Gloria Guinness

Gloria Guinness (born Gloria Rubio y Alatorre, August 27, 1912 - November 9, 1980) was a Mexican-born socialite and writer who was a contributing editor to Harper's Bazaar from 1963 until 1970. She also was a member of the International Best Dressed List.

Background

Reportedly born in Veracruz, Mexico, [The memoirs of her friend Etti Plesch state that she was born in Guadalajara.] she was a daughter of José Rafael Rubio, a Mexican journalist, and his wife, Dolores Alatorre. As a young woman, she was employed as a nightclub hostess before moving to Germany. [Etti (Mrs Arpad) Plesch, "Horses & Husbands: The Memoirs of Etti Plesch", Dorset: The Dovecote Press, 2007, page 79]

Marriages

Her first husband was a German-born resident of Mexico named Scholtens, from whom she was divorced. [Etti (Mrs Arpad) Plesch, "Horses & Husbands: The Memoirs of Etti Plesch", Dorset: The Dovecote Press, 2007, page 79] [ [http://4dw.net/royalark/Egypt/egypt13.htm Dreamwater Free Web Space: ERROR 404 ] at 4dw.net]

She married on 4 October 1935, in London, England, as her second husband, Franz-Egon, Count von Fürstenberg-Hedringen (1896-1975); she was his second wife. By him, she had one daughter, Baroness Dolores (born 31 July 1936) [She married her stepbrother Patrick Benjamin Guinness in 1955 and after his early death, later hoped to marry the Aga Khan IV, her late husband's half-brother, according to Etti (Mrs Arpad) Plesch, "Horses & Husbands: The Memoirs of Etti Plesch", Dorset: The Dovecote Press, 2007, page 156] and a son, Baron Franz-Egon (born 27 July 1939). [The title of Count von Fürstenberg-Hedringen was inherited by Franz-Egon's younger brother Wenemar (1897-1972) and his descendants, rather his own son by Gloria (Rubio) Scholtens. Because of Franz-Egon's marriage to a divorcée, he was forced from the succession, according to laws of the house of Fürstenberg-Hedringen, as reported in the memoirs of Etti Plesch as well as the Almanac de Gotha.] She also had a stepdaughter from her husband's first marriage, the actress Betsy von Furstenberg. According to her friend Etti Plesch, Gloria Rubio Scholtens was introduced to Fürstenberg by her mentor, newspaper heir, diplomat, and art collector Friedrich Horstmann, who reportedly "dressed her up and presented her at a dinner as a mysterious aristocrat." [Etti (Mrs Arpad) Plesch, "Horses & Husbands: The Memoirs of Etti Plesch", Dorset: The Dovecote Press, 2007, page 156]

Her third husband was Ahmed Fakhri Bey (1921-1988), a grandson of King Fuad I of Egypt and a nephew of Princess Fawzia of Egypt (the first wife of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran) and King Farouk I of Egypt. [ [http://4dw.net/royalark/Egypt/egypt13.htm Dreamwater Free Web Space: ERROR 404 ] at 4dw.net] During her marriage to Fakhri, she also was a mistress of the British ambassador to France, Duff Cooper. [Etti (Mrs Arpad) Plesch, "Horses & Husbands: The Memoirs of Etti Plesch", Dorset: The Dovecote Press, 2007, page 155] After her divorce, Gloria Fakhri became involved with both Loel Guinness and David Beatty, 2nd Earl Beatty.

Her fourth husband, whom she married in 1951, was Group Capt. Thomas Loel Guinness, a Member of Parliament (1906-1988) and a member of the extended Guinness beer family, though his particular branch made its fortune in banking and real estate. Of him, she told Noel Coward, " I could never sleep with Loel. He farts too much." There is also a long-standing rumor that Gloria Guinness was employed at some point as a spy and that when she married her fourth husband, she had no valid passport and was legally a citizen of no country.

She was dressed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Marc Bohan at Christian Dior, Chanel, Hubert de Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent. But she also favored the Spaniard Antonio Canovas del Castillo del Rey at Lanvin (clothing). She was one of the first persons to wear the capri pants by Emilio Pucci

Writing

Guinness wrote frequently for Harper's Bazaar, most famously asserting, in the magazine's July 1963 issue: "Elegance is in the brain as well as the body and in the soul. Jesus Christ is the only example we have of any one human having possessed all three at the same time."

Death

Gloria Guinness died in Lausanne, Switzerland.

References

*Judy Klemesrud, "They Expected a Snob, They Heard a Comedian", The New York Times, 3 December 1970.