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American Designers |
It would have been hard to predict that one day American designers would set fashion standards all over the world. American fashion has come a long way from free clothing styles to chic designer wear.
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Claire McCardell
The most notable figure to influence American fashion was Claire McCardell (1905-1958), who designed casual wear for the masses. She designed comfortable beachwear, monastic dresses, pop over dresses and wrap around housedresses. She created the American look, which was easy and comfortable. She was highly influenced by modern artists like Chagall and Picasso.
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Carolina Herrera
The beautiful and elegant Carolina Herrera founded her company in 1980 in New York and success has been her friend ever since. Famous for her fragrances, Herrera also designs clothes, accessories and household linen. Born in Venezuela, she found her fortunes in America. She has dressed celebrities like the late Jacqueline Onassis (formerly Jacqueline Kennedy), Renee Zellweger, and Laura Bush among others.
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Ralph Lauren
With no formal training in fashion designing, Ralph Lauren has become a personification of classic fashion. Lauren always liked to dress well in expensive suits and his fascination brought him a long way from Bronx, New York, where he grew up. After dropping out of City College in Manhattan where he was pursuing a business degree, Lauren went to work for Rivetz & Co, a tie manufacturing company. From designing ties, he went on to create a brand name called Polo. In 1968, he founded Polo Fashions and his innovativeness made it a $900 million corporation. Today he is known for his sophisticated clothing, fragrance and furnishings.
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Calvin Klein
Known for his clean lines and straight cuts on coats and suits, the handsome and famous American fashion designer Calvin Klein, born Richard Klein, hailed from Bronx. He graduated from the Fashion Technology Institute and went to work as an apprentice in 1962 in various shops. At his first New York Fashion Week Show, he was labeled the new Yves Saint Laurent. Since then, there has been no looking back.
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In 1968 he founded a company with his childhood friend called the Calvin Klein Ltd. The company name changed to Calvin Klein Industries, which after making huge profits ran into huge losses and was finally acquired by Phillips Van Heusen Corp. Calvin Klein was famous for his jeans and underwear, which are known to make huge sales even today. He gave his name to fragrances and watches as well.
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Donna Karen
Donna Karen started her career in the 1970s working as with designer Anne Klein. She got promoted to the position of associate designer and after Klein's death in 1974, Karan was chosen to as her successor. Ten years later, she left the company to start out on her own and in 1985 she showed her first Donna Karen Collection. She was known for her elastic bodysuits. Three years later she started a less expensive line called DKNY for women and in 1992, she began to design men's clothing. She has received several awards and is famous for her clothes, accessories and fragrances.
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Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger was born in New York and at a young age he tried to run a business by putting up his own clothes store, but failed. After turning down design assistant positions with Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis, he founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation in 1984. Till 1995 he exclusively designed men's clothing and was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers for America. In 1996 he launched women's sportswear, accessories and fragrances.
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In 2005 he sold his company to Apax partners. He has also sponsored musical concerts and tours of well-known artistes like Britney Spears and Lenny Kravitz. He starred in a reality TV show called 'The Cut', which was based on similar lines as Donald Trump's reality TV show called 'The Apprentice'.
Vera Wang
New York based fashion designer Vera Wang is famous for the wedding gowns she designed for celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Sharon Stone, among others. She abandoned her first passion - figure skating, when she failed to qualify for the US Olympic team and turned to her other passion, which was fashion. From a senior fashion editor for Vogue, she went to work as design director for Ralph Lauren where she spent 2 years. In 1990, she opened her first design salon at the Carlyle Hotel in New York and designed dresses for figure skaters. She gave her brand name to accessories, fragrances and house ware. She has also won several awards including Women's Designer of the Year in 2005.
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