Hi Friend,

I came across her in my favourite book ever, which is about fashion history. Natacha Rambova was a successful costume designer during the Golden Era of Hollywood in the 1920s 

She had a tumultuous life, went with what felt good to her and never wanted to live up to anybody else’s standards. She led a very eccentric, unique, rich, colourful and creative life. She always wanted to stay true to herself - and I think she did!

She was absolutely beautiful, her designs were dreamy and rememberable and definitely helped mark the aesthetics of this particular era. 

I don’t want to bore you with the details and minutiae of her life - you can read up on her entire life and works on Wikipedia (or any other source), if you want to know more.

I just want to give you some basic infos about her: 

• Born in the US as Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy

• Was related to French designer Elsie de Wolfe for a short time

• Despite her family’s wishes she trained in New York under Theodore Kosloff in the Imperial Russian Ballet Company to become a professional dancer

• Became Kosloff’s lover at age 17 (he was 32) and changed her name to Natacha Rambova

• Did all of Kosloff’s work when he was as a costume designer in Hollywood

• Was finally hired for her talent by Alla Nazimova

• Upon hearing she wanted to leave him, Kosloff shot Rambova in the leg

• After breaking up with Kosloff, she met and eventually married THE heart-throb of the 1920s - Rudolph Valentino

• He wanted her to stay home and have babies - she wanted to have a life and a career

• They divorced

• Rambova moved to New York and opened a couture shop

• When the Great Depression hit the US, she relocated to France

• Met her 2nd husband, a Spanish aristocrat, there and married him

• During WW2, she divorced him and moved back to New York

• She fell in love with Egypt, its culture and heritage and became a scholar and Egyptology, publishing books, applying for and receiving grants for research until her death

Doesn’t this sound like a life well lived? Full? Extravagant?

An absolute inspiration. 

Have a wonderful week, 

Kat