C.Z. Guest...longtime resident of ONE SUTTON PLACE...ph
C Z GUEST
Flip through the "inspiration" file that every designer keeps, and at some point you will find a picture of C.Z. Guest. Debutante, showgirl (briefly), model (painted nude by Diego Rivera), socialite, gardener, intimate of artists and writers; Guest had the kind of life that seems fiction, and the perfect patrician looks to illustrate it. She wore her designer clothes with thoroughbred elegance, keeping to simple lines, rich fabrics, and soft colors to suit her cool complexion. But perhaps what drew creative types to her most was Guest's down-to-earth personality, exemplified by her recent advice to would-be gardeners visiting her web site, "The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and have a good time."
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Her father, Alexander Lynde Cochrane, was an investment banker. She acquired C.Z. from her younger brother. She dabbled in acting, including an appearance in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1944.
On March 8, 1947, she married Winston Frederick Churchill Guest (1906-1982), a polo player, a member of the Guest family, grandson of Henry Phipps, a great-grandson of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, and Winston Churchill's second cousin. Ernest Hemingway was best man at the wedding, which took place in Havana. The couple had two children, Alexander and Cornelia; Cornelia was named the 1980s "Deb of the Decade".
After a horse riding accident in 1976, Guest was asked by the New York Post to write a column on gardening. Her first book, First Garden, was illustrated by her friend Cecil Beaton. Other friends included Truman Capote, Barbara Hutton, Gloria Guinness and Loel Guinness and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
She died aged 83 as a friend was driving her to the hospital due to her experiencing breathing difficulties while at home.