One is born with good taste. ...

One is born with good taste. It's very hard to acquire. You can acquire the patina of taste. But what Elsie Mendl had was something else that's particularly American––an appreciation of vulgarity. Vulgarity is a very important ingredient in life. I'm a great believer in vulgarity––if it's got vitality. A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste––it's hearty, it's healthy, it's physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I'm against.
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 Diana Vreeland

Quotes from the same author

No one had a better sense of luxury than Coco Chanel, She really had the spirit of the 20th Century.
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 Diana Vreeland
Still, my dream in life is to come home and think of absolutely nothing. After all, you can’t think all the time.
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 Diana Vreeland
I was always fascinated by the absurdities and luxuries and the snobbism of the world that fashion magazines showed. Of course, it’s not for everyone...But I lived in that world, not only during my years in the magazines business but for years before, because I was always of that world-- at least in my imagination.
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 Diana Vreeland
Fragrances fill the senses with the mysterious.
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 Diana Vreeland
Where Chanel came from in France is anyone’s guess. She said one thing one day and another thing the next. She was a peasant—and a genius. Peasants and geniuses are the only people who count and she was both.
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 Diana Vreeland