The news has been filled recently with talk about our nation’s health care. So imagine for a moment the following scenario:

You’re a young model hired by one of American’s most famous and beloved designers for a major fashion show. Suddenly, right in the middle of the show,  you collapse in intense pain!

The designer, without a second thought, swoops in, picks you up, yells that the show must go on and races to get you to her doctor.

She’s at your side when you receive the devastating diagnosis that you have rheumatoid arthritis and you may end up in a wheelchair. And when the designer learns you have no money, she volunteers to pay for all of your medical expenses, including those for experimental treatments.

Then, when she discovers you have no family to care for you in New York, she takes care of all the arrangements to send you back to your hometown so you can recuperate with your family. While resting there, you receive the following telegram:

Dear Lucille,

Please Get Well Soon!  Don’t worry about a thing.  Your job is waiting for you when you return.

Love, Hattie

Now if this sounds unlikely or the premise for a Lifetime movie, think again. This is the actual telegram that was sent from Hattie Carnegie to a young Lucille Ball in 1928 after the scenario I just described.

Can you even begin to imagine this happening today? Can you imagine falling ill on the job, having your boss accompany you to the hospital, having your boss engaged in your health care and voluntarily paying for that care while promising to hold your job open for you until you’re ready to return to work?!?

Yet true to her word, when Lucy felt well enough, Hattie hired her back. Even though Lucy had to be photographed seated since she couldn’t walk for several years, even though Lucy would often have to lean against a wall or a podium to complete a picture, Hattie never abandoned her promise.

Without any mandate like the Americans with Disabilities Act or the current controversial health care legislation, this immigrant businesswoman from Austria set an example for all Americans of what real kindness and compassion could and should look like.

First and foremost, Hattie Carnegie should always be remembered as an extraordinary woman, a real American success story and a true hero. Then we can also honor her as one of America’s most talented fashion designers.

And today’s VPOD, a late 1930s dress, is a fine example of her genius. While I could talk about the sweetheart neckline, the padded shoulders, or the form-hugging cut, it’s the beaded fringe on the cap sleeves and the back cape that are the focal point of this beauty.

What a beautiful find from a truly inspiring designer for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Tangerine Boutique.

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