The original ‘It’ girls who inspired Truman Capote

Truman Capote was known to surround himself with elegant, stylish high-society women – dubbed his ‘Swans’- who included Jackie Kennedy’s sister, Lee Radziwill, and Andy Warhol’s muse C.Z. Guest.

His popularity with New York socialites is perhaps of little surprise considering he was hailed one of the sharpest writers of the 20th Century.

His 1958 novella, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie starring Audrey Hepburn, while his 1966 true-crime novel, In Cold Blood, is often regarded as one of the greatest examples of the genre.

But astonishingly it was his third major piece of work, his long-awaited novel, Answered Prayers, which quashed his favour within high-society and made him a social pariah up until his death in 1984 of liver disease and drug intoxication.

As a new documentary, The Capote Tapes, made available last week, recalls, his ‘Swans’ were quick to distance themselves from him after he aired their dirty laundry in a published chapter from the book, which was never finished.

But who were the glamorous trend-setters and wealthy wives who inspired the Breakfast at Tiffany’s writer?

From the rags-to-riches story of Gloria Guinness, who married into the brewing family, to Vogue fashion editor Barbara ‘Babe’ Paley and Marella Agnelli, who wed the playboy heir to the Fiat automobile empire, here FEMAIL recalls the very stylish women Capote once called friends.

Truman Capote (pictured centre in 1968) was known to surround himself with elegant, stylish high-society women – dubbed his ‘Swans’- who included Jackie Kennedy’s sister, Lee Radziwill, and Andy Warhol’s muse C.Z. Guest (pictured left)

Lee Radziwill – Princess and fashion icon who helped style her sister Jackie 

Born Caroline Lee Bouvier in New York in 1933 to Janet Norton Lee and New York stockbroker and socialite John Vernou Bouvier III, Lee (pictured with her sister Jackie Kennedy, seated) came from a famous family but established herself as a noteworthy figure in her own right

Born Caroline Lee Bouvier in New York in 1933 to Janet Norton Lee and New York stockbroker and socialite John Vernou Bouvier III, Lee (pictured with her sister Jackie Kennedy, seated) came from a famous family but established herself as a noteworthy figure in her own right

Lee (pictured in 1968) boasted an exclusive list of close friends, from Andy Warhol to Truman Capote, and worked briefly as an actress before turning her hand to interior design and public relations

Lee (pictured in 1968) boasted an exclusive list of close friends, from Andy Warhol to Truman Capote, and worked briefly as an actress before turning her hand to interior design and public relations

For a time, the social doyenne was also an American 'Princess'. After her first marriage to Michael Canfield collapsed, she married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwill, a Polish aristocrat, in 1959. Pictured, Lee Radziwill and Jackie Onassis

For a time, the social doyenne was also an American ‘Princess’. After her first marriage to Michael Canfield collapsed, she married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwill, a Polish aristocrat, in 1959. Pictured, Lee Radziwill and Jackie Onassis

Born Caroline Lee Bouvier in New York in 1933 to Janet Norton Lee and New York stockbroker and socialite John Vernou Bouvier III, Lee came from a famous family but established herself as a noteworthy figure in her own right.

She boasted an exclusive list of close friends, from Andy Warhol to Truman Capote, and worked briefly as an actress before turning her hand to interior design and public relations.

For a time, the social doyenne was also an American ‘Princess’. After her first marriage to Michael Canfield collapsed, she married Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwill, a Polish aristocrat, in 1959.

Lee, then 26, lived in London with Prince Radziwill, where she insisted on being addressed as ‘Princess’ Lee Radziwill, even though her husband surrendered his royal status when he took British nationality in 1951.

Adopting the name ‘Her Serene Royal Highness’, the pair had two children together, before they divorced in 1974.

She married a third time to film director Herbert Ross in 1988. Their union lasted 13 years and they split in 2001, just months before his death. Lee died in 2019, aged 85, in New York City.

Lee and her sister Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who became First Lady of the United States as the wife of President John F. Kennedy in 1961 up until his death in 1963, were two of the most glamorous women of their generation.

But from a young age the pair pitted themselves against one another, with Lee regarded as the ‘pretty one’, and Jackie the ‘smart one’. 

The sister is said to have even helped Jackie with her First Lady wardrobe, encouraging her to wear Givenchy despite her husband Mr Kennedy preferring she wore American-only, according to Tatler

Before her retirement, Lee served for many years as a Public Relations executive for Giorgio Armani.

She was a stalwart attendee of New York Fashion Week, and regularly attended other fashion events around the world right up until her death.

In a New York Times interview in 2013, she commented: ”When I was young, I used to think that everyone should die at 70… but my closest friends like Rudolf and Andy [Warhol] and to an extent Capote, let alone my close family… didn’t even reach that age.’ 

Babe Paley – Trendsetter and Vogue fashion editor

Babe Paley (pictured) made up one third of the Cushing sisters - alongside siblings Minnie and Betsey - whose romances, style trends and parties captivated the American public during the poverty-stricken Great Depression

Babe Paley (pictured) made up one third of the Cushing sisters – alongside siblings Minnie and Betsey – whose romances, style trends and parties captivated the American public during the poverty-stricken Great Depression

The women fascinated people with their glamorous lifestyles marked by wealth, privilege, country homes, designer clothes, yachts, fancy apartments and six high-profile marriages. Pictured, Babe in her wedding dress

The women fascinated people with their glamorous lifestyles marked by wealth, privilege, country homes, designer clothes, yachts, fancy apartments and six high-profile marriages. Pictured, Babe in her wedding dress

The first married was 21-year-old Betsey, the middle sister who ensnared the affections of James Roosevelt II. James, also known as ‘Jimmy’ to his classmates at Harvard, was the eldest son of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Pictured, Babe

The first married was 21-year-old Betsey, the middle sister who ensnared the affections of James Roosevelt II. James, also known as ‘Jimmy’ to his classmates at Harvard, was the eldest son of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Pictured, Babe

Babe Paley made up one third of the Cushing sisters – alongside siblings Minnie and Betsey – whose romances, style trends and parties captivated the American public during the poverty-stricken Great Depression.

The women fascinated people with their glamorous lifestyles marked by wealth, privilege, country homes, designer clothes, yachts, fancy apartments and six high-profile marriages. 

The first married was 21-year-old Betsey, the middle sister who ensnared the affections of James Roosevelt II. James, also known as ‘Jimmy’ to his classmates at Harvard, was the eldest son of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Betsey’s time as a Roosevelt in Washington DC was important for Babe because she arranged for her teenage sister to be introduced to the debutante circuit by hosting a ball at The White House. 

Babe (born Barbara) had long been regarded as the most beautiful of the three girls; she was tall, slender, stylish and had aristocratic appeal. But much to her mother’s disappointment, Babe decided to enter the workforce after two seasons of smashing success as a debutante.

Babe became an editor at Vogue Magazine, hired by Conde Nast himself, and quickly became a style icon, having believed to have started two 20th century trends – mixing high-low pieces and tying a scarf to her handbag.

She was married to oil heir Stanley Grafton Mortimer for six years, having two children, Amanda Jay Mortimer and Stanley Grafton Mortimer, before wedding CBS founder William S. Paley.

Motherhood was not Babe’s forte and she was said to have ignored her children while in pursuit of social status.

Babe and William lived in a luxurious apartment at the St Regis in New York. At the weekend, they would host lavish parties at their 80 acre farm on Long Island, attended by celebrity guests.  

She maintained her position on the best-dressed list 14 times before officially being inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in 1958. She stayed married to William until her death in 1978 from lung cancer.

One of Babe’s closet friends was Truman Capote, who admitted in his journal that her only fault was that she was perfect. 

However this friendship was destroyed after Capote published his Answered Prayers chapter, ‘La Cote Basque 1965’, in Esquire Magazine – detailing a thinly-veiled account of William Paley cheating on his wife.

He said that Babe had walked in on her husband washing their sheets after a woman he was having an affair with menstruated on their marital bed. She never spoke to the writer again. 

Gloria Guinness – Married into brewing dynasty

Gloria Guinness (pictured), the wife of former MP Thomas ‘Loel’ Guinness, was a central figure of the postwar social scene

Gloria Guinness (pictured), the wife of former MP Thomas ‘Loel’ Guinness, was a central figure of the postwar social scene

Gloria (pictured) was also a Harper’s Bazaar contributing editor in the 60s and a regular on international best-dressed lists

Gloria (pictured) was also a Harper’s Bazaar contributing editor in the 60s and a regular on international best-dressed lists

Gloria (pictured) grew up in poverty in Mexico, according to Tatler, before marrying into the renowned Guinness brewing dynasty following two failed marriages

Gloria (pictured) grew up in poverty in Mexico, according to Tatler, before marrying into the renowned Guinness brewing dynasty following two failed marriages

Gloria Guinness, the wife of former MP Thomas ‘Loel’ Guinness, was a central figure of the postwar social scene.

She was also a Harper’s Bazaar contributing editor in the 60s and a regular on international best-dressed lists.

Gloria grew up in poverty in Mexico, according to Tatler, before marrying into the renowned Guinness brewing dynasty following two failed marriages.

However, her husband’s particular branch of the family made its fortune in banking and real estate.

Despite being a fixture on best-dressed lists, stylish Gloria previously insisted she didn’t always think of fashion.

‘I think everyone envisions me sitting at Alexandre’s all day, picking out beautiful clothes from passing couturiers,’ she told W magazine in 1980. ‘My God, could you imagine the boredom?’

She maintained residences in Normandy, London, Paris, Switzerland, Mexico and Palm Beach and loved hosting her high-society friends, who included the likes of Babe and William Paley.

Gloria died in November 1980 from a heart attack in Switzerland, and has three children from her different marriages.

C. Z. Guest – Muse to Andy Warhol

American-born C. Z. Guest (pictured) was a cool and elegant blonde who regularly made the Best Dressed lists

American-born C. Z. Guest (pictured) was a cool and elegant blonde who regularly made the Best Dressed lists

Her maiden name was Lucy Douglas Cochrane (pictured) but she became C. Z. because her brother could not pronounce the word ‘sister’

Her maiden name was Lucy Douglas Cochrane (pictured) but she became C. Z. because her brother could not pronounce the word ‘sister’ 

C. Z. (pictured) was a stage actress who became well known for her sense of style, and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1959.

C. Z. (pictured) was a stage actress who became well known for her sense of style, and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1959.

American-born C. Z. Guest was a cool and elegant blonde who regularly made the Best Dressed lists. 

Her maiden name was Lucy Douglas Cochrane but she became C. Z. because her brother could not pronounce the word ‘sister’.

She was a stage actress who became well known for her sense of style, and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1959.

C. Z. was married to polo champion Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, the son of British politician Frederick Guest (and a relative of Sir Winston Churchill), in a lavish ceremony in Havana, Cuba.

In fact, the 1947 wedding took place at the home of Ernest Hemingway, who was the best man.

C. Z. Guest, who was painted by the likes of Andy Warhol and often considered to be a muse for many famous artists, went on to design her own fashion collection in the 1980s.  

She also starred on the cover of TIME Magazine in 1962 to illustrate a feature on American high society, with many seeing her as having particularly American style.

Marella Agnelli – Married heir to Fiat automobile empire

Marella Agnelli (pictured) was the daughter of a Neapolitan aristocrat but she soon swapped her conservative upbringing for a life of streamlined yachts, fast cars, and glamorous parties following her marriage to Giovanni Agnelli in 1953

Marella Agnelli (pictured) was the daughter of a Neapolitan aristocrat but she soon swapped her conservative upbringing for a life of streamlined yachts, fast cars, and glamorous parties following her marriage to Giovanni Agnelli in 1953

Marella (pictured) became an international jetsetter following her wedding to the Italian industrialist, who was the richest man in Italy at one point and the party-loving heir to the Fiat automobile empire

Marella (pictured) became an international jetsetter following her wedding to the Italian industrialist, who was the richest man in Italy at one point and the party-loving heir to the Fiat automobile empire

Marella (pictured), who died in 2019, was known for stylishly decorating all ten of her homes, being a serious art collector and frequent contributor and model for Vogue

Marella (pictured), who died in 2019, was known for stylishly decorating all ten of her homes, being a serious art collector and frequent contributor and model for Vogue

Marella Agnelli was the daughter of a Neapolitan aristocrat but she soon swapped her conservative upbringing for a life of streamlined yachts, fast cars, and glamorous parties following her marriage to Giovanni Agnelli in 1953.

She became an international jetsetter following her wedding to the Italian industrialist, who was the richest man in Italy at one point and the party-loving heir to the Fiat automobile empire.

Marella, who died in 2019, was known for stylishly decorating all ten of her homes, being a serious art collector and frequent contributor and model for Vogue.

Truman Capote relished being part of Marella’s circle, often taking part in her summer cruises in the Mediterranean.

They had met one another in New York in the early 60s and soon became friends, with Marella having enjoyed both of his first books.

During the 1960s, Marella previously revealed that she regarded the writer as one of her closest friends, finding him warm and amusing and had shared her secrets with him.

‘But he was waiting like a falcon,’ she told Vanity Fair in 2014. ‘He called us his “swans,” but now it seemed there were just too many swans.

‘I had always thought my relationship with Truman was personal. The intimacy, the laughs, the giggles … I thought it was a special friendship between Truman and me, unaware he was also giggling and laughing with Babe or Gloria or Slim.’

She went on to say that her departure from Truman happened before the chapter from his novel Answered Prayers appeared in Esquire magazine.

Marella had two children Edoardo Agnelli and Margherita Agnelli. 

Slim Keith – From model to Lady

US socialite Nancy ‘Slim’ Keith (pictured) was a friend of Babe Paley, with the two operating in the same circles

US socialite Nancy ‘Slim’ Keith (pictured) was a friend of Babe Paley, with the two operating in the same circles

Slim with second husband Hollywood agent Leland Hayward, who also produced the original Broadway stage production of The Sound of Music

Slim with second husband Hollywood agent Leland Hayward, who also produced the original Broadway stage production of The Sound of Music

US socialite Nancy ‘Slim’ Keith was a friend of Babe Paley, with the two operating in the same circles.

Slim was known for being the original Californian girl, and landed her first cover for Harper’s Bazaar when she was just 22. She was also photographed in Vogue, and regularly made it on to the best-dressed lists.

After being pursued by the likes of Clark Gable and Ernest Hemingway, she married her first husband, the film director Howard Hawks.

Her influence over her husband is thought to have been great, with Slim credited with showing him a magazine with Lauren Bacall on, launching the classic Hollywood star’s career.

However, Slim divorced Hawks in 1949 after eight years of marriage and moved on with Hollywood agent Leland Hayward, who also produced the original Broadway stage production of The Sound of Music. 

Her final and third marriage was to British banker Baron Keith of Castleacre, meaning she adopted the title of Lady Keith. The couple separated after 10 years of marriage, in 1972. 

She was a popular society figure on both coasts and thanks to her elegance and style, she made an alluring companion to Truman Capote.

However, she cut off contact with the writer when she found he had  based an unflattering character, Lady Coolbirth, on her in his unpublished book Answered Prayers. 

Smith died aged 72 of lung cancer. She had only one child, a daughter, Kitty Hawks, with her first husband.