D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A when he was 81. Among Mainbocher’s clients was Mrs. T. Charlton Henry from Philadelphia. Born Julia Rush Biddle, married to a lawyer-yachtsman, the trim Mrs. Henry, Marjorie Reed Gordon recalled, used to come in wearing a lot of jewels. She looked the part of the ultimate society grande dame, making a formidable appearance. Three of her ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence, including her great-grandfather Benjamin Rush. Diane Arbus photographed her for LIFE magazine when she had been named to the Best-Dressed Hall of Fame. She was a very ambitious lady despite her
almost imperious appearance, trim and doll-like. She was fascinated by everything “from scuba diving to the moon race.” She grew up in a family conscious of sports and each day of her adult life she took an hour of exercise. “Some days you just have to make yourself do them. But it’s so attractive to look fit, don’t you think?” When jogging became popular, Mrs. Henry, who was then 82, became a devoted walker,
taking up the habit after she had Adolfo design a one-piece black knit jumpsuit for her to take her laps in style. “Well, it pays dividends,” she remarked about her newly acquired habit where most days she would walk and jog at least half an hour, sometimes longer, on the high school track 200 yards from her home in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. She averaged, she figured, about four miles. “The body needs care. Jogging is preventive
medicine. My age group all think I’ll drop dead.” The mother of two daughters, with seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, she added: “My daughters don’t jog. I’ve got fat nephews who won’t budge.” In her New York shopping visits, Mrs. Henry would take the train up to Penn Station, then walk up to Bergdorf’s to be there on time when it opened. Bill Cunningham was fascinated by her. “She’s so chic. And when she came into the store, she’d say: ‘Good morning, Miss Ida. Good morning, Miss Elizabeth.’ She knew everyone’s name.” Fashion is as Fashion does. u
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