Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York
2020
75
M.A.
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York
2020
Thousands of designer sketches from the Bergdorf Goodman custom salon dated from the late 1940s through 1969 are housed in the Department of Special Collections and FIT Archives of the Gladys Marcus Library at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The sketches are stored alphabetically by designer but beyond this have never been thoroughly investigated. The custom salon offered customers in New York made-to-order copies of Paris originals as well as designs by Bergdorf's own in-house fashion designers. Ethel Frankau was the fashion director and head buyer of the couture salon for over forty years and purchased most of the designs depicted in the sketch collection, however, the purpose of the sketches was unclear.