Nonnie Moore

Who was Nonnie Moore?

Nonnie Moore was a fashion editor at Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar and GQ.

She was born in Plainfield, New Jersey as Marjorie Eilers on January 21, 1922, and acquired the nickname "Nonnie" during her childhood. She was a graduate of Barnard College.

Her first job was at Mademoiselle in 1950 as a secretary, rising through the ranks to become fashion editor there from 1970 to 1980. She was hired by Harper's Bazaar in 1980 and remained there until 1984. The New York Times noticed the changes she made at Harper's Bazaar, highlighting how the magazine how been "looking a little dowdy", but that Moore had "noticeably sharpened the magazine's fashion point of view" by showing "brighter, younger and more stylish", complimenting her use of "young and exciting fashion photographers" such as Oliviero Toscani.

Moore was hired by GQ magazine as its fashion editor in 1984. Jim Moore, the magazine's fashion director at the time of her death described the choice as unusual, observing that "She was not from men's wear, so people said she was an odd choice, but she was actually the perfect choice" and noting that she changed the publication's more casual look, which "She helped dress up the pages, as well as dress up the men, while making the mix more exciting and varied and approachable for men."