Cahan, Grace Mirabella

Born in 1929, in New Jersey, Grace Mirabella worked in publishing as an editor-in-chief for both Vogue and Mirabella Magazines. From 1946 to 1950, she attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics with honors. Mirabella began her rise into the world of fashion working for Macy’s Department Store in New York City from 1950 to 1951. In 1951 she moved to Saks 5th Avenue Department Store as the Assistant to the Sales Promotion Director. Mirabella joined Vogue Magazine in 1952, serving in various positions during her decades-long relationship with the magazine. From 1952 until 1964, she worked in the Merchandising, Shopping, Fashion, and Marketing departments, taking a brief leave of absence in 1954 to assist the Italian company, Simonetta and Fabiani Couture, with public relations. She became an associate editor for Vogue in 1964 and an editor in 1971. In 1972, Mirabella was appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue, a position she held for sixteen years. While editor-in-chief, she focused on wearable fashions for women in the workplace and championed the anti-smoking movement.

S. I. Newhouse, owner of Condé Nast Publications, fired Mirabella in 1988, replacing her with Anna Wintour. In response, Mirabella partnered with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, a rival of Condé Nast, to launch the eponymous magazine, Mirabella, in 1989. Though critics praised Mirabella for its style and focus on health, the magazine had trouble making money. In 1995, Murdoch sold Mirabella to Hachette Filipacci Magazines. While Mirabella perceived many of Mirabella ’s problems, she did not agree with the harsh opinions of Hachette Filipacci’s president, David Pecker, and left the magazine before it folded in 2000.

In November 1974, Mirabella married William G. Cahan, an attending surgeon at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Center and Professor of Surgery at Cornell University Medical College. He and his wife shared an interest in health issues, especially the effects of passive smoking. Mirabella’s work in the magazine industry, particularly in Mirabella, reflected this interest, taking a hard line on tobacco companies and passive smoking.

Honors bestowed upon Mirabella include Who’s Who, The Best Dressed List Hall of Fame, Orders of both Cavalier and Officer from the Republic of Italy, and membership on the Advisory Board of Leeds Castle in London, England. Furthermore, she spoke at the World Economic Development Congress in 1993 and received the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion in 1995.