Mona von Bismarck
Mona von Bismarck was an American socialite and philanthropist known for her beauty and style. Born Edmona Strader in Kentucky in 1897 to a horse trainer, Mona became internationally famous through a series of marriages that gave her a fortune, a title (Countess), and a reputation as the “best dressed woman in the world.”
In 1917 she married her first (of five) husbands, Milwaukeean Henry Schlesinger, who owned the Kentucky farm where Mona’s father worked and was the son of Ferdinand Schlesinger, the richest man in Wisconsin. They had one son, though the marriage ended in divorce after three years. Using her divorce settlement, Mona propelled herself further up the social ladder, marrying and soon divorcing a wealthy banker named James Bush and living a high-society life. She married Harrison Williams, reportedly the wealthiest man in the country, in 1926.
During this period Mona became known as a fashion icon. Her beauty and elegance were lauded in both the United States and Europe. In 1933 she was voted the “best dressed woman in the world” in the annual poll of French couturiers, the first American to receive the honor. She served as a muse for her close friend and fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, though after he closed his design house in 1968, she wore more Hubert de Givenchy garments. She preferred classic silhouettes and bold colors, especially bright pinks and greens, and was more likely to set trends than to follow them, with her fashion choices frequently publicized in magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
