Knowing Audrey Smaltz, “Every Inch A Lady: My Amazing Journey from Dear Harlem to Haute Couture & Beyond” (Amistad; $27.99 Hardcover) is the perfect title for her recently released memoir, written with Alina Mitchell and published by Amistad-Harper Collins.
I have known Audrey since 1975, when she approached me while we were in a waiting line for a Paris Pret-a-Porter fashion show and took me under her wing. At the entrance of the show, she introduced me: “This is Renee Minus White, Fashion & Beauty editor of the New York Amsterdam News,” she said proudly. I remembered her from the Ebony Fashion Fair. She traveled to Europe with Eunice Johnson. “Let her in,” she demanded, as she grabbed my hand to lead me into the show. I also had an invite for photographer-jewelry designer Coreen Simpson.
Always fashionably dressed, Audrey always looked stunning. Through her association as commentator of the Ebony Fashion Fair, she worked closely with Eunice Johnson. Audrey was known for her sassy commentary during the Ebony shows, which toured the USA and abroad.
Often, we purchased their designs for the Ebony Fashion Show, and developed good relationships with all of the designers, models, and photographers. Between her and the late greats such as Vogue editor Andre Leon Tally, hairstylist Frenchie and New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham, I hardly missed a show. We moved swiftly from show to show and traveled throughout Paris Fashion Week in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
We, the international press, were all overjoyed to attend the Pret-a-Porter in Paris. According to Audrey, “It was fabulous being a part of the Ebony Fashion Fair.” I met all the famous designers, including Yves St. Laurent, Chanel, and others.
In her memoir “Every Inch a Lady,” Smaltz delivers a dramatic, personal story about how she, a 6-foot-tall Black woman from Harlem, made a mark on the international fashion world, and never looked back.
Throughout her career, Audrey donned many hats. On her first job, she worked as a model in fashion shows at the age of 15. Her business titles included Wall Street mutual fund broker, department store executive, and Vogue columnist until she opened her own successful business, the Ground Crew, a fashion show production company. As backstage fashion show producers, the Ground Crew presented events for Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, and many others. They were the best backstage crew, responsible for hiring models, coordinating clothes, presenting, and getting every item back to the designers’ showrooms. It was their job to get the models dressed, with complete hairdos and make-up, and on and off the stage on time.
Each chapter of ” Every Inch a Lady” is infused with wisdom and powerful takeaways for folks going into business today, such as that having personal integrity, style, and resilience is necessary to succeed, along with an education and knowledge of the job or business you choose. “If you want to become a model, it’s important to look the part. You must be tall, 5’9, thin, dress well and know how to walk,” Smaltz advised.
According to the New York Times, “Audrey Smaltz has managed to wring a lot of life out of her 89 years. Striking and statuesque at six feet tall, the onetime teen beauty queen worked as a model before a brief stint selling mutual funds on Wall St. — and this role, a remarkable feat for a Black woman in 1962, landed her on the cover of Jet Magazine that same year.”
“To use the word ‘unicorn’ with Audrey is an understatement,” Michael Kors wrote in the foreword to this memoir. “Her journey and story will educate and inspire generations to come.” That’s because Smaltz’s book tells a story of how the Harlem native became a fashion industry powerhouse and a titan in her field. It doesn’t stop there, though; “it also shares stories from her life outside of work with warmth and wit that will charm any reader,” said Town & Country.
About the authors
Audrey Smaltz was born in Harlem, but now lives in Delaware. She was trained at Orphelia DeVore’s Modeling School and Smaltz began working as a modeling and sales expert at Bloomingdale’s before moving to Lane Bryant Clothing and the Ebony Fashion Fair as a commentator and fashion editor. With the Ground Crew, established in 1977, Smaltz produced shows for Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, Betsy Johnson, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Rucci, Nanette Lepore, and more. She has also worked with corporations like Nike, Vogue, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, and J. Crew.
Alina Mitchell has a BA in English/Professional Writing with a minor in business management and a MA in Secondary Education/English, and is a literary agent, author, instructional designer, and adjunct professor. Her love and passion for empowering young people through extraordinary opportunities has led her to serve in many positions, including former associate director of academic innovation & technology, K–12 principal, and STEM/STEAM program director.
This book is a must read!
