Searching for Grace Kelly

by Michael Callahan

  My researcher, Christine Wei, spent hours combing through microfiche and dusty documents; Shawn Waldron of the Condé Nast Archives was instrumental in recommending resources about Mademoiselle. Betsy Israel, the author of Bachelor Girl, served up key insights into the lives of the Barbizon doyennes, as did food critic extraordinaire Gael Greene, whose 1957 New York Post series remains one of the definitive accounts of life inside the hotel’s walls. Modeling legend Eileen Ford was both gracious and deliciously blunt in detailing the lives of the Ford models. And molte grazie to all of the former Barbizon girls who took the time to share their stories with me: Jaclyn Smith, Cloris Leachman, Cybill Shepherd, Shelley Hack, Betsey Johnson, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Joyce Schwartz, Barbara Cloud, Mary Ann Powers, Kathleen Mickey, and Judith Sherven.

  Three books were integral to my research: The New York Chronology, by James Trager; The Fiction Factory, by Quentin Reynolds; and New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style, by Caroline Reynolds Milbank. I have made every effort to re-create the New York of 1955 as authentically as possible, except in a few places where the story demanded otherwise; any mistakes are strictly my own. Likewise, although characters such as Sherman Billingsley and Betsy Blackwell were, in fact, real people, their stories here are strictly a work of fiction.

  I could never properly thank all of the friends and family who encouraged and supported me during this process, but a few deserve shout-outs: my brother, Pat, and his wife, Jean, the best friends a guy could hope for, who cleared out of our shared beach house regularly so I could write; and Cheryl Della Pietra, Piper Kerman, Larry Smith, and the gang at Philly Mag, who routinely dispatched my nerves and doubts with their encouragement and wit.

  Finally, the most special thank-you of all to my wonderful parents, Jack and Eileen Callahan, whose never-ebbing generosity of spirit and faith in me has been a constant for far longer than the time it takes to write a novel. I cannot find the words to express what your love and encouragement have meant to my life. If I have one regret, it is that my father did not live to see this book published. But he will always be very much alive—along with everyone who helped me on this incredible journey—in my heart.

  About the Author

  MICHAEL CALLAHAN is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a former deputy editor of Town & Country and Marie Claire. This is his first novel.