Betsy Bloomingdale, wife of Bloomingdale's heir Alfred Bloomingdale, dies

Betsy Bloomingdale has died, as reported by WWD and Vanity Fair Wednesday, July 20. She was 93 years old.

While Bloomingdale had been ill for some time, the cause of death could not be immediately learned. Funeral arrangements are still being determined.

While Bloomingdale had been a member of high society surrounding herself with other impeccably dressed rich women, she always managed to stand out from the rest of the crowd. They all shared conservative politics and wealthy husbands in common, she had two things going for her: her incredible hostess skills and the fact that she was Nancy Reagan's best friend.

Curator Kevin Jones, who worked with Bloomingdale for the 2009 exhibition of her clothes at the Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, said to WWD she “explained all of the mystery of the haute couture that has faded away. Now haute couture is used for media and that’s great. But very few people lived the haute couture and she was one of them. For her, it was just a part of her life.”

Fashion industry mourns the loss of socialite and impeccable dresser Betsy Bloomingdale

Dennis Basso said Wednesday, “Over the years, I met her from time to time and she was always the perfect lady – old–school, from an era gone by.”

Bloomingdale was born the daughter of Beverly Hills doctor Dr. Russell Lee Newling and his wife the former Vera Browner, on August 2, 1922. She would go on to marry Alfred Bloomingdale, and heir to the Bloomingdale's department store fortune. The couple would go on to have three children, Geoffrey, Lisa, and Robert. The Bloomingdales enjoyed a fascinating, high-society life in New York, Washington, and the South of France.

While Betsy was an avid collector of couture garments, even having her own exhibit at Los Angeles' FIDM called "High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture" exhibit in 2009, she bought her last couture piece in 1996. It was a black crepe and chiffon dress by Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior.

Despite never formally becoming a designer herself, Bloomingdale did design a loungewear collection for Swirl in the eighties.

The world has lost a true fashion icon, but her legacy will live on, and no one is forgetting the Bloomingdale's name anytime soon.

photo via FIDM museum website