Fashion Designers Chronology

Births, deaths, defining moments of Fashion Designers

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1778
Jun 07George Bryan "Beau" Brummel, English dandy, gambler, friend of royalty, is born.Ref: 4
1797
Jan 15First top hat worn by John Hetherington in Strand, London; arrested for scaring populace fined 2 guineas.Ref: 5
1812
Feb 15Charles Lewis Tiffany, Killingly CT, jeweler (Tiffany), is born.Ref: 17
1818
May 27American reformer Amelia Jenks Bloomer, who popularized the garment that bears her name -- "bloomers" -- was born.Ref: 68
1823
Oct 12Charles Macintosh of Scotland begins selling raincoats (Macs).Ref: 5
1825
Feb 05Hannah Lord Montague of New York creates first detachable shirt collar.Ref: 5
1829
Feb 26Levi Strauss (creator of blue jeans or Levi’s) is born.Ref: 4
1840
Mar 30(or 29th) "Beau" (George Bryan) Brummell, the English dandy and former favorite of the prince regent, dies in a French lunatic asylum for paupers at age 62.Ref: 2
1858
Mar 09Gustav Stickley, American designer and maker of Mission furniture, is born.Ref: 70
1874
May 20Levi Strauss markets blue jeans with copper rivets, price $13.50 doz.Ref: 5
1882
Dec 15Helena Rubinstein US cosmetic manufacturer, is born.Ref: 5
1883
Aug 19Coco (Gabriel Bonheur) Chanel fashion designer; perfume creator: Chanel #5; is born.Ref: 4
1884
Dec 31Elizabeth Arden, Canadian-born American cosmetic executive, is born.Ref: 70
1886
Oct 10Griswold Lorillard (of Lorillard tobacco fame) wore a tailless dress coat that was tailored in England. He wore it to the country club at Tuxedo Park, NY; therefore, the name: tuxedo. The rest is formal fashion history. The tux would later replace the tailcoat.Ref: 4
1892
Nov 23Erte, the French fashion and stage designer, is born.Ref: 70
1894
Dec 30Amelia Jenks Bloomer women’s rights advocate; newspaper publisher: The Lily; social reformer; led cause for more sensible dress for women: bloomer panties named after her; dies at age 76.Ref: 68
1895
Jan 21Cristobal Balenciaga, Spanish dress designer, is born.Ref: 70
1897
Jan 19Natacha Rambova Salt Lake City UT, costume designer, is born.Ref: 5
Oct 28Edith Head Academy Award-winning costume designer: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1973; is born.Ref: 4
1900
Jan 30Sandy Powell Rotherham England, costume designer (Rob Roy), is born.Ref: 5
Apr 20Norman Norell (Norman David Levinson) costume designer: Astoria Studio of Paramount Pictures; fashion designer: worked w/Charles Armour, Hattie Carnegie, Anthony Traina [Traina-Norell collection], solo: American fashion leader [1941-1972]; is born.Ref: 4
1901
Mar 19Jo Mielziner, American stage designer, is born.Ref: 70
1902
Jan 31Jean C M Picart le Doux France, carpet designer, is born.Ref: 5
Feb 18Charles Lewis Tiffany, jeweler (Tiffany), dies.Ref: 17
Aug 31Split skirt first worn by Mrs Adolph Landeburg (horse rider).Ref: 5
Sep 26Levi Strauss (creator of blue jeans or Levi’s) dies.Ref: 4
1903
Mar 03Gilbert Adrian [Greenberg], Naugatuck CT, costume designer, is born.Ref: 5
Dec 08Adele Simpson (Smithline) fashion designer: “She gave the postwar U.S. its own couture identity.”; is born.Ref: 4
1904
Aug 18Cosmetic mogul, Max Factor, Jr. is born.Ref: 68
1905
Jan 21Christian Dior Normandy France, fashion designer (long-skirted look), is born.Ref: 5
Feb 02Jean-Pierre Guerlain cosmetics pioneer, is born.Ref: 5
Mar 18Mollie Parnis New York NY, fashion designer (Mollie Roberts Collection), is born.Ref: 5
1906
Oct 11Charles Revson cosmetic mogul: founder of the Revlon Co.; is born.Ref: 4
1907
Oct 28Edith Head fashion designer (MGM), is born.Ref: 68
Dec 29James Gardner designer, is born.Ref: 5
1908
Jul 01Estee Lauder CEO (Estee Lauder's cosmetics), is born.Ref: 5
1909
Jul 17Hardy Amies London England, royal dressmaker (Queen Elizabeth II), is born.Ref: 5
1912
Nov 04Pauline Trigere fashion designer: produced first reversible coat; Costume Designer: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, is born.Ref: 4
1913
Apr 11Oleg Cassini Paris France, fashion designer for Jackie Kennedy, is born.Ref: 5
Apr 21Norman Parkinson England, fashion photographer (Harper's Bazaar), is born.Ref: 5
1914
Feb 03Cornelis "Kees" Andréa Dutch painter/graphic artist/carpet designer, is born.Ref: 5
May 18Pierre A Balmain, France, fashion designer (1940's "New Look"), is born.Ref: 5
Nov 20Emilio Pucci (Marchese deBarsento) fashion designer (Neiman-Marcus Award-1954), is born in Naples Italy.Ref: 4
1915
May 12Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, is born.Ref: 2
1917
Jun 16Irving Penn, fashion photographer, brother of film director Arthur Penn, is born.Ref: 2
1918
Feb 13Oliver Smith scenic designer: Broadway: On the Town, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Camelot, The Sound of Music, Hello Dolly!; films: Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, Porgy and Bess, The Band Wagon; is born.Ref: 4
Dec 16Henry Clarke fashion photographer, is born.Ref: 5
1921
May 08Saul Bass designer, is born.Ref: 5
1922
Jun 22Bill Blass Ft Wayne Ind, fashion designer (Nancy Reagan), is born.Ref: 5
Jul 07Pierre Cardin Paris France, fashion designer (Unisex), is born.Ref: 5
Aug 08Rudi Gernreich designed first women's topless swimsuit, miniskirt, is born.Ref: 5
1923
Mar 09Andre Courreges, French fashion designer: created go-go boots, brought mini-skirt look into fashion, is born.Ref: 4
May 25John Weitz fashion designer/spy/author (Friends in High Places): “Underwhelm them” , is born.Ref: 4
Aug 03Anne Klein, fashion designer, is born.Ref: 17
Dec 19Luigi Innocenti designer, is born.Ref: 5
1924
Feb 20Gloria Vanderbilt fashion designer; subject of famous Vanderbilt child-custody case, is born.Ref: 4
Sep 20James Galanos Phila, fashion designer (Coty Hall of Fame-1959), is born.Ref: 5
1925
Nov 27John Bury designer, is born.Ref: 5
1927
Feb 13Harry Wich Dutch set designer, is born.Ref: 5
Feb 21Hubert de Givenchy, fashion designer: furnished Hollywood/society stars [beginning in 1953]: Audrey Hepburn wore his fashions in Sabrina, Funny Face, Love in the Afternoon, Charade, Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Jackie and family dressed in Givenchy clothes at JFK funeral, is born in Beauvais France.Ref: 4
Apr 19Mr. Kenneth (Kenneth Battelle) celebrity hair stylist: owner of Kenneth’s Salon in New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, is born.Ref: 4
Aug 30Geoffrey Beene Louisiana, dress designer (8 Coty Awards), is born.Ref: 5
1928
Jan 10Donald Brooks fashion designer (Emmy 1983), is born.Ref: 5
Jan 17Hair stylist/CEO (Vidal Sasson) Vidal Sassoon is born in London.Ref: 68
1929
Mar 31Liz Claiborne Brussels Belgium, fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
Jun 23Ted Lapidus, men's fashion designer, is born.Ref: 68
1930
Jun 10Grace Mirabella fashion publishing executive: Vogue magazine, Mirabella magazine; writer: Tiffany & Co. [Universe of Design]; In and Out of Vogue : A Memoir [w/Judith Warner], is born.Ref: 4
1931
May 13Eileen Diss theatrical designer (August, Secret Places, Betrayal), is born.Ref: 5
1932
Apr 23(Roy) Halston (Frowick) fashion designer: created famous pillbox hat [1962] worn by Jackie Kennedy at JFK's inaugural; his designs set standard for American designers in 1970s, is born.Ref: 4
May 11Valentino (Garavani) fashion designer: dedicated Collection Blanche to Jackie Kennedy [1967]; his ready-to-wear collections have been shown in Paris since 1969; founded Valentino Academy [1990], is born.Ref: 4
Jul 22Oscar de la Renta Dom Rep, designer (Coty Hall of Fame-1973), is born.Ref: 5
Sep 11Valentino, Milan Italy, fashion designer (Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis), is born.Ref: 5
1933
Feb 13Emanuel Ungaro France, fashion designer (Neiman-Marcus Award-1969), is born.Ref: 5
Feb 15Adolfo (Adolfo Sardina) Cardones Cuba, fashion designer (Nancy Reagan), is born.Ref: 5
1934
Feb 11Mary Quant designer: renowned for her 1960s creations: ‘rib jumpers’, mini skirts, dresses, tights, ‘hipster’ belts, sleeveless crochet tops, is born.Ref: 4
Jul 11Fashion designer Giorgio Armani is born.Ref: 4
1935
Jan 08Nolan Miller Burkburnett TX, fashion designer (Dynasty, Love Boat), is born.Ref: 5
May 13Luciano Benetton, Italian fashion designer, is born.Ref: 68
Dec 27Bernard Lanvin fashion and perfume designer, is born.Ref: 4
1936
Aug 01Yves St. Laurent (Henry Mathieu) fashion designer, is born.Ref: 4
1939
Mar 31Liz Claiborne Brussels Belgium, fashion designer (women), is born.Ref: 5
Oct 14Ralph Lauren (Lifshitz) fashion designer: Polo clothes, cologne, linens, etc., is born.Ref: 4
1940
Mar 03Perry Ellis, US fashion designer, is born.Ref: 17
Mar 22Bob Mackie fashion and costume designer: 6 Emmy Awards, 3 Academy Award nominations; client list includes: Cher, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Bernadette Peters, Madonna, Carol Channing and RuPaul, The Carol Burnett Show [entire 11-year TV run], is born.Ref: 4
Mar 24Bob Mackie Monterey Park CA, designer (Streisand, Cher), is born.Ref: 5
Apr 04Bijan Iran, mens apparel designer (Beverly Hills, NYC, London), is born.Ref: 5
1942
Apr 21Gustav Stickley, American designer and maker of Mission furniture, dies at age 84.Ref: 70
Apr 27Gordon Roddick English cosmetic manufacturer (Body Shop), is born.Ref: 5
May 17Caroline Charles fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
Aug 10Betsy Johnson fashion designer (1971 Winnie Award), is born.Ref: 5
Nov 19Fashion designer Calvin Klein is born.Ref: 4
1943
Jan 23William E "Bill" Gibb Scottish fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
1944
May 21Manual Pina fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
1945
Jun 27Norma Kamali NYC, dress designer (Costumes for the Wiz), is born.Ref: 5
Dec 31Diane von Fürstenberg fashion designer: built multi-million-dollar empire around 1970s wrap dress, is born.Ref: 4
1946
Mar 22Laraine Ashton fashion models' agent (London), is born.Ref: 5
Dec 02Gianni Versace fashion designer; is born.Ref: 4
1948
Oct 02Donna Karan, Forest Hills NY, fashion designer (Coty Award-1977), is born.Ref: 5
1949
Sep 19Twiggy (Leslie Hornby) fashion model: mini-skirt; actress: The Boy Friend, Madame Sousatzka, Body Bags, The Princesses, is born.Ref: 4
1950
Feb 27Franco Moschino, fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
1955
May 31Ben de Lisi British fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
1957
Oct 24Christian Dior, French fashion designer and creator of the "New Look" in 1947, dies at age 52 in Italy.Ref: 70
1959
Apr 06Dianne Brill Tampa, fashion designer/party girl (Queen of the Night), is born.Ref: 5
1961
Mar 26Leigh Bowery designer, is born.Ref: 5
1963
Feb 25Alison Roberts fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
1966
Oct 18Elizabeth Arden, Canadian-born American cosmetic executive, dies at age 81.Ref: 70
1967
Feb 23Pam Blundell fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
Mar 20Fashion model, Twiggy, arrived in the United States for a one-week stay. She quickly became the most sought-after subject of photographers due to her terrifically skinny-yet-wholesome good looks and the shortest dresses ever seen (to that time).Ref: 4
1969
Apr 01Helena Rubinstein US cosmetic manufacturer, dies at about 89.Ref: 5
Apr 17Alexander McQueen fashion designer, is born.Ref: 5
1971
Jan 10Coco (Gabriel Bonheur) Chanel fashion designer; perfume creator: Chanel #5; dies at age 87.Ref: 4
1972
Mar 23Cristobal Balenciaga, Spanish dress designer, dies at age 77.Ref: 70
Oct 25Norman Norell (Norman David Levinson) costume designer: Astoria Studio of Paramount Pictures; fashion designer: worked w/Charles Armour, Hattie Carnegie, Anthony Traina [Traina-Norell collection], solo: American fashion leader [1941-1972]; dies.Ref: 4
1973
Nov 13Elsa Schiaparelli, Italian-born French dress designer, dies at age 83.Ref: 70
1974
Mar 19Anne Klein, fashion designer, dies at age 51.Ref: 17
1975
Aug 24Charles Revson, cosmetic mogul: founder of the Revlon Co, dies at age 68.Ref: 4
1976
Mar 15Jo Mielziner, American stage designer, dies at age 74.Ref: 2
1977
Dec 01Paul Hardy Belgian designer (Italian Country), dies at 69.Ref: 5
1981
Oct 24Edith Head Academy Award-winning costume designer: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1973, dies at age 83.Ref: 68
1982
Jun 29Pierre A Balmain, France, fashion designer (1940's "New Look"), dies at age 68.Ref: 70
1985
Apr 21Rudi Gernreich US designer (miniskirt), dies at age 62.Ref: 5
Sep 17Laura Ashley, British fashion designer, dies at age 60 in Coventry, England. (TWA, 1986)Ref: 95
Nov 09Helen Rose costume designer, dies at 81.Ref: 5
1986
May 30Perry Ellis, US fashion designer, dies.Ref: 17
1987
Feb 01Erin Westmore makeup artist (Hollywood Backstage), dies at 82.Ref: 5
1990
Mar 26Roy "Halston" Frowick fashion designer, dies of AIDs at age 58.Ref: 5
Apr 06Lady Nancy Hawkes (1946 best dress woman) dies at 73.Ref: 5
Apr 21Erte, the French fashion and stage designer, dies at age 97.Ref: 70
Jun 17Palmira Henry fashion designer, dies at 44 of cerebral hemorrhageRef: 5
1991
Apr 23Peter Bailey Graphic designer/calligrapher, dies.Ref: 5
Apr 25Designer Mary McFadden (52) announces divorce of Kohie Yohannan (23).Ref: 5
1992
Apr 07Clovis Ruffin fashion designer (T shirt dress), dies of AIDS at 46.Ref: 5
Nov 29Emilio Pucci (Marchese deBarsento), fashion designer; dies at age 68.Ref: 4
1993
Feb 18Edward S "Ted" Haworth US set designer (Sayonara, Marty), dies at 76.Ref: 5
1994
Jan 23Oliver Smith US set designer (Guys & Dolls-7 Tony Awards), dies at 75.Ref: 5
1995
Mar 25James Gardner designer, dies at 87.Ref: 5
May 28Jean Elizabeth Leuckert Muir British designer dressmaker/model, dies at 66.Ref: 5
Aug 23Adele Simpson (Smithline) fashion designer: “She gave the postwar U.S. its own couture identity.”; dies.Ref: 4
1996
Feb 03Tibor Reich textile designer, dies at 79.Ref: 5
Feb 07George Lowthian Trevelyan designer/visionary, dies at 89.Ref: 5
Feb 16Susan Bosence textile designer, dies at 82.Ref: 5
Apr 25Saul Bass designer, dies at 74Ref: 5
Jun 07Cosmetic mogul, Max Factor, Jr. dies.Ref: 68
1997
Jul 15Fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot to death outside his home in Miami; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan was found dead eight days later.Ref: 70
2002
Jun 12Fashion designer Bill Blass dies in Washingon CT at age 79.Ref: 70
2003
Oct 07Eleanor Lambert, publicist who presided over the Best Dressed List dies at age 100, in New York. (WSJ, p A1, 10/08/2003)Ref: 33
2004
Jan 06Fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo dies of heart failure at age 82. (USA Today, p 1D, 1/07/2004)Ref: 33
Last Update: October 27th, 2005
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