Showing 1853 results

Authority record
Bass, Barbara
US.20181109-005 · Person

Barbara Bass joined Bloomingdale's in 1980 as Operating Vice President for Branch Store Merchandising and remained with the company for almost seven years. Before coming to Bloomingdale's, Bass had worked for Burdine's, another division of Bloomingdale's parent company, Federated Department Stores. In April 1985, Bass was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager at Bloomingdale's. This interview takes place roughly one month before Bass was named Chairperson and CEO of San Francisco's I. Magnin & Company, another division of Federated. While she praised Bloomingdale's equal treatment of women in the workplace, her new role at I. Magnin & Co. made her the first female CEO of any of the Federated divisions.

Bauer, Bruce
US.20220318.078 · Person · 1944 July 5
Baz, Ben-Hur
US.20210820.009 · Person · 1906-2003

Born in Mexico in 1903, Ben-Hur Baz was an illustrator known for his pin-up and glamor-girl illustrations which appeared in Esquire during the 1940s and 50s. Extremely prolific, he also worked as a commercial illustrator for Pall Mall and Lucky Strike.

Beaton, Cecil, 1904-1980
US.20180702.006 · Person · 1904-1980

Sir Cecil Beaton was born in London in 1904. Beaton attended St. John's College, although he never graduated. He signed a contract with Condé Nast to supply Vogue with fashion photographs in 1930. He photographed royalty, movie stars, fashion designs, and cultural elites. His first book, The Book of Beauty, was published in 1930, followed by dozens more which became a platform for him to show off his talent for illustrating. Beaton produced costumes and sets for both stage and screen, winning three academy awards, two for Best Costume Design (Gigi in 1958 and My Fair Lady in 1964) and one for Best Art Direction (My Fair Lady in 1964). Queen Elizabeth II knighted Beaton in 1972.

Beebe, Susan
US.20200125.012 · Person

Susan Beebe was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She attended the Parsons School of Design in New York. Shortly after graduating in 1980, the then-23 year old designer received an order for four hand knit sweaters from both Bergdorf Goodman and another high-end New York department store. She was known for her sweaters, often in angora and always with some sort of trimming; as a student, she won the Oscar de la Renta Thimble Award for a feathered angora sweater. By 1981, Beebe had her designs in boutiques and department stores across both the country and the Atlantic. Her career seems to have stalled in the early 1980s, with no mention of her after a 1981 New York Times article.

Beene, Geoffrey
US.20200201.001 · Person · 1927-2004

American fashion designer. A modernist, Beene’s inventive geometric cuts and in-depth understanding of the human body made him one of the most innovative designers of the 20th century.

In deference to a family tradition, Beene enrolled as a pre-med student at Tulane University in 1943, despite his childhood penchant for fashion. While at Tulane, Beene was notoriously caught sketching the gowns designed by Hollywood costumer Adrian in his anatomy book. Three years later, he withdrew from Tulane University and moved to Los Angeles, where he became employed in the display department of the store I. Magnin. In 1947, he moved to New York to study at the Traphagen School of Fashion, but having concluded that the focus of postwar fashion had shifted to France, Beene transferred to Paris’s Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne the following year. During his two years at that institution, he also studied life drawing at Académie Julian, and in the evenings was apprenticed to a master tailor for the couturier Edward Molyneux. As an apprentice, Beene honed his skills in construction and cut, acquiring in turn an appreciation for subtle elegance that would become a key element of his designs in the years to come.

By 1951, Beene had returned to New York. In 1952, he began his fashion career in earnest as the in-house designer for Harmay. His design talents were soon recognized by Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow, who selected one of his dresses to be featured in the magazine. In 1963, immediately following an eight-year turn with the design house Teal Traina, Beene launched his own company, Geoffrey Beene Inc., on Seventh Avenue. Beene’s awareness of a woman’s desire to express her individuality through dress gained further prominence in his designs, and he began experimenting with his ‘architectural’ dresses, loose-fitting garments that belied their heavily structured interiors. By the late 1960s, Beene’s fascination with popular culture began to influence his work and his collections increasingly reflected a modern sensibility. Iconic designs produced during this period, such as his sequined football jersey dresses (1967), the ‘Gangster’ collection (1968) and evening dresses crafted from sweatshirt fabric introduced a relaxed spirit to the world of high fashion, marking the beginning of Beene’s design evolution.

Beene became one of the first American designers to produce a secondary line of more affordable clothing, when in 1971 he launched his Beene Bag label. At this point in his career Beene began to rethink the relationship between clothing and modern living. Believing that the body should define the shape of a garment, Beene used less structured fabrics, such as jersey, to produce softer and more fluid designs. However, these designs were widely criticized by a skeptical American fashion press. In 1976, aware that European endorsement would promote acceptance of his designs at home, Beene became the first American ready-to-wear designer to show his collections in Europe, where they were well received.

It was not until the early 1980s that Beene initiated what he called his ‘true glorification of the body’. Through unique cuts, seaming techniques, sheer panels and color changes that served to accentuate specific areas, he focused his designs on parts of the female body seldom considered. Incorporating the use of triangular panels in his 1984 collection, Beene presented a novel method to alternatively reveal and conceal the body. These geometric cuts sculpted the body while permitting more fluid movement. His single seam and curved seam dresses, produced during the mid-1980s, remain among his most significant contributions to fashion. Beene’s pairing of contrasting fabrics, such as melton wool and point d’esprit lace, was quickly established as a design trademark, giving his designs a playful, irreverent quality. Through careful refinement of such methods, the progression of Beene’s innovative design techniques and ideas continued into the 1990s (see fig.).

Beene defied conventions throughout his lengthy career, forging his own path until his death in 2004. His fashion shows, for example, featured dancers in avant-garde presentations intended to accentuate the kinetic qualities of his garments rather than showcase supermodels on a catwalk. Often overlooked by the media, Beene’s contributions to the world of fashion were nonetheless honored with eight Coty Awards, and three museum retrospectives: in 1988 at Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland and the National Academy of Design in New York, and in 1992 at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Other honors included the Neiman Marcus Award (1965), the Marshall Field Distinction of Design Award (1975), the CFDA Designer of the Year award (1986/87) and an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (1992). Indeed, his original designs have proven to be timeless classics for the independent woman.

Beer
US.20190412.003 · Corporate body · 1890-

Founded around 1890, the fashion house Beer was one of the four oldest in Paris, its only predecessors being Worth, Doucet, and Paquin. Designer Gustave Beer’s design philosophy was “conservative elegance for conservative customers,” which included the who’s who of international royalty. The former Czarina of Russia and queens of Belgium, Italy and Romania were patrons of the house, which was reputed to have the highest prices in Paris. The house was especially known for their evening gowns, rich embroideries, furs and lingerie. Founder, Gustave passed away in 1908 after which time Beer continued under the direction of Paul Trimbach and Monsieur Pierre, who served as the head designer into the 1920s.Merged with Drecoll in 1929 under the name Drecoll-Beer. Drecoll-Beer merged with House of Agnes in 1931, dropped Beer from name.

Bel Geddes, Barbara
US.20200418.023 · Person · 1922-2005

Barbara Bel Geddes (1922-2005) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She made her acting debut in 1941, performing on Broadway in the show "Out of the Frying Plan." Six years later, she starred in her first film "The Long Night." She was nominated for an academy award a year later for the film "I Remember Mama." Her biggest success on stage came in 1955 in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Modern audiences may best remember Bel Geddes for her role as Jimmy Stewart's character's ex-fiance Midge Wood in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." Barbara Bel Geddes continued acting until 1990, retiring after a successful run on the T.V. show "Dallas."

Belafonte, Shari
US.202203.81 · Person · 1954 September 22

Shari Belefonte is an American model and actress. Her career began in the early 1980s as a print model, and she appeared in television commercials for Calvin Klein Jeans. As an actor, she was a favorite of television producer Aaron Spelling who regularly cast her in his productions. Belefonte is the daughter of Marguerite and Harry Belefonte; the latter being the famed singer and performer of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Bell, Joy
US.20220318.077 · Person · 1957-

Joy Bell is an fashion model who revived her illustrious career of her youth in the 1970s and 1980s, in the 2000s to fill a gap in the market for middle-aged models. As such she has been the face of Oil of Olay costmetics, Maybelline and has been featured on the cover of Times magazine.

Beller, Abraham
US.20191212.002 · Person

Founder of A. Beller & Co.. Brother-in-law to Max Meyer.

Ben Gershel
US.20230525.001 · Corporate body

Ben Gershel was coat and suit house. "From the nineteen‐thirties through the fifties it was regarded as one of the top flight houses, along with Traina-Norell, Ben Zuckerman and Monte‐Sano and Pruzan."

Ben Thylan Furs
US.20201103.055 · Corporate body · 1943-

Ben Thylan Furs was founded in 1943 by Ben Thylan (1923 - 2010). His store sold luxury furs. In 1985, he and his business were charged with sales tax evasion. Ben Thylan Furs, a prominent New York City furrier, closed its doors in 2010 after their founders death. His daughter Jane was President of the business for the last 25 years.

Bendheim, Robert
US.20200918.022 · Person · 1916-2009

Robert Bendheim (1916 - 2009) was a textile executive at the M. Lowenstein Corporation. Bendheim was first hired at M. Lowenstein in 1946 as a trainee. From 1972 to 1985, Bendheim was the chief executive of the company.

Benedictus, Edouard
US.20210820.011 · Person · 1878-1930

French chemist, decorator, composer and painter, leader of the Art Deco movement.

Benenson, Fira
US.20201112.57 · Person · 1898-1977

Fira Benenson was born in Baku, Russia around 1898. Her family relocated to New York after the Bolshevik revolution began in Russia. Benenson opened a dress shop on Madison Avenue partly to help out other Russian emigres. From 1934 to 1948, Benenson headed Bonwit and Teller's salon de couture. After leaving Bonwit and Teller, she opened her own boutique, focusing on designing for older clients. Throughout her life, Benenson traveled to Paris to see French fashion shows, only breaking her pattern during WWII. Benenson passed away in 1977.

Benetton (Firm)
US.20220408.016 · Corporate body · 1965-

Benetton Group is a global fashion brand based in Ponzano Veneto, Italy founded in 1965. Benetton Group has a network of approximately 4,000 stores worldwide.

Benny, Jack, 1894-1974
US.20200404.029 · Person · 1894-1974

Jack Benny was an American entertainer. Born on February 14, 1894, Benny began his illustrious career in 1911 at the age of 18. His Vaudeville act was playing the violin. He began getting attention when he added comedy to his music routine. By 1929, Benny was a bona-fide star, appearing in the MGM produced "The Hollywood Revue of 1929." While he continued to act in film throughout his career, he was most celebrated for his radio show "The Jack Benny Program," which was on the air from 1932-1955. In 1950, the radio program was turned into a T.V. show under the same name. Running concurrent with the radio program for five years, the T.V. show remained on air until 1965. Jack Benny passed away at the age of 80 in 1974.

Bérard, Christian
US.20180702.086 · Person · 1902-1949

Christian Bérard was born in Paris in 1902. He studied at the Lycée Janson de Sailly. His first exhibition was held at the Gallery Pierre in 1920. A decade later, he began making costumes and sets for the stage in France. He also began making drawings for fashion designers like Elsa Schiaparelli. He died suddenly in 1949 at the age of 46.

Berenson, Marisa, 1947-
US.20180702.114 · Person · 1947-

Marisa Berenson is a fashion model and actress. She was born on February 15, 1947 in New York City, New York, USA. She is the granddaughter of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. It was Diana Vreeland who pressured Berenson, then 16, to model. By the late 1960s, Berenson became one of the most sought-after models in the business, regularly appearing on the cover of Vogue. Her first film was "Death in Venice," directed by her then-boyfriend Helmut Berger's lover Luchino Visconti. Following her performance in Visconti's film, Bob Fosse cast her in a supporting role in 1972's "Cabaret." After appearing in another high-profile films, including Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon," Berenson focused less on acting and more on her personal life. Berenson continues to act and model, but spends most of her time at her villa just outside of Marrakech, Morocco.

Beretta, Anne Marie
US.20190723.002 · Person · 1937-

"Fashion Designer Anne Marie Beretta was born in 1937 in Béziers, France. She arrived in Paris in 1957 at the age of 20 and was encouraged by Roger Bauer at Jacques Griffe to pursue a career in fashion.

In the 50's, she worked for Antonio Castillo, designing for the theatre in her spare time. She also worked for Jacques Esterel for some time. In 1965, she joined manufacturer Pierre d'Alby and launched a highly successful line of brown linen garments. She then went on to work for Georges Edelman, Ramosport - who manufactured her rainwear line in the 80's - and thereafter for Bercher.

In 1974, after about 20 years in training, Anne-Marie Beretta established her own ready-to-wear label. She has a serious sombre style and sees her clothes as mobile sculptures. She also designs ski-wear. Max Mara's collections of stylishly tailored suits were designed by Anne-Marie Beretta. Her trademark is a play on proportions, from wide collared coats to mid-calf length trousers and asymmetrical lines.

In 1986 she was awarded the prestigious French honour of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres." https://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/annemarie-beretta/

US.20180702.069 · Corporate body · 1901 (date of establishment)

Bergdorf Goodman began as a custom tailoring shop in 1901, named such after Edwin Goodman (1876-1953) bought out his partners in what had previously been the tailoring firm of Bergdorf and Voigt. Goodman had acquired a reputation for immaculate tailoring and an inspired understanding of cut and materials. Bergdorf Goodman expanded into ready-to-wear in 1923, but continued to offer custom clothing and millinery well into the 1960s. It was one of the last department stores to offer this service, indicative of the very wealthy clientele who favored Bergdorf Goodman and placed orders from around the globe. Primary couturier to New York society, Edwin Bergman and the Bergdorf Goodman custom salon also outfitted international royalty, Broadway and Hollywood stars, and the elites of Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and the West Coast, many of whom spent $100,000/year in the store. Bergdorf Goodman was known for the immaculate craftsmanship of its clothes, and later for furs.

The custom salon was never strictly profitable for Bergdorf Goodman because of the high cost of labor and materials, and the cost of research and buying trips to Paris and Italy. A 1951 Business Week article on the department store reported that the custom salon “has not made money since 1929.” The salon employed 3 top-notch designers, 115 dressmakers, 55 tailors, 14 dressers, a “string of saleswomen, models, and assistants,” not to mention the sketch-makers and watercolorists who produced the sketches that comprise most of this collection. But this boutique service raised the profile of the department store and the house designers who worked in the custom salon also contributed designs for Bergdorf Goodman’s ready-to-wear collection. Edwin Goodman has been credited with extending the construction techniques of higher-end garments (deep hems and cutting on the true bias) to ready-to-wear, and raising the standards for the mass manufacture of clothing in the United States.

Andrew Goodman (1907-1993) succeeded his father as President of the store in 1951 on the occasion of the store’s 50th anniversary, and remained active until 1975, three years after it became part of the Broadway-Hale department store chain. Bergdorf Goodman subsequently became a division of the Neiman Marcus group. The store has been at its present location at 58th Street and Fifth Avenue since 1928. Unlike other department stores, Bergdorf Goodman never expanded to include branches in the suburbs.

Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman.

Berger, Paul
US.20200918.024 · Person

Paul Berger was a professor at FIT in the 1950s. He taught management.

Berin, Harvey
US.20201111.52 · Person · 1898-1988

Born around 1898, Harvey Berin was one of the leading New York designers who helped establish the U.S. as a competitor to the French fashion industry. Berin was 15 when he first began working in New York's garment district. He opened his business, Casino, in 1922 on Seventh Ave in New York. Berin and his designer won a Coty Award for the brand's afternoon and evening dresses. Berin passes away in 1988.

Bernard, Augusta
US.20210820.012 · Person · 1886-1946

Couturier Augusta Bernard elided her name (as was fashionable at the moment) in 1919 when she opened her couture house at 3, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. By the 1930s, she had established herself as a top Parisian couture house known for her beautifully made, pale colored evening gowns, which often functioned as blank canvases for her clients' elaborate jewels. At the same time, amidst the Depression of the 1930s, client's began dodging their bills and the house began to suffer. Madame Bernard elected to retire, closing her couture house in 1934.

Bernay, Beryl
US.NNFIT.SC.2023080101 · Person · 1926-2020

Born Beryl Bernstein in Brooklyn, NY in 1926 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, Beryl's father changed the family's last name to Berney when she was a child. She later changed the spelling to Bernay and went on to study art and photography at Cooper Union and The Art Students League as well as fashion design at the Fashion Academy in New York City. A stint producing children's television during the 1950s and early 1960s paralleled her working as an actor on Broadway. During the 1960s and 70s, she worked as an international journalist, reporting for the United Nations, NPR, ABC, NBC, The New York Times, Time and Newsweek. Throughout her life, she continued to make an exhibition artwork and appeared on the stage and screen. Bernay died in March 2020 in Manhattan at the age of 94 due to complications induced by the COVID-19 virus.

Bernstein, Alex A.
US.20200918.007 · Person · 1880-1971

Alex A. Bernstein was the founder and president of the Fur Trade Foundation. Born around 1880, Bernstein seems to have spent his life in the fur industry. Bernstein also sat on the board of the Fur Charity Chest, working as chairman of the distribution committees. In addition to his work in the fur trade, Bernstein had been a director of the Fashion Institute of Technology. Alex Bernstein passed away in 1971 at the age of 91.

Bernstein, Aline, 1881-1955
US.20181012-013 · Person · 1881-1955

Aline Bernstein was a production designer working in the early 20th Century. She was hired by the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York as a costume designer in 1915. Bernstein would design costumes for every production put on by the Neighborhood Playhouse as well as occasionally creating sets for their shows. During her spare time, she would study historic costume, visiting museum collections throughout the city. When the theater closed in 1927, Bernstein continued to design for Broadway productions. In 1937, she helped establish the Museum of Costume Art, which was later incorporated into the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

US.20230525.014 · Person · 1918-1990

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was a highly successful American musician of the 20th century. He composed many different styles of music for the opera, symphony, Broadway, and the ballet. At the age of 40, Bernstein became the youngest music director hired by the New York Philharmonic. He was awarded 23 Grammy awards, 10 Emmys, and a Tony Award, all in the competitive categories. In addition to his work in music, Bernstein was a celebrated humanitarian.

Bernstein, Sidney J.
US.20191019.001 · Person · 2004 (date of death)

Sidney Bernstein was the Vice President of the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries. He began with the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.) as a real estate adviser and scouted what would become the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)’s campus on 7th Avenue. Bernstein helped found a scholarship for fashion students and was the longest serving member of the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)’s Support Foundation. He passed away in 2004.

Berr, Susan
US.20220318.079 · Person · 20th century

Susan Berr was an American fashion model represented during the 1960s and 1970s by Ford Models and appeared in print campaigns as the face of Breck shampoo. Berr now lives and works in Los Angeles as an interior designer going by Susan Sager.

Berta, Bill
US.20220910.005 · Person

Former senior vice president and sales promotion director for Saks Fifth Avenue, William (Bill) was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and started taking art classes at Carnegie Tech of Pittsburgh at a young age through high school. He moved on to attend the Art Institute in Chicago majoring in Advertising design, and the University of Chicago majoring in English. After graduating Bill held jobs in small advertising firms and moved on to be the fashion art director at Macy’s. Throughout his career, he has worked for Revlon, Channel, Maidenform, and Hertz to name a few. At one point he left the retail industry and started his own small agency that included clients such as Bloomingdale’s for a few years, finally moving on to Saks Fifth Avenue.

US.20181012-014 · Corporate body

Beryl Tucker Young Trends Inc. was a trend forecasting company catered to childrenswear manufacturers.

Best & Co.
US.20210820.013 · Corporate body · 1879–1971

Best & Co. was a department store founded in New York City in 1879 by Albert Best. Part of the 'Ladies' Mile' shopping district, the stalwart Manhattan store expanded its footprint with locations in tony suburbs in the tri-state area before expanding to Washington, D.C. and Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1966, the chain included 20 US-based locations when it was acquired by a fashion conglomerate, McCrory's who closed and liquidated the Best & Co. properties during the 1970s.

Bethann Management Agency
US.20220312.002 · Corporate body · 1984-

Modeling agency formed in 1984 by Bethann Hardison, which focused on diversifying the fashion industry.

Bethel, Lawrence L.
US.20180719.002 · Person

Lawrence L. Bethel was President of FIT from 1953-1965. He was considered a prime mover in the expansion of the school and was the driver behind a 10-year, $36 million dollar plan to add four additional buildings to the campus. He was born in Warrensburg Missouri and graduated from Central Missouri State College in 1928. From there, he earned degrees from Columbia and Yale. He was the author of several books on industrial management and opened new doors to link the fashion industries with FIT. He was also instrumental in helping Mexico and Israel set up schools like FIT. He believed that the growth of community colleges was the most significant development in education in the 20th century.

Betts, Katherine
US.20201113.004 · Person · 1964-

Katherine Betts is an American fashion journalist. She has held top positions at both Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. She was the editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar from June 1999 to June 2001 and the fashion news director at Vogue from 1991 to 1999. Betts was named Editor at Large of Time magazine in 2003. While working at Time, she helped create the Time Style & Design supplement. She has written two successful books, "First Lady’s style, Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style" (2011) and "My Paris Dream" (2015).

Beuglet, Jeffrey
US.20180702.085 · Person · 1949-2017

Jeffrey Beuglet (March 28, 1949 - February 3, 2017) was an American fashion illustrator. In addition to his work as an illustrator, Beuglet taught at the Fashion at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

US.20200516.005 · [non-DACS actor] · 1964-1972

Bewitched was an American sitcom starring Elizabeth Montgomery. The show aired on ABC from 1964 to 1972.

B.H. Wragge Co.
US.20201103.056 · Corporate body · 1925 - 1971

B.H. Wragge Co. was founded in 1925 and was acquired by Sidney Wragge in 1931. Sidney, born in 1908 in Brooklyn, acted as the president and head designer until 1971 when the company folded (Sidney took the last name Wragge as his own). The company was known for its "All American," mix-and-match separates. Not only winning the COTY award twice, Sidney Wragge served as the first CFDA president from 1962 until 1965.

Biagotti
US.20200923.001 · Corporate body

Biagiotti is an Italian fashion brand founded by Laura Biagiotti (1943 - 2017) in 1972. The New York Times has referred to Laura Biagiotti as the Cashmere Queen. Biagiotti's manufacturing was moved to China 1988. Laura Biagiotti's daughter, Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna, became Vice President of the company in 2005. The brand was recognized by the Italy-USA Foundation in 2011, being awarded the America Award.

Bianchini-Férier (Firm)
US.20190412.006 · Corporate body · 1889-

The textile firm was founded in 1889 in the city of Lyon—the center of French luxury textile production since the days of Louis XIV. Bianchini-Férier set the industry standard with innovative and novel fabrics and cultivated a close relationship with the couture industry. Many of their most innovative fabrics, such as silk charmeuse and crepe georgette, were designed specifically for their use in couture gowns. From 1912 to 1928, the company collaborated with artist and designer Raoul Dufy whose bold, distinctive patterns often played out within the pages of Gazette du bon ton. The company survives to this day, albeit under a different name: in 1992, it was taken over by Tissages Bauman and later by Cédric Brochier.

Bienenfeld, Marvin
US.20200923.002 · Person

Marvin Bienenfeld is the son of Morris Bienenfeld who founded the Bestform company in 1924. Marvin Bienenfeld became president of the Bestform company in the late 1990s.

Bill Blass Limited
US.20210825.001 · Corporate body · 1970-present

American fashion house, later became Bill Blass Group

Bishop, Hazel, 1906-1998
US.20200715.015 · Person · 1906-1998

Hazel Bishop was a chemist and invented the first long-lasting lipstick. In late 1948, she co-founded her company, Hazel Bishop, Inc., to manufacture her lipstick. In 1954, she left the company and became a consultant to the National Association of Leather Glove Manufacturers where she developed "Leather Lav," a leather glove cleaner in 1955. In 1957, she created a solid perfume stick called Perfemme. She became a professor at FIT in 1978, teaching in the cosmetics, fragrances, and toiletries department. Bishop helped develop a curriculum whose focus included marketing and merchandising principles, advertising, promotion, and publicity campaign concepts, and product knowledge. She was appointed to the Revlon Chair in Cosmetics Marketing in 1980. She stopped teaching in 1986, though she remained involved with the Fashion Institute as a consultant.

US.20181012-009 · Person · 1897-1983

Mona von Bismarck was born Edmona Travis Strader in Louisville in 1897. Much of her fortune came from her ex-husbands. Her third husband, Harrison Williams (1873–1953), was one of the richest men in the U.S. in the 1920s. Mona used her husbands' wealth to keep up with the latest fashions. French designers named her the "Most Fashionable Woman in the World" in 1933. Mona Travis Strader Williams was the muse of Cristóbal Balenciaga. After losing much of her wardrobe in a train accident, she famously ordered 150 pieces from Balenciaga. Salvador Dalí painted her in 1943. Her title "von Bismarck" came from her fourth husband, Count Edward von Bismarck, when the two married in 1955. In 1958, Bismarck was named to Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed Hall of Fame. Mona von Bismarck passed away in 1983.

Bixby Weller, Jane
US.20180702.045 · Person · 1926-

Jane Bixby Weller was educated at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois and Cooper Union in NYC. She worked as a fashion illustrator, producing work for such clients as Marshall Field & Co. and Saks Fifth Ave., among many others. Her illustrations were used by numerous major advertising agencies in the US and abroad and her editorial illustrations appeared in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Book illustrations by Weller were used publishing houses like Bantam Books, Avon, and Harcourt Brace & Co. During her career, Weller was recognized with numerous awards from the Chicago Art Directors Club, the NY Art Directors Club, and the Society of Illustrators. In 2001 she was included in the Society of Illustrators' exhibit "Woman Illustrators in America" and in the 2010 exhibit "The Line of Fashion." Weller's work is also included in the Society's Permanent Collection. Weller taught at the Parsons School of Design and retired after a long career as an educator at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Björk
US.20180702.005 · Person · 1965-

Björk is a singer and musician from Reykjavík, Iceland.

Bjornson, Karen
US.2018112-015 · Person · 1952-

Karen Bjornson is a fashion model who has worked in the industry for about 40 years. Born and raised in the Midwestern U.S., Bjornson began modeling in the 1970s when Halston hired her and she became a "house muse." Along with a few other chosen models, Bjornson traveled the world with Halston. The designer was not greedy and encouraged the young model to walk for other designers. Bjornson retired in 1989 to raise her daughters but returned to the runway in 2002, walking for Ralph Rucci. After the Rucci show, Bjornson rejoined the Ford Models agency and has continued to model.

Black Panther Party
US.20200404.030 · Corporate body · 1966-

"The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense (BPP) was founded in October 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, who met at Merritt College in Oakland. It was a revolutionary organization with an ideology of Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense, particularly against police brutality. It was part of the Black Power movement, which broke from the integrationist goals and nonviolent protest tactics of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The BPP name was inspired by the use of the black panther as a symbol that had recently been used by the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, an independent Black political party in Alabama." ~ The US National Archives and Record Administration

US.20200715.016 · Person · 1821-1910

Elizabeth Blackwell was a British physician, and the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, as well as the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council. She was a large supporter and advocate for education for women in medicine.

Blahnik, Manolo, 1942-
US.20200314.025 · Person · 1942-

Manolo Blahnik (b. 1942) is a designer and manufacturer of what were called “the sexiest shoes in the world"—beautiful, expensive, and highly coveted by many of the world’s most fashionable women.

Manolo Blahnik was born on 27 November 1942 in the small village of Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands, where his family—his Spanish mother, Manuela, his Czechoslovakian father, Enan, and his younger sister, Evangelina—had a banana plantation. Manuela, a voracious consumer of fashion magazines, bought clothes on shopping trips to Paris and Madrid and had the island’s dressmaker copy styles from fashion magazines. She designed her own shoes with the help of the local cobbler.

Manolo Blahnik moved to Geneva at the age of fifteen to live with his father’s cousin. Here he had his first experiences of the theater, opera, and fine restaurants. He studied law for a short period but soon switched to literature and art history. Blahnik left Geneva for Paris in 1965 to study art and theater design. He worked at the trendy Left Bank shop GO, where he met the actress Anouk Aimée and the jewelry designer Paloma Picasso.

With Picasso’s encouragement, Blahnik soon moved to London. While working at Feathers, a trendy boutique, he continued to cultivate his connections to the worlds of fashion and culture and was known for his unique style. But Blahnik was still searching for a specific vocation; the search then took him to New York City.

Blahnik arrived in New York City in 1969. Hired by the store Zapata, he began designing men’s saddle shoes. In 1972 Blahnik was introduced to Ossie Clark, then one of London’s most fashionable designers, who asked him to design the shoes for his women’s collection. While the shoes were not commercially successful, the press noticed their originality of design. Blahnik had no formal training as a shoe maker and initally his designs were structually weak. He consulted with a London shoe manufacture in order to correct his lack of technical skills. Also during this time Blahnik met Diana Vreeland, who declared, “Young man, do things, do accessories. Do shoes” (McDowell, p. 84). This endorsement was seconded by China Machado, the fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar. Women’s Wear Daily proclaimed Blahnik “one of the most exotic spirits in London" in 1973, and Footwear News described the Manolo Blahnik shoe on its front page as “the most talked about shoe in London.” Blahnik purchased Zapata from its owner in 1973. In 1978 he introduced a line exclusive to Bloomingdale’s, a well-known American retailer. Blahnik opened a second free-standing store a year later on New York’s Madison Avenue.

Blahnik’s creations received considerable publicity in the early 1980s, but his business was not running smoothly. Searching for alternatives, he was introduced by Dawn Mello, the vice president of Bergdorf Goodman, to an advertising copywriter named George Malkemus. Malkemus and his partner, Anthony Yurgaitis, went into business with Blahnik in 1982. They closed the Madison Avenue shop, opened a store on West Fifty-Fourth Street, and limited the distribution of Blahnik’s shoes to such prestigious retailers as Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus. By 1984 the newspaper USA Today projected earnings of a million dollars for the New York shop alone. Manolo Blahnik shoes began to appear on the runways of designers from Yves Saint Laurent, Bill Blass, and Geoffrey Beene to Perry Ellis, Calvin Klein, Isaac Mizrahi, and John Galliano.

Manolo Blahnik’s shoes became more popular than ever in the early twenty-first century. They appealed to an increasingly broad audience, in part because of their star billing on the television show Sex and the City. With production of “Manolos” limited to 10,000 to 15,000 pairs per month by four factories outside of Milan, the demand for these shoes exceeded the supply.

Manolo Blahnik won three awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in the 1980s and 1990s. The first special award was given in 1987; the second, for outstanding excellence in accessory design, in 1990. The third award came with the following tribute in 1997: “Blahnik has done for footwear what Worth did for the couture, making slippers into objects of desire, collectibles for women for whom Barbies are too girlish and Ferraris not girlish enough. An incredible piston in the engine of fashion, there is almost no designer he has not collaborated with, no designer who has not turned to him to transform a collection into a concert.”

The December 2003 issue of Footwear News quoted Alice Rawsthorn, the director of London’s Design Museum, which had been the site of a recent Blahnik retrospective: “Technically, aesthetically and conceptually, he is one of the most accomplished designers of our time in any field, and is undeniably the world’s most influential footwear designer”.

Blair, Mary
US.20220910.003 · Person · 1911-1978

Mary Blair was an artist, animator and set designer best known for her work for Walt Disney. During the 1940s and 50s, Blair animated and led the animation teams which created Disney classics including Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Fantasia and Dumbo among others. She also contributed character, mural and set designs for Disney theme parks including It's a Small World. She later worked as an illustrator for Little Golden Books for children and designed stage sets for theatrical productions.

Blakely, Susie
US.20220318.080 · Person · 1948 September 7-
Blank, Zineta
US.20220318.071 · Person

Zineta Blank is a former model and the founder of Visage International Management, a modeling agency which has represented Carmen Dell’Oreffice, Niki Taylor, Jerry Hall, Maryam d' Abo and Anouk.

Blass, Bill
US.20190730.005 · Person · 1922-2002

Bill Blass was born William Ralph Blass on June 22, 1922 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Blass attended Parsons School of Design at the age of 17. Roughly around the same time, Blass worked as a sketch artist for David Crystal, a Seventh Ave manufacturer. He served three years in the U.S. army during WWII. After the war, he returned to design, first working as an assistant with Anne Klein and ultimately finding work at Anna Miller and Co. in New York. Bill Blass became the head designer for Maurice Rentner in 1959, LTD, after the firm merged with Anna Miller and Co. 11 years later, Blass became sole owner of Rentner and renamed the company after himself. By this time, Blass had already won acclaim in the fashion industry, winning a Coty award in 1968 for his menswear designs. Bill Blass would go on to win two more Coty Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987 and the Humanitarian Leadership Award in 1996. From 1979 to 1981, Blass served as the honorary president for the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Bill Blass sold his business in 1999 for a rumoured $50 million. Bill Blass passed away at the age of 79 in 2002.