A Midcentury Cougar on the Prowl

An acclaimed cougar lounging in her den beneath a tiger-striped throw: brilliant staging for the ultimate femme fatale.

The nickname cougar, signifying women who have “a thing” for younger men, hasn’t been around for as long as they’ve been cropping up in popular culture. Before she had an epithet, she wasa moody manipulator whose wardrobe was as chic as it was sexy, her story the perfect narrative for a midcentury cougar. Her interiors were equally cosmopolitan, her milieu a long unfolding o...