Betsy Bloomingdale Has Passed Away

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Socialite Betsy Bloomingdale died on Tuesday at the age of 93, Women’s Wear Daily reported.

Blommingdale’s iconic last name was, indeed, tied to the store we know today. Her husband was Alfred Bloomingdale, heir to the Bloomingdale’s department store fortune. (Alfred’s grandfather was Lyman Bloomingdale, part of the brother duo that established the store back in 1872.)

But husband aside, Betsy’s wardrobe was the stuff of legend. Her collection of haute couture items included brands like Givenchy, Balmain, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dior purchased on buying appointments in Europe with her husband.

She was so meticulous about her appearance that when she shipped 60 outfits to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, she included notes dictating which hose and accessories should be paired with each look.

Bloomingdale was part of a group of fashionable women including Lynn Wyatt, Joan Collins and Nan Kempner, whose shopping habits and personal taste are inscribed in fashion history books.

WWD noted that the cause of Bloomingdale’s death wasn’t immediately known, although she had been sick.