Jessica Daves | |
Birth Date: | 20 February 1898 |
Birth Place: | Cartersville, Georgia |
Death Place: | New York City |
Nationality: | American |
Spouse: | Robert Allerton Parker |
Known For: | edited Vogue magazine during an influential period |
Occupation: | advertizing executive, magazine editor, author |
Jessica Daves (February 20, 1898 – September 22, 1974) was an American writer and editor. She is best known for serving as editor-in-chief of influential Vogue magazine, from 1952 to 1962.
Daves was born in Cartersville, Georgia, in 1898, but moved to New York City, in 1921, where she worked in the advertising industry. She first started to work as a fashion merchandising editor at Vogue in 1933, and was promoted to managing editor in 1936. In 1952, she became editor in chief of Vogue and later retired in 1963.
She is distinctly known for the promotion of American ready-to-wear during her time at Vogue. A fashion writer noted, "She spotted the trend, and her major fashion impact was to make ready‐to‐wear chic."
She wrote or co-wrote three books: The Vogue Book of Menus, Ready‐Made Miracle: The Story of American Fashion for the Millions and The World in Vogue. In 2019, fashion historian Rebecca Tuite published an account of her Vogue editorship,1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, 1952-1962.