Vera Bate Lombardi

Vera Bate Lombardi
"Well known in Society", 1909
Born	Vera Nina Arkwright 11 August 1883 London
Died	1948 Rome
Nationality	British, American, Italian
Occupation	WWI nurse, socialite, associate of Coco Chanel
Known for	Introduced Coco Chanel to English Society, inspired Chanel's "English Look", denounced Chanel for collaborating with the Nazis

Vera Bate Lombardi, born Vera Nina Arkwright but said to have used the name Sarah Gertrude Arkwright, (1883–1948) was a British socialite and close associate of Coco Chanel and the mother of Bridget Bate Tichenor. A British citizen at birth, she became a citizen of the United States after her first marriage and of Italy after her second marriage. She was arrested in Italy in 1943 under suspicions of spying for the British during World War II. After her release, she made her way to Madrid, where she denounced Chanel for collaborating with the Nazis.

Lombardi was born at 17 Ovington Square, Kensington, London, 11 August 1883, the daughter of Frank Wigsell Arkwright and his then wife Rosa Frederica Baring. She is said to have been raised by Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor, Marchioness of Cambridge.. This association is said to have assured Lombardi a place in the highest strata of British society. She was, through her mother's second marriage, the step-daughter of Queen Mary's cousin George FitzGeorge.

Lombardi's first marriage was to Frederick Blantford Bate in 1916. Bate was an American military officer whom she had met while volunteering as a nurse in an American hospital in Paris. They had one daughter, Bridget born in 1917. Lombardi divorced Bate in 1929. She then married Italian Cavalry Officer, Alberto Lombardi, a member of the Italian Fascist Party and held in high esteem by Benito Mussolini. Lombardi joined her husband in Rome after 1929 and joined the Fascist Party. In Rome, Lombardi and her husband lived the grand life, residing in his villa on via Barnaba Oriana, situated in one of the most exclusive sections of Rome.

Lombardi was a popular member of the British elite, who in her youth attracted the attention of a cadre of suitors. She was an enthusiast of the sporting life, an avid participant in the outdoor activities so favoured by the upper tier and titled members of society. The wealth and status enjoyed by this rarified group allowed them the means and leisure to engage in hunting and sailing and to lead lives dedicated to pleasure and self-gratification.