“ I was considered the fastest pencil in the field, a mannequin need only do her turn down the catwalk at a fashion show and voila, an illustration .”  Joe Eula Joe Eula's sketch of Pauline Trigère Joe Eula's sketch of Pauline Trigère In the course of my research, I discovered several original sketches of Pauline Trigère by Joe Eula at Pauline's daughter-in-law Jane Tucker 's home. Andy Warhol famously described Joe Eula as " the most important person in New York, knowing e

Visitng WRHS for Pauline Trigère archive resesarch Browsing through the Trigère collection at Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) in Cleveland, I was reminded of Pauline's uncanning ability for creating versatile garments that transcended time and trends. Take, for instance, a yellow wool dress and floral print coat ensemble that I also own and have utilized in a fashion photo shoot in Paris & London [ Here ]. This ensemble was from Trigère's spring 1968 collection.

Scanning the lengthy list of Trigère archives at Kent State University Museum (KSUM) , in Cleveland, Ohio , I noticed the inclusion of several garments from socialites and celebrities. Dressing Hollywood stars and socialites, Pauline Trigère was known for her personal connections with her clients. These garments, carefully preserved in the Kent State vast fashion collection, is a tangible reminder of Trigère's impact on the fashion world. One particular piece is Meryl Streep'

Four Fashion Designers considered the most influential to American Fashion. 1958 Sharland for New York Times One of the most stunning portraits of Pauline Trigère was this 1958 photography by Sharland for The New York Times.   This black and white photograph featured the four giants in American fashion alongside their creations:  Charles James, James Galanos, Pauline Trigère and Normal Norell .   Since my book is solely devoted to Pauline Trigère, in this blog I am using th

Sketches by Lucie Porges for Pauline Trigère Lucie Porges was   undoubtedly Pauline’s most important associate and closest collaborator starting from when she was hired in 1951 until the firm closed in 1993.  After a phone interview with Lucie's two daughters: Claudia and Vivette, I made an appointment at Parsons School of Design in NYC, where their mother Lucie taught fashion design and sketching classes after the closure of House of Trigère. With the help of the Parson's

May 18, 2018 Archives of Museum of City of New York on Pauline Trigère items After reviewing the Museum of City of New York ’s (MCNY) website of their costume department, I made an appointment with the then museum curator, Phyllis Magidson . I also invited Pauline Trigère’s former assistant and FIT professor, Jimmy Newcomer , for a joint interview to visit the MCNY costume archive to see the Trigère garments. The interview took place on May 18, 2018 and it was a treasure tr

Absolute Vodka ad featuring a dress designed by House of Trigère. Below sketches are by Pauline's long-time associate Lucie Porges. While reviewing the numerous boxes that Pauline Trigère’s closest collaborator and assistant Lucie Porges gifted to Parson School of Design archives in NYC, I came across an interesting photo of the collaboration of the House of Trigere with Absolute Vodka . The photo is an ad titled “Absolute Trigere” featuring a model in a black evening dress

Pauline Trigère Retrospective at Kent State in 1994 A faded newsprint article featured a photo of Pauline with her good friend Shannon Rogers titled: “50 year of excellence honored” KSU Museum hosts Trigere retrospective ” written by Dotty Lane . After contacting Kent State Costume Institute's Collection Manager Joanne Fenn , she sent me the actual catalog from the Retrospective which featured 58 pieces of Trigère garments, along with photographs from the exhibition. Flipp

Meryl Streep in Pauline Trigere At the Academy Awards on April 14, 1980, Meryl Streep donned a stunning Pauline Trigere outfit as she...

Pauline Trigère by Al Hirschfeld, 1967 This Al Hirschfeld ’s caricature of Pauline Trigère published in 1967 captured her essence brilliantly. Pauline’s iconic large tinted eyeglasses along with her signature turtle pins complete her look. An original pen and ink on board illustration signed with “Hirschfeld” was auctioned close to two thousand dollars on July 16, 2020 at Swann Auction Gallery. In the description it described Pauline was “ pioneering in not only her desig

Ben Brantley's WWD article on Pauline Trigère An invitation by Pauline’s daughter-in-law, Jane Tucker, to her home resulted in many wonderful surprises. Among the piles of photographs and documents Jane had made available for my research visit, I discovered a hard copy of an article published for WWD on March 12, 1980. While I’m reading this hilarious writeup of Pauline’s life, I was surprised to discover at the end of this article, the author was non-other than Mr. Ben Brant

Winona Ryder at the 2000 Academy Awards wearing a Pauline Trigere gown. Portrait of Pauline Trigère by Richard Avedon One of the most well-documented photographs of Pauline Trigère is this portrait taken by Richard Avedon . This image featuring Pauline on a ladder, was captured in 1959. The dress remains as timeless, just as it was when originally designed in 1947. The strapless black column gown is complemented by a long sash in black and ivory, a dramatic and elegant ensemb

One of my very first Pauline Trigère research journeys was at my alma mater, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After reviewing FIT’s digital archive of Pauline Trigère garment images, I selected five garments and made an appointment to exam them up close. The original purpose of my Trigère book was simply to make a full compilation of Ms.Trigère’s garments to document her trademarks styles and preserve her legacy. Much like one of my favorite books on desig

Researching Pauline Trigère archive at Parsons / New School in NYC. An appointment with New School / Parson's School of Design archive led me to discover over 10 boxes of articles, photographs, sketches and VHS videos which I poured through over two full days. A large portion of the archive were drawings from Pauline Trigère's long time associate Lucie Porges for the fashion show catalogs and sketches for the collections. The archive also included Lucie Porges' notes and s

UT Costume Institute of Pauline Trigère garments My introduction to the University of Texas Denton Costume Institute 's collection came through my professor, Mrs. Rosemary Powell , during my early days as a fashion design student. This collection is home to one of the largest modern fashion collections in the country. It was established thanks to donations from socialites such as Mrs. Neiman Marcus along with other prominent members of the Texas elite. The extensive collecti