Vera Bate Lombardi

Who was Vera Bate Lombardi?

Vera Bate Lombardi, born Vera Nina Arkwright but said to have used the name Sarah Gertrude Arkwright, was a British socialite and close associate of Coco Chanel and the mother of Bridget Bate Tichenor. A British citizen at birth, she became a citizen of the United States after her first marriage and of Italy after her second marriage. She was arrested in Italy in 1943 under suspicions of spying for the British during World War II. After her release, she made her way to Madrid, where she denounced Chanel for collaborating with the Nazis.