Vera Maxwell

Vera Maxwell

Vera Huppe Maxwell (b. April 22, 1901, New York City - d. January 15, 1995, Rincón, Puerto Rico) was a legendary sportswear and fashion designer until her retirement in 1985.

She was the first American designer to make clothes with Ultrasuede material. She won the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award in 1953, the Neiman Marcus Award in 1955 and was honored in 1970 with a retrospective exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Born to Viennese parents, she traveled to Europe with them as a child and lived for a while in Vienna. She attended high school in Leonia, New Jersey and studied ballet in New York, becoming a member of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 1919 until 1924 when she married Raymond J. Maxwell. They divorced in 1937. She married Carlisle H. Johnson, an architect, in 1938 and divorced him in 1945.

Vera Maxwell became known as a designer in the 1930s and became famous for her innovative designs. After years of designing for other manufacturers, she founded her own company, Vera Maxwell Originals, in 1947. Her heyday was in the 1950s. By 1960 her clothes were being sold in 700 stores around the country, but during that decade with its huge upheavals her classic style waned and she "decided to lie fallow for a while".

She resurfaced in 1970 with a collection that was introduced at B. Altman. Until her retirement in 1985 she continued to turn out the tasteful classic suits, coats and dresses that her loyal customers would wear for years.

Death

She died on January 15, 1995, in Rincon, Puerto Rico, aged 93, following a brief illness. She was survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Dr. R. John Maxwell and Rhea Maxwell, and their extended family.

External links

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DD1639F933A15752C0A963958260 NY Times obituary]
* [http://www.historyofashion.com/historyofashion/maxwell.html History of Fashion]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/vera-maxwell?cat=biz-fin answers.com biodata]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Maxwell, Vera — ▪ 1996       (VERA HUPPÉ), U.S. fashion designer (b. April 22, 1901, New York, N.Y. d. Jan. 15, 1995, Rincón, P.R.), was dubbed the American Chanel as the creator of timeless fashions that were comfortable yet chic, and she was one of the first U …   Universalium

  • Maxwell, Vera — (1903 1995)    Born in New York, Maxwell started out wanting to be a ballet dancer. She landed her first job as a showroom girl at Linker and Klein on Seventh Avenue. Although she had no formal fashion training, she began sketching and producing… …   Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry

  • Vera Ilieva — (* in Sofia, Bulgarien) ist eine bulgarische Mezzosopranistin. Im Alter von 13 Jahren wurde sie Preisträgerin des Internationalen Wettbewerbs des Tschechischen Fernsehens in Prag. Nach Abschluss des Musikgymnasiums setzte sie ihre… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cristobal de Vera — Cristóbal de Vera (1577–1621) was a Spanish painter. He was born in Cordoba, where he probably initially studied under Céspedes. In 1602 he moved to Castile. He became a lay brother of the Hieronymites at their monastery in Lupiana, in the region …   Wikipedia

  • Deus Ex: Invisible War characters — This is a guide to the characters in the video game Deus Ex: Invisible War, giving full character histories. Contents 1 Trainees 1.1 Alex Denton 1.2 Billie Adams 1.3 Leo Jankowski …   Wikipedia

  • Ziegfeld Follies — The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air .Inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris …   Wikipedia

  • Ziegfeld Follies — est aussi un film de 1946 inspiré de cette revue. Les Ziegfeld Follies sont une série de productions théatrales de Broadway à New York de 1907 à 1931. C est devenu une émission de radio en 1932 et en 1936 avec The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ziegfield Follies — Ziegfeld Follies Ziegfeld Follies est aussi un film de 1946 inspiré de cette revue. Les Ziegfeld Follies sont une série de productions théatrales de Broadway à New York de 1907 à 1931. C est devenu une émission de radio en 1932 et en 1936 avec… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sportswear —    Having its roots in attire specific to English hunting sports during the mid nineteenth century, it soon became fashionable to wear garments associated with leisure time sports such as golf, tennis, ice skating, polo, horseback riding,… …   Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry

  • Neiman Marcus Fashion Award — The Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion was a yearly award created in 1938 by Stanley Marcus. Unlike the Coty Award, it was not limited to American based fashion designers.[1] Recipients of the Neiman Marcus… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”