"Dorinda Dixon Ryan, the glass of fashion, had an unerring
talent for combining disparate objects, people and ideas.
Raised as a salty New Englander in Bristol, Rhode Island,
D.D. slipped effortlessly into the social swirl of the 1950s
New York, where she married the eligible John Barry Ryan
III; thereafter, she kept her finger on the pulse of city
life, its fashion, art and high society.
Grogan
& Company is proud to present The Estate of D.D. Ryan - a
glamorous collection of art and objects, furniture, fashion,
costume jewelry and ephemera that captures a particular
sense of American chic."
- Angus Wilkie
D.D. Ryan, born Dorinda
Prest Dixon in Bristol, Rhode Island in 1928, spent the
second half of the twenty-first century at the epicenter of
the
New
York Literary, Art, Fashion and Theatre world. She began
her career in her early 20's as an assistant to well known
photographer Richard Avedon. Her association with Avedon
and other leading fashion photographers brought her to the
attention of then Editor of Harper's Bazaar,
Diana Vreeland, under whose tutelage she worked as
Photo Editor while honing her sharp sense of style.
In 1954, she met her
husband John Barry Ryan III while working on "House of
Flowers", a musical written by friend Truman Capote and
starring renowned actor/choreographer Geoffrey Holder.
Through much of the 1960’s she moved between the poetry
world of St Marks Place, the Factory of Andy Warhol and the
musical worlds of Leonard Bernstein, Harold Arlen and
Stephen Sondheim. While raising two sons she remained always
engaged in the creative discussion of the day. In 1970, her
friend, Stephen Sondheim asked her
to design costumes for “Company”, his new Broadway
Musical. Her artistic fl
air
was accentuated by her love of “really good costume
jewelry”, stylized eyebrows and a wardrobe filled with
clothes she had designed. By the
late 1970’s, she had been added to
the Best Dressed Hall Of Fame after a spending uncountable
weeks on the list. The 1970’s also marked the start of a
period when Ms. Ryan worked as an assistant to Roy Halston
Frowick. Halston, as he was known, became famous for his
signature long dresses popular with women around the world.
With Halston she traveled to Paris,
Peking, London and Rio and
participated in the start of an era of great American
couture.
An
interesting footnote to her life, Ms. Ryan is said to be the
“godmother of” the beloved children’s book character
“Eloise”. DD encouraged her friend Kay Thompson, a cabaret
singer, to write her story of a little girl who lived at the
Plaza hotel, going so far as to introduce her to the
illustrator Hilary Knight, a talented up and coming artist
who happened to live next door. “The book would never have
existed without D.D.”, commented Mr. Knight in a recent New
York Times interview, “She (Thompson) would have just
dropped it and gone on to something else.” It was Ms. Ryan's
tenacity and encouragement that lead to Thompson and Knight
creating a best seller that delights children to this day.
D.D. moved
in fashionable circles that included Truman Capote, Cole
Porter, Stephen Sondheim and Andy Warhol, to name just a
few. She was equally at home at Studio 54, Elaine's
or the Ballet at Lincoln Center, such was her love of New
York and it’s many gifts. She was a much respected and
vibrant member of New York society
and
we hope you enjoy viewing her collection of fine art,
furniture, decorations, costume jewelry and couture, all
reflecting her distinctive taste and glamorous lifestyle.
D.D. and Truman Capote at the Black and White Ball
Session I
Highlights:
