Meredith Etherington-Smith (née Dups) was a distinguished British fashion and art journalist and biographer, born in 1946 in Wales and raised in Kent. She pursued her artistic education at the Royal College of Art, laying the groundwork for a remarkable career in journalism that began in the 1960s.
By the 1970s, Etherington-Smith had made her mark as the London editor for Vogue Paris and briefly served as the sole female editor of the American men’s magazine GQ. After returning to London in the early 1980s, she contributed to numerous prestigious publications, including The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The New York Times. In 1983, she became the Deputy and Features Editor at Harpers & Queen, where she notably selected the Dress of the Year for 1994, choosing a stunning black bias-cut strapless dress crafted by John Galliano.
Transitioning into the art world in the early 1990s, Etherington-Smith co-founded Art Fortnight and served as an editor for ArtReview. By 2006, she took on the role of editor-in-chief at Christie's Magazine and became the London editor for Artinfo.com. During her tenure at Christie's, she collaborated with Diana, Princess of Wales, for the charity auction of her clothing in 1997 and curated significant sales, including those of Marilyn Monroe's and Elizabeth Taylor's personal effects.
As a biographer, she penned notable works on figures like fashion designer Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, and artist Salvador Dalí. Etherington-Smith passed away from a heart attack on January 25, 2020, at the age of 73, leaving behind a legacy in both fashion and art journalism.
