How Leonard Bernstein’s Wife Felicia Montealegre’s Love Affair With Fashion Influenced New York’s High Society

During the mid-20th century, when the personal style of public figures wasn’t as often documented in the press compared to today, Leonard Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre Bernstein became a subtle fashion influencer in high society. Her marriage to the American conductor and composer, played by Bradley Cooper is chronicled in Netflix’s “Maestro.” While Bernstein rose to fame in the music world, the Costa Rican actress was credited with transforming the New York Philharmonic’s concerts into fashionable events. Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer institute in Massachusetts in 1946. Montealegre’s style could be described as classic Hollywood. She was a fan of Chanel and tailoring, often wearing pieces you would find in Audrey Hepburn’s or Ingrid Bergman’s wardrobes. As the wife of Bernstein, she would wear new designer looks at his concerts, using fashion as bait for new audiences to engage with classical music.  Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre at the New York film premiere of “Cleopatra” on June 12, 1963. In “Maestro,” Carey Mulligan plays Montealegre — Mulligan was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for her work — and fashion played a big part. Costume

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