Polly Allen Mellen

Harriette Allen "Polly" Mellen (June 18, 1924 – December 11 or 12, 2024) was an American stylist and fashion editor. For more than 60 years, she served as the fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. From 1991 to 1999, she was the creative director of Allure. Mellen formally retired from Condé Nast Publications in 1994 and remained a consultant on various projects.

Background Harriette Allen was born on June 18, 1924, to a wealthy family in West Hartford, Connecticut, and attended Miss Porter's School. She always preferred to go by "Polly".

Mellen was known for her enthusiastic support of certain young designers both in the personal and business aspects of their lives. "She’s never lost her enthusiasm, in a field where everyone seems so jaded," said Isaac Mizrahi.

In 1999, she left Allure to work freelance.

Mellen appeared in a number of documentaries on the fashion industry including Unzipped and Catwalk (both 1995) and HBO's In Vogue: The Editor's Eye (2012).

Personal life and death In 1952, she married businessman Louis Baker Bell; they had two children and divorced in 1960. and died at a care facility in Salisbury, Connecticut later that year, variously reported as on December 11 or December 12.

Awards 1994: CFDA Lifetime Achievement award