While traveling in Europe, I had a series of fashion photo shoots showcasing vintage Pauline Trigère garments.   Being a fashion designer, I have researched and followed numerous designers whom I regard as masters. One of them was Albert Elbaz . Elbaz began his career in New York City as a designer at Geoffrey Beene , then moved on to Paris where he held Design Director roles at Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin,  and ultimately at AZ Factory . Elbaz's unexpected death

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

A year after I first interviewed Ms.Audrey Smaltz, (co-interview with Betty Halbreich at Bergdorf Goodman ( here ), I arranged a second interview at her home in New Jersey. The appointment came on a very rainy and cold September day. However, seeing Audrey again and looking thru her Pauline Trigère garments together with so many of her personal photographs for the first time, the reward of this interview trumped the gloomy day. The red wool cape Audrey modeled for us was

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

United Airline 50 Year Anniversary Celebration Program cover from May 14, 1980. They Soared Into History. That was the title of the program for United Airline’s 50th Anniversary celebration in May of 1980. Former CFDA President Mr.Stan Herman hired Ebony magazine fashion editor Audrey Smaltz as the commentator for United Airline’s 50 year celebration event. The event spotlighted many of the original stewardess uniforms and new designs by five designers including Pauline

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

Betty Halbreich, Audrey Smaltz and author in Betty's office Audrey Smaltz with Lionel Hampton at a party hosted by Pauline Trigère in 1982. Jane Tucker archive. Through my friend and fashion designer Laura Smalls, [website here } I got in touch with Audrey Smaltz; a good friend of Pauline. A former model turned fashion editor for “ Ebony ” Magazine. After the initial telephone interview with Audrey, I arranged a joint interview of Audrey and Betty Halbreich at Bergdorf Go

Dear John letter from Pauline Trigère to John Fairchild “ I have learned in fashion to be a little savage." - John Burr Fairchild The publisher of Women’s Wear Daily (WWD ), with his contrarian personality, viewed having a feud and a few scandals as stimulus for his publication.  Before all the social media that is abundant today, WWD was the major fashion trade publication and “the only game in town.” WWD was regarded as the “Bible” of the industry by all the

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

Wearing a vintage Pauline Trigère in London, Photo by Rachel Vogelesien The main goal of my European trip was to attend one of my favorite designer Alber Elbaz ’s memorial exhibition: “ Love Brings Love ”. For this trip I prepared some vintage Trigère garments for on-location photo shoots in the two cities. The aim was to showcase how Trigère's garments are timeless even long after their original creation date. An interesting fact that came across during my research was

" I met Pauline a few times and we spoke French together. She was strong and elegant ." Pauline Trigère with DVF A photograph of Diane von Furstenberg chatting with Pauline Trigère, led me to reach out to the iconic designer for an interview. Diane, mostly known by her initial's DVF is another giant in the American fashion industry. Not only does her eponymous brand have worldwide presence, her legendary wrap-dress sold over 25,000 units per week shortly after she launc

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

Merle Bassett's illustration of Pauline Trigere ad. Photo from Todaysinspiration.blogpost.com One of my very first interviews for the Pauline Trigère biography was tracking down illustrator Merle Bassett. Among the Trigère articles and materials I have collected over the years, there was this particular sketch that always fascinated me. Completely unaware of Merle Bassett’s accomplished body of works; I googled the tiny credit that bore his name at the bottom of the sketc

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

Jane Tucker , who was married to Pauline’s eldest son Jean-Pierre Radley  ( JP ), had extremely fond memories of her mother-in-law. After tracking down Jane and speaking to her about my project, I was invited to her home in Savannah and Jane generously hosted me for a long weekend of interviews and shared everything she had inherited from Pauline. Jane had met JP when she first came to NYC and was working as a fashion couture buyer, so she is extremely insightful not just as

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

Lucie Porges working with Pauline Trigère with a model standing behind them. Lucie Porges was Pauline’s most important associate and closest collaborator starting from when she was hired in 1951 until the firm closed in 1993. An interview written by former Vogue Editor-at-Large Mr.Andre Leon Tally stated that Lucie was "The Second Trigère at Trigère." During an interview it was described when Lucie was pregnant with her first child: Claudia, Pauline jokingly stated she

Stan Herman from CFDA 1992 catalog As the President of CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) from 1991~2006, Mr. Stan Herman recalled his fondness of Pauline Trigère and their friendship throughout the years.  “ Pauline was one of the mover and shakers in the late 1950’s and 1960’s on Seventh Avenue. She was very much the Queen . ” They first met in 1955 when Stan was a budding designer and created some sketches for Pauline. Years later, their connection deepened