Cornelia Guest

Cornelia Guest (28 November 1963) is a New York socialite, author and the Debutante of the Decade for the 1980s of the International Debutante Ball in New York City.

Early life

Cornelia Cochrane Churchill Guest was born on 28 November 1963, in Palm Beach, Fla.[1] Cornelia Guest is the daughter of the late Anglo-American polo champion Winston Guest and the late socialite C.Z. Guest (née Lucy Douglas Cochrane). She was Winston Guest’s fourth and last child and the second of C.Z. Guest’s two children.[2] The former King Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, and his wife — friends of C.Z. Guest's — were Cornelia’s godparents.[3]

Guest attended Foxcroft School, but dropped out at 15 and completed her high-school diploma through a correspondence course.[4] Guest became an accomplished equestrian, like her father, and rode competitively.[3][5] She continued riding until her mother died in 2003.[3]

Debutante Years

Cornelia made her debut in the winter of 1981-1982 at the International Debutante Ball in the Waldorf-Astoria.[4] Her 18th birthday party included author Truman Capote (a childhood friend), Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, John Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth’s cousin), pop artist Andy Warhol (another childhood friend), make-up artist Way Bandy, heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke, and Jerry Zipkin, a socialite, escort, and confidante of First Lady Nancy Reagan, as guests.[4][5] Capote, a Guest family friend, explained to People magazine why Guest’s soiree attracted so many celebrities, royals, and powerful people: "Cornelia has a No. 1 name. The Guests are from real patrician stock, unlike the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, who are descended from crooks."[4]

Guest was 1982’s Deb of the Year and was named the Deb of the Decade in 1986.[5][6][7][8] The New York Times called her “the first ‘celebutante.’”[5] As the newspaper noted at the time, “Before her, debs were quiet about their ambitions. They aimed to mingle with the equally posh and then marry. Cornelia had different plans: she wanted to be an actress. ‘Cornelia is some number,’ her mother said when Cornelia had left New York for Hollywood. ‘She is a star, and she wants to be a superstar.’”[5]

Guest was a constant presence in the society press and the national news throughout the decade – including a photo shoot in which she appeared “topless in Time magazine, her hands covering her breasts.”[6] She appeared in Time, Life, People, New York magazine and The Washington Post.[9] Some were critical of Guest’s flamboyance and self-promotion in particular and of the resurgence of debutante balls, with the lavish spending that comes with them, in general.[9][10]

She published a memoir, The Debutante’s Guide to Life, in 1986.[3] As part of the book tour for The Debutante’s Guide to Life, Guest crooned “It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To” on Late Night with David Letterman.[3]

Acting career

Soon after the publication of her memoir, Guest headed to Hollywood for an acting career.[3] She scored mostly small roles, beginning in 1989.[7]

She served as a spokeswoman for the upscale LaPrairie skin-care line in the early 2000s.[5]

In 2013, Guest became a member of "Team Guy" on the second season of Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.

Animal Rights

Guest, a vegan, has been a spokesperson for animal rights. Her line of upscale handbags for Bloomingdale's and 50 other stores includes no leather purses.[3][11][12] In 2011, Guest posed nude as part of the ongoing “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[11]

Guest also published a vegan cookbook and entertaining guide, Cornelia Guest's Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking & Easy Entertaining, in June 2012.[13][14] She also launched a vegan catering business in 2010.[1][14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cox, Joanie (15 February 2012). "Cornelia wants you to be her 'Guest' at local trunk show". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Polo, Society Figure Guest Dies In New York Hospital". Palm Beach Daily News. 27 October 1982.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Morris, Bob (17 August 2012). "A Debutante Grows Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Diliberto, Gioia (11 October 1982). "For Debutante Cornelia Guest, Living Well Is the Best Revenge". People 18 (15). Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Hirschberg, Lynn (19 August 2001). "To The Manor Born". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Associated Press (3 August 1986). "Come revolution, Cornelia Guest is in trouble". Gainesville Sun. p. 10.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Cornelia Guest". IMDB. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Cornelia Guest turns to catering". New York Post. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kilian, Michael (19 November 1986). "Debunking A Deb". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Yazigi, Monique P. (1 January 1997). "The Debutante Returns, With Pearls and Plans". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 PETA. "Socialite Cornelia Guest Strips for PETA". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved 23 December 2012date=14 November 2011. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ↑ Whitworth, Melissa (30 August 2011). "The new Stella McCartney? Cornelia Guest launches vegan handbag line". The (London) Telegraph. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  13. ↑ Saeks, Diane Dorrans (4 October 2012). "Cornelia Guest Fetes New Book With Puppies". WWD. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Zinko, Carolyne (17 June 2012). "Cornelia Guest's vegan cookbook, entertaining tips". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 23 December 2012.

External links