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Fashion look books and merchandising collection

 Collection
Identifier: KA-0110-01

Summary

Contains printed and moving image publicity materials produced for late twentieth century fashion designers, including: Calvin Klein, Donna Karan (DKNY), Joseph Abboud, Pierre Balmain, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. Also holds printed matter created for Parsons School of Design alumni Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Isaac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, Peter Speliopoulus, and Bruce (Daphne Gutierrez and Nicole Noselli).

Dates

  • 1960s-2001
  • Majority of material found within 1990 - 2001

Creator

Extent

5.2 Cubic Feet (4 boxes, 1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents of Collection

The Fashion look books and merchandising collection is a collection assembled by the New School from multiple donations. The collection primarily contains look books and merchandising materials, including press kits and videotapes, dating from the 1990s, with a predominance originating in the late 1990s. Also of note is a folder of publicity materials and internal memos produced by the women's apparel retailer Bonwit Teller's fashion publicity department, including a history of the firm and a copy of an early press release for a collection by a young Calvin Klein.

A number of the designers featured in the collection are former Parsons students and/or critics, including Anna Sui, Isaac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, and Donna Karan. Also represented for multiple seasons are Joseph Abboud, Pierre Balmain, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.

Use Restrictions

To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.

Organization and Arrangement

Organized in 2 series. The General series is arranged alphabetically by design firm; the Donna Karan series is alphabetical by format: 1. General, 1960s-2000 2. Donna Karan, 1993-2001

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Press kits for Calvin Klein and Joseph Abboud (1990-1997) donated by DNR magazine, 1997.

Bulk of Donna Karan materials, including videocassettes, donated by the Donna Karan Company, 1997.

Materials for Narciso Rodriguez, Calvin Klein, Patrick Robinson, Isaac Mizrahi, Joseph Abboud, and Tommy Hilfiger donated by Vanity Fair magazine, 1998.

Bruce publicity packet transferred from Fashion Design Department, 1999.

Look books for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Celine, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Pierre Balmain, and Cynthia Rowley donated by Town & Country magazine, 2000.

Related Materials

Photographs of some of these designers critiquing Parsons' student work may be found in the New School Archives' Parsons School of Design photograph collection (pre-2008 accessions) (PC.04.01.01). Designers with selected student work represented in the Parsons School of Design Fashion Design Department records (pre-2008 accessions)(PC.02.02.01) include: Donna Karan (as Donna Faske, 1968), Marc Jacobs (1984), Isaac Mizrahi (1980-82), Narcisco Rodriguez (1981-82), and Peter Speliopoulos (1980-82).

Title
Guide to the Fashion look books and merchandising collection
Status
Completed
Author
New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
Date
April 9, 2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin