#40. Beverly Valdes: First Black Model for A Major New York Fashion Show
- Jessica C
- Dec 1, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
On June 19, 1961, the influential fashion journalist Eugenia Sheppard wrote in her Inside Fashion column in the Herald Tribune which featured an article titled: “Another first for Pauline Trigère—she’s the first of Seventh Avenue’s top designers to employ a Black fashion model.”
A few days later, on June 23, 1961, multiple articles began to recognize this milestone. Marilyn Bender of The New York Times credited Pauline Trigère for hiring the first Black model to appear in a major New York runway show. The article, titled “Fashion Designer Hires Negro Model,” included the subheading: “Beverly Valdes Said to Be First of Race to Work on 7th Ave.”
Meanwhile, in The New York Post, Judy Michaelson authored an article titled “Model Makes History in 7th Ave. Showroom,” also highlighting Beverly Valdes’ role in this racial barrier-breaking moment.
On the same day, The New York Herald Tribune published another article by Priscilla Tucker, calling Valdes the “first Negro model to be hired on a permanent basis by a top Seventh Avenue fashion house.”
Jet Magazine published a photo of Beverly beside Pauline, with the caption: “Statuesque Beverly Valdes display dress for designer Pauline Trigère after becoming the first Negro model hired by a leading New York high fashion salon.”
By July 22, 1961, The New York Amsterdam News reported that Beverly Valdes had become the first Black woman to model for the Press Week Showing of the Couture Group. Thomasina Norford’s article titled “Miss Valdes First to Model for Couture Group Press Week” celebrated the moment, noting that Valdes walked the runway in Pauline Trigère creations, solidifying her place as the first Black model to participate in a major designer runway show.
The story continued to spread across the country, with articles appearing in newspapers such as Ebony, The Oklahoma City Black Dispatch (June 29), Cleveland Ohio’s Plain Dealer (June 30), St. Louis Journal (June 30), Rapid City, S. Dakota (June 30), Newsweek (July 3), and Dayton, Ohio’s Journal Herald (July 14), where Mary Heyduck wrote about this event.
A particularly beautifully written piece appeared in St. Louis Argus on July 21, 1961. Inez Kaiser, a journalist for this prominent African-American newspaper, praised Trigère’s decision, saying: “Pauline Trigère has cut a new pattern! She has hired the first Negro, Miss Beverly Valdes, to model in a showroom on 7th Avenue. This is a design that no other designer has ever cut, and one that is sure to be copied by many in years to come. There’s no wonder Pauline, as she is fondly known, is in the Hall of Fame.”
Kaiser went on to describe Valdes' performance: “Miss Valdes did a magnificent job that did her designer credit. She was beautiful in the latest Trigère creations. Pauline has always been an individualist. She has a warm heart and designs clothes in the same quiet manner in which she hired Beverly. She didn’t hire Miss Valdes to make a statement; she simply did what came naturally—she employed her as she would have any other model who qualified.”
Kaiser also shared an interview with Valdes, who expressed how much she loved working at the House of Trigère, praising the beautiful craftsmanship of the clothes. Valdes revealed that her favorite piece that season was a two-piece costume with a Rajah silhouette, in turquoise blue and green brocade—a design that was sure to set trends. (This ensemble was later duplicated for Lucille Ball’s second wedding, more on that in my separate blog.)
In addition to her groundbreaking hiring of Valdes, the article noted Trigère for her long-time assistant, Betty Terry, a Black woman who had been with Pauline for over 10 years. (Terry was an integral member in the House of Trigère in various roles and for many more decades to follow.)
The St. Louis Argus article concluded: “This is one of the most unique patterns ever created by this great designer. It’s a design that we can all be proud of—the ‘B’ shaped design.”
Internationally, the news spread to France, Italy, Puerto Rico, Canada, Japan, China.
On June 28, 1961, the French newspaper Soir reported: “Beverly, premier mannequin de couleur engage aux U.S.A.” (Beverly, the first Black model hired in the U.S.).
Later, on July 30, 1961, The Japan Times acknowledged the milestone, stating: “Beverly Valdes is the first Negro model in an American fashion house. She was hired by Pauline Trigère (the Balmain of Broadway).”
In June 1962, Life magazine devoted a four-page spread of African-American models titled “Negro Models - a Band of Beautiful Pioneers” which highlighted Trigère’s decision in hiring Beverly Valdes the previous year as groundbreaking.
When Pauline was interviewed, she simply said: “I don’t care about the skin color of my models,” she replied, “I only care about their grace and charm.” The controversy that followed led some southern stores to cancel her orders. Nontheless, Pauline remain firm and continued to use Beverly Valdes as a permanent model for her shows.
In 1992, during Pauline Trigère’s Golden Jubilee Celebration at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City Mayor David Dinkins delivered a poignant and heartfelt speech honoring her remarkable 50-year legacy in the fashion industry. That evening, the mayor commended Trigère for her bold and pioneering decision to hire an African American model, breaking through the deeply ingrained racism that had never been challenged in the fashion world. His words recognized her as a trailblazer who not only defied racial barriers but also opened the door for African American models to be accepted in the mainstream fashion presentations and help changing the industry's landscape.
For more on this pivotal moment in fashion history and additional details, please look for to my forthcoming biography on Pauline Trigère, where I reveal many more photographs discovered during my research. In the meantime, explore my other blog posts, which include personal interviews, museum research and fascinating discoveries from this journey! Follow my Instagram at Jessica.Rabbit888
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