\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Bobbi](\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-wwd-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\t\t\t\t\tBobbi Queen at her desk in the Women\u2019s Wear Daily offices on May 29, 1981.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFairchild Archive\/WWD<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cLosing Bobbi is\u00a0tough for many of us WWD alumni, especially\u00a0so soon after losing Etta Froio,\u201d said Ed Nardoza, former editor in chief of WWD, also speaking of Froio, WWD\u2019s former executive editor who died last month. \u201cThe phrase \u2018great ladies\u2019 is making the rounds and I can\u2019t think of a more appropriate description of the two. They were spirited, creative colleagues\u00a0who became dear friends.\u00a0Bobbi had a sharp mind and a lightning wit,\u00a0 always ready to challenge anything at all she felt wrong or fuzzy-headed. She was a dancer, loved horseback riding,\u00a0music, and\u00a0theater. She was also an\u00a0astute reader always\u00a0ready to wrestle over who was the better\u00a0writer,\u00a0[Saul] Bellow or [Philip] Roth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAs for fashion, if you were talking shop, you\u2019d better be on your toes.\u00a0 Like most\u00a0fashion editors, Bobbi was sophisticated and\u00a0discerning and \u2014\u00a0like most\u00a0fashion editors \u2014\u00a0often intractable with immovable points of view. Collections were either\u00a0fabulous or catastrophic with not much middle ground,\u201d said Nardoza. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBut unlike other fashion editors who looked to visual\u00a0extremes to shock or make waves, Bobbi\u2019s shoots\u00a0always stayed true to whatever mood the clothes cast.\u00a0Her styling\u00a0was chic,\u00a0often minimal, deceptively simple,\u00a0always elegant and seductive to the eye. Visual pretense wasn\u2019t her thing.\u00a0
And while she particularly\u00a0loved a big-budget shoot, back in the flush days of hair and makeup artists, photographers\u2019 assistants,\u00a0gigantic vans, location scouting and meals for the crew, those days eventually\u00a0gave way to screw-tight budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cUnder the tightest circumstances, real creativity would surface and\u00a0Bobbi always delivered, whether shooting on the roof of the old Fairchild building, a Midtown street corner or Rockaway Beach. Her Page One shoots were beautiful.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBobbi was a great colleague, a great editor\u00a0and a wonderful friend. It\u2019s hard to accept she\u2019s gone,\u201d said Nardoza.<\/p>\n
\n\tBridget Foley, former executive editor of WWD, worked closely with Queen, and developed a deep friendship. \u201cBobbi Queen \u2014 an original, one of a kind, both as a friend and as a force in the fashion industry for nearly a half-century. Bobbi was a brilliant editor with a great eye and a relentless sense of advocacy for the designers she believed in. Over the years, she championed so many, helping to forge the careers of some of the greatest figures in American fashion,\u201d said Foley.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cEveryone who knew her knows that Bobbi was a unique mash-up of regal carriage, stalwart opinion, sharp wit and antithetical self-deprecation. We used to have this routine, when dissecting the relative merits of a dress. \u2018Love it,\u2019 one of us would start. And then, \u2018Well, I\u2019d love it if the sleeve were narrower.\u2019 \u2018Yes, and the neckline, straighter.\u2019 \u2018And the print, more subtle.\u2019 \u2018Yes, with a lean sleeve, straight neckline and quiet pattern, it would be fabulous.\u2019 Bobbi would then cut off the conversation with, \u2018if my grandmother had wheels, she\u2019d be a streetcar.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWithin WWD, Bobbi was a force. She led both by example, with her ever exacting standards and her make-no-mistake, often humorously delivered critiques of younger fashion editors\u2019 work. Along the way, she mentored and forged deep friendships with generations of colleagues,\u201d said Foley.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBeyond work, Bobbi was a devoted matriarch, so proud of her beloved Pilar and Andrew, Max, Henry and Sydney. As a friend \u2014 her friends all know that Bobbi was singular \u2014 ever thoughtful, never obsequious, sometimes obstinate, always honest. And always the wittiest gal at the party, whether grand soiree or dinner at the diner. I can\u2019t believe that two weeks ago, we had our last,\u201d said Foley.<\/p>\n
\n\tQueen influenced many designers\u2019 careers, and was there for the start of many of them.<\/p>\n
\n\tDonna Karan<\/a> recalled Monday, \u201cWhen I launched Donna Karan, Bobbi Queen was the first person to cover it.\u201d She recalled the shoot that took place in Karan\u2019s studio, where all the girls were in black wearing black berets.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe (Very) First Look at Donna Karan,\u201d styled by editor Bobbi Queen, WWD, April 4, 1985.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThomas Iannaccone\/Fairchild Archive<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBobbi was unique. I considered Bobbi more like a friend. She was very individual. It was personal and professional. I never felt like I was doing business when I was with her. There was only one Bobbi. She had that style like nobody else, with that short hair, thin, and a good body. She had power. She got very involved with the designers and what they were doing,\u201d said Karan.<\/p>\n \n\tVera Wang<\/a> told WWD on Monday, \u201cShe was my editor at WWD and she also was a very dear friend. What I loved about Bobbi was that she was so outspoken. We got along from the beginning, as real staunch New Yorkers. She had a very distinct concept of talent and taste and she loved fashion. She lived and died for it. She covered my bridal as well as my ready-to-wear.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWang said that Queen really supported her. \u201cIf she believed in you, she really believed in you,\u201d she said. \u201cShe had superb taste, a superb eye and was very intimidating at times, but a big heart,\u201d said Wang. \u201cBobbi told it like it is, you better be prepared for it. She was really chic \u2014 the haircut, and the whole thing, a real fashion editor,\u201d said Wang.<\/p>\n \n\tJosie Natori<\/a> said Monday that she really got to know Queen through her coverage of the lingerie market over four decades. \u201cShe had such enthusiasm for beauty. She would ooh and aah. She just had a love of things of beauty.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tNatori also said that Queen was so defiant and would do what she wanted to do, whether that was ride horses or go on excavations. \u201cShe was a very interesting person and had a zest for life. She had such style. She loved our caftans and made them so glorious. She would appreciate the pureness of our 100 percent cotton underwear to the more decorated things. She loved fashion and had an appreciation for craftsmanship and beauty.\u201d said Natori. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat was great about her was she cared for everyone at WWD. It was a family to her. She had such a nurturing side to her,\u201d said Natori.<\/p>\n \n\tRalph Rucci <\/a>said that Queen was assigned to be his editor around 1981. He said he was always afraid of judgment, \u201cbut she had a firm appreciation of fashion and a huge dedication to her work.\u201d After each show, they would get on the phone and Rucci would ask if she liked it. \u201c\u2018The clothes were great, but where are you going with that hair?’\u201d he recalled her saying. \u201cI always listened to Bobbi.\u201d He said she was \u201ccourageous, she was precise and we shared a lot of secrets.\u201d He said he made her a hand-painted chiffon dress to wear to her daughter\u2019s wedding.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tBobbi Queen on location for the Albert Nipon spring 1983 advance shoot for WWD, New York.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWWD<\/p>\n \n\tDennis Basso<\/a> said Monday that Queen had been his editor from the time he went into business in 1983, and they became friends over the years. He said she had no problem during a preview telling him what she thought of the collection. \u201cShe always gave me advice,\u201d he said. \u201cBut she gave me more page ones that I can remember, including my first page one. I have them framed all over my office,\u201d said Basso.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHer personal style was very tailored, with a big dose of bohemian, and the Dennis Basso<\/a> aesthetic is a little bit girly and not so bohemian, so it was an interesting combination,\u201d said Basso. \u201cHaving her from WWD, the bible, on my side was amazing for me, and I\u2019ll never forget her for that and her guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tYeohlee<\/a> Teng said, \u201cI loved Bobbi. She was extraordinary and one of a kind. She was unique and extremely fashionable and held her own ground. I\u2019m very proud of her and honored to have known her.\u201d Teng said she would come up to see the collections and was always critical. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be Bobbi if she wasn\u2019t critical,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tBobbi Queen and designer Yeohlee<\/a> Teng at the Yeohlee fall 2013 runway show, New York.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPenske Media via Getty Images<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOh my God, we are going to miss Bobbi. She was the real deal,\u201d said Mark Badgley and James Mischka <\/a>of the design duo, Badgley Mischka, in an email Sunday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tBobbi Queen at New York\u2019s Charivari Boutique, March 24, 1980.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWWD<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe first entered Bobbi\u2019s orbit when we were at our first jobs \u2014 James was working at WilliWear, and Mark was at Donna Karan \u2014 she terrified everybody, especially the design teams. The earth literally trembled when Bobbi came to see the collections. When we learned that she was covering Badgley Mischka, we had no idea what to expect,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat we got was somebody who cared deeply \u2014 very deeply \u2014 about the people and the industry that she helped to shape. With us, it was like a lioness with her cubs \u2014 she was protective but not coddling, and pushed us farther into the world. She became a friend and confidante. Bobbi helped us realize we could do more than just make beautiful clothes.\u201d In fact, Badgley Mischka designed Queen\u2019s daughter\u2019s wedding gown.<\/p>\n \n\tRob Caldwell, former vice president of communications at Badgley Mischka (who is now director of public relations and production at Lilly Pulitzer), developed a close friendship with Queen and credits her with making his career. He said from the moment he got to New York City and began representing Badgley Mischka, Queen stuck by him professionally and personally for 26 years. He said Queen would preview the collection before every show, and she would always get a front row seat at the show. \u201cShe was the one we cared the most about,\u201d said Caldwell.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tBobbi Queen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy image<\/p>\n \n\tSteven Stolman said, \u201cBobbi believed in me more than I ever did. I wouldn\u2019t have had a career on Seventh Avenue without her. And I\u2019ll never forget how the minute she would start to talk about Pilar, she would morph from powerhouse fashion editor into loving mom.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cShe had this lanky worldly-wise elegance and suffered no fools gladly. That\u2019s why I was always so blown away that she even thought to look my way,\u201d said Stolman. \u201cI was this short, chubby Jewish kid from West Hartford, Conn., making these very mannerist dresses in the style of Norman Norell when everyone else wanted to be the next Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren. But Bobbi saw something in my vision and encouraged me to keep following my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n