Every Inch A Lady is the entertaining and thoughtful long-awaited memoir from the groundbreaking fashion powerhouse Audrey Smaltz.
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In This Spotlight On Every Inch A Lady
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About Every Inch A Lady
There has never been, nor will there ever be anyone like Audrey Smaltz. Towering six-feet-tall (her superpower) since she was a teenager in Harlem, she has always stood out from the crowd.
Smaltz’s details her colorful journey as a groundbreaking model, Wall Street broker, department store dynamo, fashion coordinator, commentator, editor, and entrepreneur. With her creative vision and business acumen earning her the support of legendary designers and brands such as Giorgio Armani, Jason Wu, Donna Karan, Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Michael Kors, Stephen Burrows, and Vera Wang.
Reflecting on significant people and moments in her life Smaltz’s reveals how she managed to balance life, racism, and the obstacles in her marriage to former WNBA and Olympic silver medalist Gail Marquis.
Forthright and contemplative, Every Inch a Lady is a long-overdue life reckoning from a cultural powerhouse and one of the most important style figures in modern times.
Former model for Givenchy in the 1960s, pioneering host of the Ebony Fashion Fair, and founder of The Ground Crew, which assisted with backstage couture and ready-to-wear collections, Smaltz has worked with every major fashion player, including Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, Betsey Johnson, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Alice Roi, Michael Kors, Luca Luca, Nanette Lepore, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole and Ralph Rucci. Smaltz has also worked with corporations like Nike, Vogue, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, and J. Crew.
Audrey Smaltz broke barriers as one of the first Black models to appear in mainstream magazines and advertisements; as one of Bloomingdale’s first Black executives; as the spokesmodel and buyer for Lane Bryant; as a fashion editor at Ebony and Vogue; and as the wife of Gail Marquis, who manages her still bustling career. She reflects on how she did it, including the obstacles she overcame to succeed.
Praise for Every Inch A Lady
“To use the word “unicorn” with Audrey is an understatement. Her journey and story will educate and inspire generations to come.”—Michael Kors (from the Foreword)
“Delicious! Audrey Smaltz is the intrepid Harlem-bred fashionista, who navigated her way through the segregated 1950s into a glamorous career in high-fashion show production, with a trail of dashing lovers in tow. Every Inch a Lady is the dishy, page-turner that only Audrey could tell. “—Teri Agins, fashion industry journalist and author of The End of Fashion and Hijacking the Runway, How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers.
“I am so very thrilled that at long last, legendary fashion icon Audrey Smaltz has finally put pen to paper and shared her rich and varied life in this book, Every Inch a Lady. Breaking all sorts of barriers, Audrey paved the way for the many young black professionals who followed in her wake. This terrific book is definitely a page turner, and a must read for any serious student of modern black history and professional entrepreneurship. Get this book and learn history from one who truly made history herself.”—Jeffrey Banks, acclaimed Fashion Designer, and author of Storyteller
“….Reading Every Inch a Lady is a joy from witnessing her powerful pivot to boss business woman with The Ground Crew to cheering her on when she loved out loud and married her wife.”—Monique Greenwood, former Editor-in-Chief, Essence, and founder Akwaaba Enterprises
About Audrey Smaltz, Author of Every Inch A Lady
Audrey Smaltz was born and raised in Harlem and began her career as a model and salesperson at Bloomingdale’s before moving to Lane Bryant Clothing and Ebony Fashion Fair as a commentator and fashion editor. In 1977, Smaltz established Ground Crew, a backstage management group staffing fashion shows for Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, Betsey Johnson, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Alice Roi, Michael Kors, Luca Luca, Nanette Lepore, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, and Ralph Rucci. Smaltz has also worked with corporations like Nike, Vogue, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, and J. Crew. She lives in Delaware.
Audrey Smaltz has been a media presence since the 1960s and is just as relevant today. She has been featured on Oprah, NPR, and MSNBC, and in Vogue, Essence, Ebony, Harper’s Bazaar, and the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and is a perennial presence during New York Fashion Week.
You can connect with Audrey Smaltz on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Amistad | HarperCollins
ISBN Hardback 9780063452695
Pub Date: July 14, 2026
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