Etta Froio, who chronicled 54 frenetic years of fashion with wit and efficiency at WWD and W, died early Thursday at a care facility in Shrewsbury, N.J., following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
She was 94 and leaves behind her a legion of co-workers and professional associates who, from the greenest newbie in the office to the top-tier designer, were all lucky enough to be counted as friends in her very full life.
Giancarlo Giammetti, cofounder of Valentino, spoke for many when he remembered her: “Etta was not only a remarkable journalist; she was a unique voice in fashion journalism. She observed our world with insight, curiosity and a perspective that was entirely her own.”
She built an impressive career, rising to become executive editor of both WWD and W Magazine, a large-format tabloid launched by her longtime boss, Fairchild Publications chairman John B. Fairchild, in 1972. Her colleagues valued her for her calm, steady authority, her ability to manage the most complex projects and difficult employees with aplomb, and the certainty she provided that everything would be executed smoothly and turn out perfectly. In heading up the coverage of the fashion collections, to which WWD devoted more ink than any other publication, she was like a great wartime general.
