Anne Fogarty
Anne Fogarty (February 2, 1919 – January 15, 1980) was an American fashion designer, active 1940–1980, who was noted for her understated, ladylike designs that were accessible to American women on a limited income. She started out as a model in New York in 1939, working for Harvey Berin on Seventh Avenue, before studying fashion design. She eventually secured a full-time design job in 1948, and became well-known for full-skirted designs with fitted bodices, inspired by Dior's New Look.
Anne Fogarty | |
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Anne Fogarty wearing one of her own dresses, on the first edition of her book Wife Dressing (1959) | |
| Born | February 2, 1919 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1980 (aged 60) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Allegheny College, Carnegie Institute of Technology, East Hartman School of Design |
| Label | Anne Fogarty |
| Spouses | Tom Fogarty (divorced)Richard Kollmar
(m. 1967; died 1971)Wade O'Hara
(m. 1977, divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, Coty Award |
Fogarty's clothes were easy to wear, practical, and made with casual fabrics, following the American sportswear tradition. She ran her own label from 1962 to 1974, and worked as a freelance designer until her death. In 1959, Fogarty published a style manual, Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife, which emphasized femininity, neatness, and always being suitably dressed as desirable qualities. Wife Dressing was rediscovered in the early 21st century, and has become a key resource for designers and fashion historians looking to explore the 1950s ideology of ultra-feminine dressing.