WWD, April 3, 1961. Jacqueline Kennedy was a young, beautiful First Lady, and she was also stylish, as this 1961 Page One, on which she wears a streamlined suit and a pillbox, credited to Oleg Cassini, shows. She’s with her husband, President John F. Kennedy.
WWD, July 19, 1962. WWD always supported Yves Saint Laurent, especially during the time of Fairchild, who really made his career. Here, he sketches his new look for WWD in the summer of 1962.
WWD, November 22, 1967. Whenever an important wedding was coming up, WWD had to know what the bride was wearing. Lynda Bird Johnson, a daughter of President Johnson, chose a Geoffrey Beene dress for her 1967 marriage to Charles Robb. WWD’s prediction in this case was quite accurate.
WWD, March 14, 1968. Lady Bird Johnson was no Jacqueline Kennedy (the most stylish First Lady ever), but she was still First Lady, and, as such, WWD followed her and reported on her clothing choices when she made them. Here, from Adele Simpson and George Stavropoulos, in 1968.
WWD, April 16, 1969. Whatever Babe Paley, the most impeccably dressed of socialites, wore was news. Here, she’s in pants, in 1969.
WWD, March 13, 1970. John Fairchild never missed a chance to push the longuette, and this 1970 Page One sketch shows Jacqueline Kennedy wearing it.
WWD, December 23, 1970. John Fairchild coined the term HotPants and followed the trend closely. Here, a Finnish model rocks the look on a dance floor in Paris, in 1970.
WWD, March 13, 1981. It was important to report on Nancy Reagan’s fashion choices as First Lady. Here, she wears a bright green Bill Blass tunic on a trip to Canada in 1981.
WWD, October 2, 1981. During John Fairchild’s tenure, WWD covered Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis extensively. Here, a 1981 Page One shows both Onassis and her sister, Lee Radziwill.
WWD, March 28, 1978. Giorgio Armani was one of the designers strongly backed by WWD, and here he is in a military mood, in 1978, with a satin coat and shirtdress.
WWD, April 7, 1976. Here, in 1976, the paper spotlights Saint Laurent’s brilliant Ballet Russe collection, a big hit in Paris.
WWD, July 17, 1981. Bill Blass was another designer who received strong backing from John Fairchild throughout his career. Here, his 1981 garden-party, one-shoulder dress and jacket.
WWD, January 23, 1987. John Fairchild made the career of Christian Lacroix, known for his pouf dresses. Here, one of them from 1987, created for Patou.
WWD, September 29, 1980. John Fairchild created a new way of writing about fashion by spotlighting the designers themselves. One of the designers whose career he helped make was Oscar de la Renta. Here, a characteristically feminine pair of Oscar looks from 1980.
WWD, September 15, 1982. There was a fashion in the Eighties for very low-key streamlined separates, often in black, popularized by the designer Zoran. Mr. Fairchild didn’t approve. He thought it made women look like fashion nuns and that they could do better.