André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, KA.0011

Transcription

1 André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, KA.0011 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit February 28, 2017 Describing Archives: A Content Standard Kellen Design Archives December 13, th Ave./ lobby level New York, NY, archivist@newschool.edu

2 Table of Contents Collection Overview... 2 Historical Note... 3 Scope and Contents of Collection... 4 Organization and arrangement... 4 Administrative Information... 4 Related Materials... 5 Keywords for Searching Related Subjects... 5 Other Finding Aids note... 5 Collection Inventory... 6 Series I. André... 6 Series II. Creators Studios... 8 Collection Overview Repository Kellen Design Archives Creator - Designer Alexander, Pearl Creator Andre# (New York, N.Y.). Creator Creators Studios (Firm). Creator - Designer Steel, Howard Creator - Donor Teitelbaum, Walter Title André and Creators Studios fashion drawings - Page 2 -

3 Date [inclusive] André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, KA.0011 Extent 8.8 linear ft: 21 boxes Summary André and Creators Studios were Seventh Avenue fashion businesses that marketed their designs to clothing manufacturers by subscription. In the mid-1970s Pearl Alexander Lipman, André's co-owner and designer since the 1930s, retired, and the company's design drawings were sold to Creators Studios. The collection consists of reproductions of designs -- some vibrantly hand-colored -- produced and distributed by the two companies between 1937 and Preferred Citation note [Identification of item], [date (if known)], André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, KA.0011, box, folder, New School Archives and Special Collections, The New School, New York, New York. Historical Note André and Creators Studios were two competing fashion design enterprises that emerged from New York's Seventh Avenue. Creators Studios acquired the older André in the 1970s. André was established in New York in the early 1930s by Leonard Schwartzback and Pearl L. Alexander (later, Pearl Lipman). The company sold designs for women's suits and coats to garment manufacturers on a weekly subscription basis. Schwartzback acted as salesman, while Alexander directed the design department. After Alexander retired in the 1970s, Schwartzback sold André, including its fashion design sketches, to Creators Studios, and shepherded the transfer of his client list to the new firm. Creators Studios was established in New York around 1957 by Walter Teitelbaum, Leo Boren, and Howard Steel. Like André, Creators Studios sold fashion designs in sketch form to manufacturers. The company promised to deliver the latest trends to subscribers. By the mid-1970s, only Teitelbaum remained of the original partners. After Schwartzback sold his business to Teitelbaum, Creators Studios began incorporating details of André designs into new products. Creators Studios closed in the early 1980s. Source: letter from Walter Teitelbaum, Page 3 -

4 André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, KA.0011 Scope and Contents of Collection The collection consists of printed fashion design drawings for women's and children's garments. Some materials were formerly bound into volumes. André designs are exclusively for women's suits and coats and children's coats, prominently signed by Pearl Alexander. Earlier André designs are vibrantly hand-colored, while later designs are reproduced in black-and-white. The André Series contains drawings produced by Pearl Alexander, collectively titled "Fifth Avenue Reporter" and "Summer Resort Reporter" with the byline, "as seen by Pearl Alexander." These drawings, which are sometimes briefly annotated, function as visual reportage on upcoming fashion trends. Alexander's reports promised to help manufacturers prepare for consumer demand. Also of note is a February 1963 sales memo authored by Alexander. Addressed to Andre's clients who were receiving the designs on a subscription basis, the memo outlines trends for the Fall 1963 season. Creators Studios' prints of design drawings encompass women's coats, dresses, lingerie, sportswear, and suits. Many of the early Creators Studios design drawings are signed by Howard Steel, while later drawings are unsigned. Like the André drawings, the Creators Studios drawings are hand-colored, with the exception of lingerie designs. The run of Creators Studios designs is more complete than the André designs. A large percentage of the designs featured in both firms' drawings are labeled "adaptations" or "import adaptations," indicating they were based on designer apparel. The André designs feature codes indicating which couture designer inspired a particular outfit. A code key will be found in Box 1, Folder 11. Organization and arrangement Organized in 2 series. André series is chronological by publication date; Creators Studios series is alphabetical by garment type. I André, II Creators Studios, Administrative Information Publication Information Kellen Design Archives December 13, Page 4 -

5 Conditions Governing Access note André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, KA.0011 Collection is open for research use. Please contact for appointment. Use Restrictions To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives. Please contact: Immediate Source of Acquisition note All materials except 1950 André drawings donated by Walter Teitelbaum, André drawings from 1950 donated by Josseline Van Nuffel, Related Materials The New York Public Library and the Fashion Institute of Technology hold related collections of André and Creators Studios fashion sketches. The Abe Grubère papers at Yeshiva University Museum contain André fashion designs by Pearl Alexander dating from 1933 through 1966 (Series II. Other Designers, ). The Abe Gruber Archives at the Brooklyn Museum also include fashion designs by Pearl Alexander for André. Keywords for Searching Related Subjects Genre(s) Drawings. Newsletters. Subject(s) Clothing trade -- New York (State) -- New York. Fashion design. Fashion illustration. Fashion merchandising. Women's clothing industry. Women-owned business enterprises. Other Finding Aids note - Page 5 -

6 For selected item-level description and images from the André and Creators Studios fashion drawings, see The New School Archives Digital Collections at Detail/collections/KA0011. Collection Inventory Series I. André Box Folder 1937 Spring Oct Nov Dec Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar 2 12 Sept-Oct 3 1 Oct 3 2 Nov Dec Jan 3 6 Jan-Feb 3 7 Feb Collection examples 3 9 Feb 3 10 Feb-Mar 3 11 Mar 3 12 Apr 4 1 Apr-May Page 6 -

7 May 4 3 Jun 4 4 Jun-Jul 4 5 Jul Aug 28 k_ Feb 4 7 Feb-Mar 4 8 Mar 4 9 Apr 4 10 Apr-May 4 11 May 4 12 Jun 4 13 Jun-Jul 5 1 Jul Adaptations 5 3 Feb 5 4 Feb-Mar 5 5 Mar 5 6 Apr 5 7 Apr-May 5 8 May 5 9 Jun 5 10 Jun-Jul 5 11 Jul Feb 5 13 Feb-Mar 5 14 Mar 5 15 Apr 6 1 May 6 2 May-Jul 6 3 Jun-Jul 6 4 Jul-Aug adaptations Page 7 -

8 Aug 6 6 Sept 6 7 Oct 6 8 Nov 6 9 Dec Jan Adaptations 6 12 Feb 6 13 Mar 6 14 Apr 7 1 May 7 2 Jun-Jul 7 3 Aug 7 4 Sept 7 5 Oct 7 6 Nov Dec-1963 Jan Feb adaptations Mar-Apr 7 10 May-Jun 7 11 Jul-Aug 8 1 Series II. Creators Studios Coats Box Folder Page 8 -

9 Fall-1971 Spring Fall-1972 Spring-Summer Dresses Fall-1971 Spring Fall-1972 Spring-Summer Box Folder Lingerie Sportswear Box Folder Page 9 -

10 Fall-1971 Spring 18 5 Suits Box Folder Fall-1971 Spring Fall-1972 Spring-Summer Page 10 -