Frances’ connection to the New York socialites CZ Guest, “Babe” Paley and “Happy” Rockefeller may be impressive.
There’s a famous photograph by Slim Aarons of CZ Guest by the languorous pool of Villa Artemis on Palm Beach. The villa was built by James Rodney’s uncle and aunt Freddie Guest and Amy Phipps. in the 1930s. Considered the height of resort chic, Frances was a special guest when in the States.
Given Frances’ connections to the fashion world in New York, she also rubbed shoulders with “Babe” Paley. After marrying Captain Alwyn Farquharson, the Laird of Invercauld in 1948, Frances moved to the Highlands. Their home, Invercauld Castle, was struggling under crippling inheritance tax. To keep it afloat she invited wealthy Americans to indulge their Highland fantasies by taking part in shoots on the moors. Guests included Nelson “Rocky” Rockefeller and his second wife, Margaretta “Happy” Large Fitler, William duPont and Willard Rockwell Jr, of Rockwell International, and Eva Gabor.
One of their guests was a very rich American woman who wore enormous diamonds and had a home in the Bahamas. The large amount of money she, and the other guests, spent contributed to the cost of running Invercauld. This description could only be “Babe” Paley.
Princess Diana
After moving to the Highlands, Frances set a fashion standard for the yearly Braemar Gathering with her custom-made tartan outfits. Every year the Royal Family, staying at nearby Balmoral, would attend the games. The event hit the international headlines in 1981 when Princess Diana attended while on honeymoon with Prince Charles at Balmoral. She wowed the crowds with her maroon tartan wool dress by Caroline Charles, worn with a black Glengarry-style bonnet. She may have been celebrated for championing tartan, but Diana was really following in the footsteps of Frances. Every year she was a vision of colour in her customary powder puff Tam O’Shanter hats and vivid tartan outfits.
Find more out about The Fabulous Frances Farquharson.
