--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I graduated from school, World War…" description: "\"When I graduated from school, World War II was still going on. At the time, my eldest sister, Nancy, was working in New York City at Lord & Taylor, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/polly-allen-mellen-15669_eldest_when-i-graduated-from-school-world-war-i_2145846.jpg" --- # When I graduated from school, World War II was still going… ![“When I graduated from school, World War II was still going on. At the time, my eldest sister, Nancy, was working in New York City at Lord & Taylor, and she had a great friend named Sally Kirkland who she worked with there and who later went to work as an editor at Vogue. I always told them, "I…” quote by Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/polly-allen-mellen-15669_eldest_when-i-graduated-from-school-world-war-i_2145846.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/polly-allen-mellen-15669_eldest_when-i-graduated-from-school-world-war-i_2145846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/polly-allen-mellen-15669_eldest_when-i-graduated-from-school-world-war-i_2145846.jpg) > “When I graduated from school, World War II was still going on. At the time, my eldest sister, Nancy, was working in New York City at Lord & Taylor, and she had a great friend named Sally Kirkland who she worked with there and who later went to work as an editor at Vogue. I always told them, "I want to work in fashion like you do," and finally, in the late '40s, I got a job at Lord & Taylor, too.” [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young woman pursued a fashion career inspired by family connections during WWII, highlighting ambition and networking **In simple terms:** She used personal ties to enter fashion industry Key Takeaway Leverage relationships to achieve career goals Themes career ambition networking fashion industry war era women's work Mood reflective determined nostalgic Type personal historical motivational When to use this quote - job search - internships - mentorship - industry entry - career planning Key Concepts social capital career pathways historical context Questions to Reflect On - How did wartime conditions affect job markets? - What role do personal networks play in career advancement? A Different Perspective Success may depend on timing and opportunity, not just effort ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Great friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-friend/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vogue/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War of the worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-of-the-worlds/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) ## Related quotes > [One day, Sally Kirkland said to Diana Vreeland, who was the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar at the time, "I have a young woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/one-day-sally-kirkland-said-to-diana-vreeland-who-was-the-fashion/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [A few nights ago I went to a Hollywood screening of a small independent film made by Sally Kirkland, an old friend of mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-mancuso/a-few-nights-ago-i-went-to-a-hollywood-screening-of-a-small/) [Nick Mancuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-mancuso/) > [ I grew up around fashion - my mom was an editor for Vogue. Compared to the music industry, though, I'd say \[fashion\] is a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-cole-smith/i-grew-up-around-fashion-my-mom-was-an-editor-for-vogue-compared-to/) [Zachary Cole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-cole-smith/) > [I don't think anyone has ever been in a better place at a better time than I was when I was editor of Vogue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/i-don-t-think-anyone-has-ever-been-in-a-better-place-at-a-better-time/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [I don't think anybody has been in a better place at a better time than I was when I was editor of Vogue. Vogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/i-don-t-think-anybody-has-been-in-a-better-place-at-a-better-time/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [ After the war in Afghanistan, Anna \[Wintour, editor of Vogue\], deciding to save the world one hair-roller at a time, thought the best way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrna-blyth/after-the-war-in-afghanistan-anna-wintour-editor-of-vogue-deciding-to/) Myrna Blyth > [You can go up to the editor of 'Vogue,' and she might think I have horrible style, or maybe she thinks I have great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/you-can-go-up-to-the-editor-of-vogue-and-she-might-think-i-have/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Even when I became the editor of 'Vogue' - America, I kept moonlighting for a garment store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcfadden/even-when-i-became-the-editor-of-vogue-america-i-kept-moonlighting/) Mary McFadden > [I always look at the work of fashion designers as if they were art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-always-look-at-the-work-of-fashion-designers-as-if-they-were-art/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I used to live in New York, and I have friends that work in the fashion world, and I feel like I had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-used-to-live-in-new-york-and-i-have-friends-that-work-in-the/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [I want to be honest about the world that we live in, and sometimes my political persuasions come through in my work. Fashion can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/i-want-to-be-honest-about-the-world-that-we-live-in-and-sometimes-my/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [I always had a very strong sense of responsibility, so the minute I started to work in fashion, I was always tremendously serious-too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-giannini/i-always-had-a-very-strong-sense-of-responsibility-so-the-minute-i/) [Frida Giannini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-giannini/) > [If somebody were to feel the necessity to reduce themselves to a desperate state to achieve what they perceive to be their goals in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-hearst/if-somebody-were-to-feel-the-necessity-to-reduce-themselves-to-a/) [Lydia Hearst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-hearst/) > [The people who work in the fashion industry and the people who work in the film industry have a lot in common. They're very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gal-gadot/the-people-who-work-in-the-fashion-industry-and-the-people-who-work/) [Gal Gadot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gal-gadot/) > [My ultimate goal is to work with fashion designers and do performance pieces on a runway show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/my-ultimate-goal-is-to-work-with-fashion-designers-and-do-performance/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) ## More by Polly Allen Mellen > [I hate grunge. It was the worst period of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-hate-grunge-it-was-the-worst-period-of-my-life/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I wear all my T-shirts from Helmut Lang with the holes in the elbows, which people always speak of. When my husband gets a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-wear-all-my-t-shirts-from-helmut-lang-with-the-holes-in-the-elbows/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [There are certain people who hang onto nostalgia and I wish they wouldn't. I wish the young beautiful actresses and other people - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/there-are-certain-people-who-hang-onto-nostalgia-and-i-wish-they/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [Steven Meisel is completely consumed with what interests him. He does what he wants to do, and when something doesn't interest him, he's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/steven-meisel-is-completely-consumed-with-what-interests-him-he-does/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I think there a lot of great photographers working right now in the 2010. At the same time I do occasionally feel a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-think-there-a-lot-of-great-photographers-working-right-now-in-the/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I thought Fred Astaire was the most chic man. I loved the way he dressed. Never mind his dancing, which was beyond - he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-thought-fred-astaire-was-the-most-chic-man-i-loved-the-way-he/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I also had a huge crush on William Holden. I would go to see William Holden's movies alone - I didn't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-also-had-a-huge-crush-on-william-holden-i-would-go-to-see-william/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I was surrounded by talented people. I always remember Mrs. Carmel Snow, saying to me, "You know, Polly, if one person thinks they're a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-was-surrounded-by-talented-people-i-always-remember-mrs-carmel-snow/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I think the reason for vulgarity is because of the freedom that there is now to do certain things, and a lack of sophistication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-think-the-reason-for-vulgarity-is-because-of-the-freedom-that-there/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [One day, Sally Kirkland said to Diana Vreeland, who was the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar at the time, "I have a young woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/one-day-sally-kirkland-said-to-diana-vreeland-who-was-the-fashion/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [Happy family gives you a brick-by-brick foundation that you build on for the rest of your life. And then it teaches you so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/happy-family-gives-you-a-brick-by-brick-foundation-that-you-build-on/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I do think there is a lack of modernity at the moment - and I don't even like that word, modernity, anymore. There aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-do-think-there-is-a-lack-of-modernity-at-the-moment-and-i-don-t/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [Have you ever held a snake? Well, let me tell you, it is so erotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/have-you-ever-held-a-snake-well-let-me-tell-you-it-is-so-erotic/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [A lot of women say to me, "Polly, why aren't there more clothes out there that we can wear?" And I don't agree with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/a-lot-of-women-say-to-me-polly-why-aren-t-there-more-clothes-out/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) > [I like people with guts. I want to feel in the clothes what the designer is really feeling when they're alone with themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-allen-mellen/i-like-people-with-guts-i-want-to-feel-in-the-clothes-what-the/) [Polly Allen Mellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) [Explore all 42 Polly Allen Mellen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-allen-mellen/) ## More Eldest quotes > [Sorrow is held the eldest child of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/sorrow-is-held-the-eldest-child-of-sin/) [John Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-webster/) > [Ruin, eldest daughter of Zeus, she blinds us all, that fatal madness—she with those delicate feet of hers, never touching the earth, gliding over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/ruin-eldest-daughter-of-zeus-she-blinds-us-all-that-fatal-madness-she/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [We were the outliers: my mother was the only Western woman (khawagayya, in Egyptian Arabic) to have married into the family, and during my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shereen-el-feki/we-were-the-outliers-my-mother-was-the-only-western-woman-khawagayya/) [Shereen El Feki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shereen-el-feki/) > [The stag tells him that he is the eldest of the sons - the father's favorite - and he warns the father that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-solti/the-stag-tells-him-that-he-is-the-eldest-of-the-sons-the-father-s/) [Georg Solti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-solti/) > [I was always a person on my mother's hip in the kitchen. My mom really wanted her kids at her side as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/i-was-always-a-person-on-my-mother-s-hip-in-the-kitchen-my-mom-really/) [Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/) > [I do believe that where there is a choice between cowardice and non-violence I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-believe-that-where-there-is-a-choice-between-cowardice-and-non/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [My eldest brother Atticus just won an Oscar some years ago, as he wrote the music for 'The Social Network.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-eldest-brother-atticus-just-won-an-oscar-some-years-ago-as-he/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [It has always touched my heart to sense so deeply how much the Father loved His eldest son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/it-has-always-touched-my-heart-to-sense-so-deeply-how-much-the-father/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [Father was the eldest son and the heir apparent, and he set the standard for being a Rockefeller very high, so every achievement was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/father-was-the-eldest-son-and-the-heir-apparent-and-he-set-the/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [Porter is my eldest child, and I tended to be fiercely protective when he was criticized. He actually was not a big complainer about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-shreve/porter-is-my-eldest-child-and-i-tended-to-be-fiercely-protective-when/) [Susan Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-shreve/) > [I was born in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1941, the eldest of four sons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/i-was-born-in-washington-d-c-on-february-19-1941-the-eldest-of-four/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [“We only give credence to that which we can prove exists. Since we cannot find evidence that gods, miracles, and other supernatural things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/we-only-give-credence-to-that-which-we-can-prove-exists-since-we/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [I wasn't lonely as a child. I was the eldest of four and always had lots of people around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-dahl/i-wasn-t-lonely-as-a-child-i-was-the-eldest-of-four-and-always-had/) [Sophie Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-dahl/) > [If I should ever by chance grow richI'll buy Codham, Cockridden, and Childerditch,Roses, Pyrgo, and Lapwater,And let them all to my eldest daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomas/if-i-should-ever-by-chance-grow-richi-ll-buy-codham-cockridden-and/) [Edward Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomas/) > [Where eldest Night And Chaos, ancestors of Nature, hold Eternal anarchy amidst the noise Of endless wars, and by confusion stand; For hot, cold,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/where-eldest-night-and-chaos-ancestors-of-nature-hold-eternal-anarchy/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) Browse all 115 Eldest quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I graduated from school, World War II was still going on. 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