#22. The Influence of Pauline Trigère: A Conversation with Audrey Smaltz of Ebony Fashion Fair

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 a stunning signature Trigère cape which Audrey wore to the Ronald Reagan inauguration. Another dramatic white full-length halter dress in wool was simply breathtaking. Audrey stated that she wore them over forty years ago and there are photographs of her wearing them at other fashion events. I hope she will find the photos somewhere up in her attic and share them soon! During the interview Audrey reiterated that Pauline was the only designer on Seventh Avenue that had Black women in executive roles within the organization. While other designers might hire Blacks as helpers or assistants, they were never promoted to executives within the company. She repeated that Pauline was color blind to the color of people's skin.

In Audrey’s illustrious life, she counted Evelyn Cunningham as her mentor. Ms.Cunningham was a journalist and editor for the Pittsburgh Courier and also special assistant to then governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1965. When Audrey was hired by former CFDA President Stan Herman for the "United Airline 50 Year Anniversary" extravaganza, (blog here.) She had to train flight attendants to become instant models for the fashion show. As a former model, speaker and presenter, this is the area where Audrey’s personality truly shines. Teaching flight attendants wearing the most monotonous uniform while having a presence and personality on the runway was no small task. We wrapped up our interview with the promise and hope that additional photographs will be unearthed in the coming months. We are also looking forward to Audrey’s memoire which will be released next year.

Interview date September 23, 2023