Nancy Talbot

Nancy Talbot was the Doyenne of American mail-order fashion. Talbot, who died on Aug. 30 at 89 of complications from Alzheimer's disease, founded the eponymous clothing store and catalog business with her husband Rudolf in 1947. Together they created a style she described as "smart but not faddy, fashionable but not funky, chic and understated."

Raised in Chicago, Talbot attended Radcliffe College before joining the Red Cross in 1941. She met her husband in France during World War II, and they took over his father's Hingham, Mass., clothing store in 1945. Two years later, they renamed the store Talbots. Its red door would become the brand's signature.

To attract more customers, the Talbots unwittingly launched a catalog business in 1948 by sending a flyer to 3,000 people whose names they had culled from a New Yorker subscription list. Their timing was perfect. As shopping habits shifted, Talbots became a staple for suburban women.

In 1973 the couple sold their business to General Mills for $6 million. Nancy stayed on as vice president, and her taste for bright colors and classic clothing continued to inform a brand that has become a billion-dollar empire, with devotees including First Ladies Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama.