The understated yet bold style of Tonne Goodman can be seen in countless magazines spreads, her disciplined wardrobe and her lovely townhouse.

Tonne Goodman is just one of those people. The kind that exudes personal style. Apparently, she has always been this way. Thinking of gifting her book, Point of View, to a friend, I thought I would purchase it first to check it out. My favorite pages are those featuring her early life where her predilection for fashion became evident.

Style was a family affair.

Her father, Ed, was a surgeon. Her mother, Marian, was an artist. She describes her mother as being one of the most elegant women in New York. “She had, and has now at the age of ninety-seven, an incredible and innate sense of style, which impressed everyone she encountered. It became part of our DNA.” That description could also apply to Tonne.

Tonne was born into a cultured comfortable lifestyle attending private school in Manhattan and summering on Long Island Sound. Her parents were well connected with New York luminaries such as Patricia Neal, Roald Dahl, and then-governor Averell Harriman.

Of her parents, Tonne writes “Her evening attire, which she wore every night whether there were guests or not, was a floor-length circle skirt: red felt for family dinners or aubergine moiré for guests, cinched at the waist, with a  simple black cashmere crew neck sweater, and her pearls.” Her father “changed from his suit jacket to a deep forest green velvet smoking jacket. It signaled the end of their workday, and the start of their time with us…”

Style trumps pretty.

In the foreword of the book, Tonne’s sister, Wendy Goodman describes her sister as a “…girl who blossomed into an extraordinary beauty defined by her unique assets, including impossibly long limbs and silky blond hair down to her waist.” On the contrary, Diana Vreeland penned a memo to magazine editors describing Tonne in the following manner. “- though she is not pretty – she pulls together perfect bones and proportion in an aristocrative manner.”

Tonne began modeling at a young age being photographed by some of the best in the business – Richard Alvedon and Irving Penn, to name a few. Her career was short lived however as it didn’t suit her. She described herself as “a terrible model, self-conscious, and shy”. On to bigger things.

Ms. Goodman has had a lengthy illustrious career that has involved working with Diana Vreeland at the Met, being a fashion reporter for the New York Times under Carrie Donovan, a freelance stylist, Vice-President of advertising at Calvin Klein, and fashion director at Harper’s Bazaar under Liz Tilberis. After the death of Ms. Tilberis she moved to Vogue as fashion editor under Anna Wintour.

Those having personal style can’t help being stylish in anything they touch.

All of us have seen countless magazine covers styled by Tonne. She has had enormous influence and success in the fashion world. Despite this, my interest in her peaked upon seeing photos of her West Village townhome.

Like Tonne, her townhouse has good bones.

Tonne’s wardrobe and interior decor are similar in their disciplined use of color, classic style, and quality. Small details offer a glimpse of her personality.

The book is 3/4 full of magazine images that she created and styled. They are stunning and chic, however; I longed for more about Tonne herself, her life, her style. As the saying goes…leave them wanting more. She did.

To read more about Tonne and her current ventures, see here.

Casa V Interiors can help you find your personal style and express it in your home.