doyenne

One person in Washington perfectly illustrates this phenomenon: Sally Quinn, the longtime columnist and doyenne of what remains of the Georgetown set.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Shares in Parisian handbag doyenne Hermes fell sharply last week after it booked a sales drop the company blamed partly on fewer Middle Eastern travelers splurging in its European boutiques.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Many of them were barely in school when the doyenne of Paris fashion took over menswear at Hermes in 1988 with instructions from then company boss Jean-Louis Dumas to run it "like your small company".

From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026

And there will be several books too, one of them co-authored by Helen Garner, a doyenne of modern Australian literature.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025

He was superb in vegetable Pantagruelism, with his cravat taken off, his shirt unbuttoned at the neck, his fruit-knife in hand, laughing, drinking water, carving into the pulp of a doyenne pear.

From Balzac by Frederick Lawton

Put drag queens on his runway next to Park Avenue doyennes.

From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2022

At the Carlyle hotel, a pair of Upper East Side doyennes are discussing their country homes between mincing bites of their $30 salads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2021

Radziwill’s world was inhabited by doyennes of high society, artistic celebrities, fashion moguls and wealthy, prominent husbands - including one whose royal status made her a real-life princess.

From Reuters ● Feb. 16, 2019

One of the District’s most well-known drag doyennes, Lee hosted Nellie’s Sports Bar’s drag brunch for years before launching her own cabaret program in February.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 31, 2018

The dachshund's supporters seem similarly eager to dispel the notion that the low-slung dogs are merely accessories of Park Avenue doyennes.

From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2012