Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1982 February 02 (Creation)
Level of description
item
Extent and medium
Original media: 1 audio cassette
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Alice Kreisel was an upscale belt maker. Along her husband, she was the co-founder of Colony Designs, which manufactured belts for a variety of Seventh Avenue dress firms. Their company was the licensee for a number of fashion houses including Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Thierry Mugler.
Name of creator
Biographical history
"Mildred Finger Haines ... helped shape fashion tastes for four decades as a top buyer for department stores and a consultant to clothes makers and retailers.... From the late 1940's through the late 1960's, Mrs. Haines, known throughout her career as Mildred Finger, was a buyer of ready-to-wear at Macy's, Ohrbach's and Bergdorf Goodman, and was one of New York City's most often cited taste makers. At Bergdorf's, in particular, she was noted for bringing European styles to American consumers. She later became Vice President of Charles of the Ritz, headed fashion merchandising for Yves St. Laurent and became an independent consultant, with clients like the Limited and Arthur D. Little. Suffering from multiple sclerosis, she retired in 1986. In succeeding years, she frequently contributed her knowledge of the fashion industry to the oral history projects of the American Jewish Committee and the Fashion Institute of Technology...." New York Times Obituary, 1995