Caroline Hackney of New York and Sag Harbor Dies September 12

Caroline Hackney, known to all as Ki, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. While Ki had a pioneering career in fashion, she will be remembered for her magnetic goodness, her eternally chic style, and her warm, welcoming spirit.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, her father, Ernst Hackney, was a longtime executive at Fifth Third Bank and her grandfather, Renton Kirkwood Brodie, was the Executive Vice President of Procter & Gamble and the former Board Chair of the University of Cincinnati. Ki dreamed of moving to New York from an early age. After attending Hollins College, she moved to the city, living in the Barbizon Hotel and attending the Tobe-Coburn School for Fashion Careers. She went on to work at Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily, where she served as the accessories editor and was known as the “Queen of Polyester” during the 1970s, working with designers such as Halston, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. She moved into fashion PR, first for Roland Communications and then forming her own company, Ki Hackney Communications. She later published two books with Harper Collins, “People & Pearls” and “The Charm of Charms” and became a regular contributor to the New York Social Diary.

Outside of work, Ki was known as a loving mother and loyal friend. Once you met Ki, you had a standing invitation to come over at any time. And many did, especially during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, when her dining room table in New York or Sag Harbor would be full of guests who couldn’t be with their own families. In recent years, her most beloved role was that of grandmother to her two grandchildren, Dylan and Ren. Ki is survived by her two loving daughters, Caroline and Christina Hribar, Caroline’s husband, Mallon FitzPatrick, her grandchildren, Dylan and Ren, and her beloved granddog, Cece.