Women We Love: Betty Halbreich

Betty has appeared in this blog before, but it's time to give her the full 21-gun salute. Thanks to some recent happenings (articles in the New York Times and Grazia UK, a reissue of her book "Secrets of a Fashion Therapist" and a proposed television series based on her exploits), her time is definitely Now.

Betty Halbreich, age 85, has been a Personal Shopper at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City since 1976. Far from being that old hunting dog who's nice to have around, she is THE Personal Shopper, the one you want to tell it to you straight— if you have a lot of money to spend on clothes and/or are in the public arena and need to look great.

Betty has never sought the limelight. In truth, personal shopping was not considered very sexy until the recent glut of celebrities-as-dressed-by-stylists-who-then-get-their-own television-shows-and maybe-even-clothing-lines. It's almost like if you can't become a celebrity, maybe you can dress one. Flipping through InStyle magazine, I often recognize the stylist's name before the wearer of the dress.

As you can imagine with her experience Betty knows it all and has seen it all. As I've noticed, the older one gets the more one is inclined to speaketh the truth. The cleverest among us have figured out how to do that with wit and charm. Betty would seem to be one of them.

Thanks to BuzzFeedFashion for the great images and text. I couldn't have done it better (and that is an understatement).