Aimee de Heeren.com |
|
|||
one of the most glamorous Woman of the 20th century ...
Rio de Janeiro
Paris - Biarritz - New York - Palm Beach
Over a century ago was born in Brazil an exotic beauty,
Aimee de Sa Sotto-Maior, later Aimee de Heeren.
As a child she lived in Castro in the Province of Parana, Brazil,
but as a teenager, Aimee and her sister Vera (Pretyman)
accompanied their parents
to Rio de Janeiro, where the family settled.
Aimee de Sa Sotto-Maior 1930s     Aimee and her sister were so beautiful that they caused growing fascination around them ... Rio de Janeiro was watching them ... up to the Palacio do Catete, at the time the Presidential Palace of Brazil, home to President Getulio Vargas. Aimee lived at the presidential palace for a few years.   when living at the Palacio de Catete, Aimee met most political people of that time, like President Franklin D Roosevelt. 1940s  In 1938 Aimée and her sister Vera, decided to move to New York and immediately caused a stir due to their charm and originality. According to her later friend Prince Edouard de Lobkowicz they landed like "Bombshells" in the rather prutian and stiff high society of the late 1930´s New York. Soon the US press noticed the beauty and elegance of the new arrival to the US: Aimee In 1941 "Time" elected Aimée to be part of the "Ten best dressed Woman in the World"    Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor was N°1 Mrs Stanley Mortimer Jr (Barbara Cushing later Babe Paley) N°2 Aimee (just arrived from Brazil) N° 3  Mrs Harrison Williams, later Countess Mona von Bismarck N°4 Mrs Byron Foy N° 5 Senora Felipe A Espil N°6 Mrs Robert W Miller N°7 Mrs Robert Emmet Sherwood N°8 Rosalind Russel N°9 Lily Pons N° 10 Elanor Roosevelt, at the time first Lady of the USA did not have enough votes from the 50 style authorities to get into the List. Aimee "Kennedy"      The American East Coast was watching Aimee ... At the occasion of the exposition "Les Années Maison Blanche / The years in the White House" half a century later, November 18 2002, in a Paris Musee des Arts Decoratifs Reception, Senator Edward Kennedy confessed to his daughter Anne, his niece Caroline and the editor of this website, that, for years and years, whenever Aimee was in town (Palm Beach), all the 4 boys in the Kennedy house "were getting completely nuts" ... his brothers Joseph, JFK , Robert and of course the young Ted himself.     Ted Kennedy was so exited to see Aimee that he completely forgot to great the hostess of the evening, Liliane Bettencourt that was surprised to see the scene in the back of the room.  Their mother Rose wanted her oldest son Joseph marry Aimee, as she thought that "Aimee Kennedy" would be a perfect first Lady for the White House. Destiny was different, Aimée´s friend Joseph sadly died in an militrary air crash, JFK became President and Jackie Kennedy Bouvier the first Lady. Aimee de Heeren  Aimee married Rodman Heeren, the great grandson of John Wanamaker and uncle of John Wanamaker Leas of the Philadelphia department store dynasty.  Aimee often spoke about her husband "Roddy" who must have been a lovely person. There were many many of photos of him in Aimées houses, but unfortunately, as the editor of this website was too young, he could not take any photos in person, which explains why, for the moment, there is only a Baby picture and a difficult to recognize zoomed Photo in a Frame. 1950s - 1960s - 1970s  Soon Aimee and Rodman Heeren moved to France living between Biarritz, Paris, Palm Beach and travelling. Friends     Aimee, who had received only a basic education in Brazil, but armed with an all-consuming desire to learn, went about collecting friends among aristocrats, intellectuals, and artists who offered her their wisdom and experience.      Very quickly she learned to speak six languages, not perfectly, but well enough so as to enable her to moove around society in a spectecular manner. Above picture show some of her close friends in Europe , pictures from the 1960s Invitations Aimee was invited to many major social events:  February 12 1951 Wedding of the Shah of Iran to Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari     September 3 1951 Beistegui Ball in Venice  June 2 1953 Coronation of Queen Elisabeth II   September 12 1953 Wedding of John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier  many Parties in Paris given by Elsie de Wolfe   various State Reception in the Palais Elysee by the French Presidents Vincent Auriol, Charles de Gaulle, Claude Pompidou, Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac   January 20 1961 Inauguration Ceremony for President Kennedy 
incountable Galas in Versailles, the most beautiful ones organised by Edouard de Lobkowicz    the many Diners in Paris in the Hotel Lambert by A de R (Alexis de Rede)  April 19 1956 Wedding of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier of Monaco June 23 1957 Bal des Têtes, Hotel Lambert, by Baron Alexis de Rede     le 1969 Bal Oriental in the Paris Hotel Lambert, December 11 1971 Rothschild Proust Ball by Guy and Marie Helene de Rothschild  December 12 1972 Ball Surrealiste by Guy et Marie Helene de Rothschild    January 20 1981, Inauguration ceremonies for President Reagan  July 29 1981 wedding Lady Diana and Prince Charles  June 3-6 1986 T&T Don Govanni Ball in Regensburg |
Later Years 1986-2006 1983-1985 was a sad time for Aimee ... not only her loved sister Vera Pretyman, but also her wonderful husband Rodman died. ... after months of sadness she decided to attend a costume ball in Germany in June 1986, the 60th anniversary of her old good friend HSH Prince Johannes von Thurn und Taxis.  At the party she ran into a high school graduate from Paris ... whom she invited to come to Biarritz for the following summer vacations in August 1986.     ... and again August 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 .... ... Aimee continued her invitations for the Summer in Biarritz 1996, the year she was elected to the Best Dressed List of the Fashion Hall of Fame, not just for adhering to fashion but more for reinterpreting it with originality and taste. 1997, 1998 the summer of the eclipse was supposed to be her last one after a major hip operation, but we decided to resist no parties, no guests all alone for weeks with only one thing in mind .... getting back in shape 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, the year of a round birthday (which was kept a secret)  ... Aimee with her "Son in Law" John Noble John couldn´t stop making "terrible black humor" jokes about the "Mother in Law" ... ... so "terrible" that the "victim" Aimee was not always amused. Sadly John died in 2005, but a couple of days before he died Aimee has had the chance to "forgive" the many jokes which, she had to admid were so "terrible" that .... after some initial furies... even she, the victim .... considered to be rather funny. "Oh j´avais déja pardonne depuis longtemps, mais il avait quand même de l´esprit"  Aimee was getting older and once arrived in Biarritz, she didn´t want the former high school student to leave any more ... until the end of the summer. Feeling and living her getting older was sad to see ... ... but one of the summer joys of Biarritz was also the presence (unfortunately too short) of her beautiful grand daughter Victoria Noble Lee, a saver of uncountable abandonded animals who has inherited some of Aimee´s fascinating looks.   ... and her faithful friends of the very last years Jimmy Douglas, Fernando Porto, Francoise Cochin La Duchesse de Mandas, Marie Christine de Kent as well as her loved nephiews: the Brazilian George Pretyman and his wife Tanya William Pretyman and his wife Louiza and the American John Wanamaker Leas with his wife Susan.  Begonia Angulo was there every year a superpower of wild imagination a kind of a Lady in Waiting, an eternal summer guest, an annoying nightmare, 100% the center of the cote Basque and Madrid gossip a very funny, but last not least ..... wonderful company Begonia was known all around the European High Society, from Monaco to Paris, via Gstaad, Marbella and of course Biarritz ... She knew everything what she was not supposed to know and immediately spread the information ... full of errors, confusions, massive exageration ... but always with a bit of truth ... Ever year had a "special" topic: 1997 the relation between Lady Di and Dodi Al Fayed 1998 the young Baron Gonzague de Luze, grandson of her Biarritz friend Larüe de Charlus 1999 John F Kennedy Jr and stories about the arriving Internet 2000 the loneliness of the Prince Rainier de Monaco 2001 local scandals with people only known around the cote Basque 2002 secret rumors about Letizia Ortiz and Felipe of Spain 2003 the preparations of the royal wedding in Spain 2004 a summer of dramas, l´eté des drames, caused by a joke about an imaginary lunch invitation from a fake, nouveau riche Baronne from Saint Jean de Luze 2005 the fights between La Princesse Ira de Fürstenberg and the Paris Hotel Royal Monceau etc etc etc plus all the little dramas in the Hotel du Palais, announcing Divorces in Paris and Reconsiliations in Madrid and of cours everything what happened in the house of the "Queen of Biarritz" La Villa La Roseraie.     Begonias Message Activities started every summer morning at 10h30 around the swimming pool of the Biarritz Hotel du Palais, where she had her 1h30 walk from one "cabagna" to another ... Begonia had no money, she was always sick and full of pains and nevertheless full of life (what impressed Aimee). She lived between a tiny flat in Madrid and the magnificient houses of her generous friends, Aimee´s Villa La Roseraie beeing her favorite one ... Begonia would truely deserve to be the subject of some Novels ... who knows maybe they will be written by one of thoses that had known her in person    One thing was common to all these Biarritz years, Aimee was swimming in the Atlantic almost every summer day, accompanied by her maids Lydia, Aparicida, her driver Jose and when in town, the former high school student. Years had passed, 20 years, but one thing remained a secret ... ... Aimées age Even though they were sometimes travelling, the former high school student was never allowed to look into her Passport to see her date of birth. He tried to respect ... but anyways the Passport age was not the real one, at the Brazilian consulate in Paris someone had done something only a Legend might be able to obtain taken a decade off in her papers ... after a while Aime wanted to repeat the 10years less action but unfortunately computerisation was too advanced. 2006 Paris was waiting for her to come .... Biarritz as well but instead a call, "can you come to New York ..." The last common summer vacation was in Manhattan around the NYC Lenox Hill Hospital. During these days was finaly reveiled the long kept secret ... Aimées real age was not 70, 80, 85 90, 95 .... a medical ticket on her arms indicated 103 and counting the former high shool student finaly realized ..... that during all these years ..... Aimee had always been 63 years older .... |
It is only now, when setting up this small souvenir website
and when googling "Aimee de Heeren"
that the editor if these pages
starts to realize,
that during all these years,
he has in some way been sourounded by a "Living History Book" without even noticing it ...
A "Living History Book"
that had been a distant friend,
a close friend,
a source of jealousy
of even the fascination of
Heads of States, multiple Kings and Queens,
Industry Tycoons, Inventors, Artists, Fashion Designers,
like
President Vargas, President Roosevelt,
Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford
the Duke and the Duchess of Windsor, Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe)
John D Rockefeller, Doris Duke, Barbara Hutton, Jimmy Douglas,
Coco Chanel, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Grace Kelly, Princess Caroline,
Johannes von Thurn & Taxis,
the Duke of Westminster, Queen Mum, Queen Elisabeth II, Jim Mitchell,
Henry Ford, Warren Avis,
Rose Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy Sr,
Joseph Kennedy Jr, Ted Kennedy, JFK, Robert Kennedy
and some of their children,
Baron Guy and Baronne Helene de Rothschild, Baron Alexis de Rede,
Baronne Nadine de Rothschild,
the old Begum and the old Aga Khan, Prince Amyn Khan,
Nancy Reagan, Pamela Harriman, Elsa Maxwell
Maxi and Sarita Gainza, Guy d´Arcangue,
Baron Hubert von Pantz and Baronne Terry von Pantz
Aristotle Onassis, Madame Meneghini (Maria Callas) , Stavros Niarchos,
Princesse Ghislaine de Polignac, Andre Dunstetter, Princesse Titi von Fürstenberg (Cecile Blaffer)
La Duchesse de la Rochefoucault, Lord Granard (Barbar)
Prince Edouard de Lobkowicz and Princess Francoise de Bourbon Lobkowicz,
Charles Henri de Lobkowicz, Pierre et Sylvia d´Arenberg,
Gianni Agnelli, Sao Schlumberger, Dodie Rosekrans, Melle Jourdan,
the pennyless and snobish Isabelle Countess of Paris and her much nicer daughter Princesse Chantal d´Orleans
the Shah, Princess Soraya of Iran, Audrey Hepburn
Mariana Indio da Costa, Rixa von Oldenburg, Paul de Schorlemer,
Buzz and Lois Aldrin
and many others ...
one knows from the History Books.
Aimee had 4 handwritten and almost impossible to read Phonebooks,
one for Brazil, one for the US, one for Paris, one for Europe
they kept the most unusual phonenumbers ...
Sometimes when driving with Aimee through a steet in Paris
and mentionning the name of that street
she suddenly knew the person after whom the Avenue was mentioned ...
"Avenue Georges Mandel" ....
"you know I very well remember Georges Mandel,
he was speaking very very slowly and always
made compliments about my dresses" ....
But Aimee was rarely talking about the past,
more interested in the presence,
and the future ...
listening to stories about the arriving Internet
Some people say that you only die,
when nobody thinks about you any more,
but thanks to Aimées
legendary personality and beauty,
she will always be there ...
Aimee inspired many people
from different fields:
Fashion, Decoration, Perfume industry,
Luxury Hotels,
of course Jewellery houses
and even the Internet.
Aimee de Heeren, beeing a member of the
VF.com Fashion Hall of Fame
inspired the later 2009 creation of the
VB.com Internet Hall of Fame
(small parts of the text taken from an article in the New York Times Sep 2006)
if you have any pictures or info about Aimee de Heeren
please send them to .... b "at" vb.com
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |