A word that must be added to the definition of Lauder: focus. She kept her eye on the world around her and on all women wherever they might be. She "liked to think about beauty and was determined to give women the opportunity to feel beautiful," says Leonard.

Beautiful didn't necessarily mean fashionable. Having edited two leading women's magazines over the past 25 years, I am hard pressed to think of a trend that Lauder started. The company never made any effort to be the makeup choice in the fashion shows. What you had with Estée Lauder was the quality of her view, of her demand for an ultrafeminine portrayal of the product. Every woman in every ad was the essence of femininity. Is that the kind of women we are talking about now? I'm not sure, but women know who Lauder is. Hers is a product with a focus--it's not MTV.

You will recognize the brand names, and what they stand for, as you would a friend's name: Estée Lauder, Prescriptives, Clinique, Origins and Aramis. The company has even bought hot new lines such as M.A.C., Bobbi Brown Essentials and Tommy Hilfiger fragrances. Lauder's company may not be able to set trends, but it is never going to be left behind by them. The boss--and her son after her--would never allow it. Says the company's vice chairman Jeanette Wagner: "No matter how she aged in years, she was still the youngest thinker in the room."

-- Grace Mirabella, who was editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for 17 years, is the founder of Mirabella.

Estée Lauder

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