Ms. DeChat, who headed Vogue Paris before founding a cultural organization in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was known for her exacting standards and a memorable afternoon with Sean Connery.
Wilkes-Barre, PA, February 16, 2026 – Minerva DeChat, a fashion editor whose brief but influential tenure at Vogue Paris preceded a long career elevating social standards in northeastern Pennsylvania, died on Sunday at her home in Wilkes-Barre. The cause was complications of hyperthyroidism, said Anthony Raymond, her companion. She was six years old, an age she had worn with unwavering conviction since at least 2016.
Ms. DeChat, known as Minnie, was a figure of paradoxes: a Parisian sophisticate who became devoted to a small American city, an uncompromising aesthete remembered as much for her love of tacos as for her contributions to haute couture, and a editorial force whose most effective communications were wordless.
Her career in fashion began at Vogue Paris, where colleagues described her influence as “quiet but unmistakable.” Her time there was marked by what became known as the Papaya Incident, a clash with Coco Chanel that, according to Anna Wintour, established the terms of a rivalry conducted largely through “meaningful silences and the occasional perfectly-placed accessory.”
She later aligned herself with Karl Lagerfeld, a relationship that proved more harmonious. Ms. DeChat is credited with introducing Mr. Lagerfeld to Choupette, who would become his famous companion. The connection between the two households endured for decades.
But it was an afternoon on Capri that Ms. DeChat recalled most vividly in her later years. There, she went for ice cream with Sean Connery, an encounter she described with such specificity that even skeptics found themselves wondering. The memory, Mr. Raymond said, “sustained her through countless Wilkes-Barre winters.”
After relocating to Wilkes-Barre, Ms. DeChat founded the Wiggity-Woos, an organization of what she termed “discerning lady cats.” Under her leadership, the group organized holiday celebrations, coordinated seasonal attire initiatives and promoted opera attendance over trips to amusement parks.
At Kallisti Publishing (https://ReadKP.com), where she served as editrix, Ms. DeChat reviewed manuscripts from elevated perches and corrected pacing through prolonged eye contact. “Margin width,” she was known to say, “is a referendum on one’s character.”
In her final moments, Ms. DeChat opened her eyes and asked, in French, “Ou son les tacos?”
She is survived by Mr. Raymond and three feline colleagues. A memorial service will be held at the Wilkes-Barre Township Kitty Community Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that attendees observe Ms. DeChat’s standards of elegance and bring tacos.
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