Ann Lowe
Ann Lowe | |
---|---|
Born | Ann Cole Lowe 1898 |
Died | February 25, 1981 (aged 82) |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Annie Cohen Anne Lowe |
Alma mater | S. T. Taylor Design School |
Occupation | Fashion designer |
Years active | 1919–1972 |
Known for | Wedding dress of Jacqueline Bouvier |
Children | 2 |
Ann Cole Lowe (December 14, 1898 – February 25, 1981) was an American fashion designer. Best known for designing the ivory
Early life
Lowe was born in rural Clayton, Alabama in 1898[2] to Jane and Jack Lowe.[3] She was the great granddaughter of an enslaved woman and an Alabama plantation owner.[4] She had an older sister, Sallie.[5] Ann attended school in Alabama until she dropped out at the age of 14.[3] Lowe's interest in fashion, sewing and designing came from her mother Janey and grandmother Georgia,[6] both of whom were seamstresses. They ran a dressmaking business that was often frequented by the first families of Montgomery and other members of high society.[7] Lowe's mother died when Lowe was 16 years old. At this time, Lowe took over the family business.[8][9]
Personal life
Lowe was married twice and had two children. She married her first husband, Lee Cohen, in 1912. They had a son, Arthur Lee, who later worked as Lowe's business partner until his death from a car accident[1][6] in 1958.[10] Lowe left Cohen because he opposed her having a career.[5][9] Arthur Lee would go on to become Lowe's business partner until 1958.[1]
She married for a second time, to Caleb West,[3] but that marriage also ended. Lowe later said, "My second husband left me. He said he wanted a real wife, not one who was forever jumping out of bed to sketch dresses."[11] Lowe later adopted a daughter, Ruth Alexander.[1]
In the 1930s, Lowe lived in an apartment on Manhattan Avenue in Harlem. Her older sister Sallie later lived with her. Both were members of St. Mark's United Methodist Church.[5]
Career
In 1917, Lowe and her son moved to New York City, where she enrolled at S. T. Taylor Design School.[1] As the school was segregated, Lowe was required to attend classes in a room alone.[11] However, segregation did not stop her, and she still managed to rise above her peers in school. Her work was often shown to her white peers in recognition of her outstanding artistry, and she was eligible for graduation after attending school for only half a year.[12] After graduating in 1919, Lowe and her son moved to Tampa, Florida. The following year, she opened her first dress salon. The salon catered to members of high society and quickly became a success.[13] Having saved $20,000 from her earnings, Lowe returned to New York City in 1928.[14] During the 1950s and 1960s, she worked on commission for stores such as Henri Bendel, Montaldo's, I. Magnin, Chez Sonia, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.[1][13][15] In 1946, she designed the dress that Olivia de Havilland wore to accept the Academy Award for Best Actress for To Each His Own, although the name on the dress was Sonia Rosenberg.[4]
As she was not getting credit for her work, Lowe and her son opened a second salon, Ann Lowe's Gowns, in New York City on
In 1947,
Throughout her career, Lowe continued to work for wealthy clientele who often talked her out of charging hundreds of dollars for her designs. After paying her staff, she often failed to make a profit on her designs. Lowe later admitted that at the height of her career, she was virtually broke.[10] In 1961, she received the Couturier of the Year award[24] but in 1962, she lost her salon in New York City after failing to pay taxes. That same year, her right eye was removed due to glaucoma. While she was recuperating, an anonymous friend paid Lowe's debts that enabled her to work again. In 1963, she declared bankruptcy. Soon after, she developed a cataract in her left eye; surgery saved her eye.[9] In 1968, she opened a new store, Ann Lowe Originals, on Madison Avenue.[10] She retired in 1972.[23]
Death
In the last five years of her life, Lowe lived with her daughter Ruth in Queens. She died at her daughter's home on February 25, 1981, at the age of 82,[1] after an extended illness.[25] Her funeral was held at St. Mark's United Methodist Church on March 3.[10]
Legacy
A collection of five of Ann Lowe's designs are held at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[23][26] Three are on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Several others were included in an exhibition on Black fashion at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan in December 2016.[27] A children's book, Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Ann Cole Lowe written by Deborah Blumenthal was published in 2017.[28] Author Piper Huguley wrote a historical fiction novel, By Her Own Design: a novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register, about Lowe's life.[29][30] Her work has been admired by the designer Christian Dior, as well as the famous costumer Edith Head.[3] From September 2023 - January 2024, the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library will exhibit a collection of Ann Lowe's works from the 1920s-1960s.[19][31]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Fashion designer Ann Lowe Dies". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. February 28, 1981. p. 4D. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ a b (Pottker 2013, p. 135)
- ^ a b c d e Thurman, Judith (18 March 2021). "Ann Lowe's Barrier-Breaking Mid-Century Couture". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ^ a b (Kirkham 2002, p. 128)
- ^ a b c (Major 1966, p. 140)
- ^ OCLC 197076138.
- ^ Whitlock, Lauren. "Remembering Ann Lowe, the Black Designer Who Shaped Socialite Fashion." University Wire, Feb 25, 2021.
- ^ Alleyne, Allyssia. "The Untold Story of Ann Lowe, the Black Designer Behind Jackie Kennedy's Wedding Dress." CNN Wire Service, Dec 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Gray, Lizabeth (February 3, 1998). "Let's Talk About: Black History Month". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. G–6. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Timothy M., Phelps (March 1, 1981). "Ann Lowe 82, Designed Gowns for Exclusive Clientele In Society". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ a b (Major 1966, p. 138)
- ^ Henderson, Marissa. “Ann Lowe: America's Overlooked Fashion Icon Finally Found.” Royal Road, vol. 3, 2019, pp. 77–90.
- ^ a b c d (Aberjhani, West & Price 2003, p. 107)
- ^ a b American Legacy, Volumes 4-5. RJR Communications. 1996. p. 38.
- ^ a b Hunt-Hurst, Patricia. "Fashion Industry." Oxford African American Studies Center. December 01, 2006. Oxford University Press.
- OCLC 197076138.
- ^ (Major 1966, p. 137)
- ^ Terrell, Ellen. “African American Fashion Designers – from the Lincolns to the Kennedys and Beyond.” Library of Congress, 2020,
- ^ a b Way, Elizabeth (2023-09-04). "Remembering Ann Lowe, the unsung creator of Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ a b (Mulvaney 2002, p. 60)
- ^ Alleyne, Allyssia (23 December 2020). "The untold story of Ann Lowe, the Black designer behind Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress". CNN. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ^ (Martin Starke, Holloman & Nordquist 1990, p. 138)
- ^ a b c "Fashion designer dies at 82". Star-News. February 28, 1981. p. 3B. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ Giddings, Valerie L.; Ray, Geraldine (2010). "Trendsetting African American Designers". Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion. Bloomsbury Academic.
- ^ "Dress designer Ann Lowe". Lakeland Ledger. February 28, 1981. p. 5C. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ^ (Pottker 2013, p. 136)
- ^ "Why Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress designer was fashion's 'best kept secret'". New York Post. October 16, 2016.
- S2CID 201782202.
- ^ "Piper Huguley". Margie Lawson. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- ^ "Publishers Marketplace: Log In". www.publishersmarketplace.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
References
- ISBN 1-438-13017-1.
- Kirkham, Pat, ed. (2002). Women Designers in the USA, 1900–2000: Diversity and Difference. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09331-4.
- Major, Gerri (December 1966). "Dean Of American Designers". Ebony. 22 (2). Johnson Publishing Company. ISSN 0012-9011.
- Martin Starke, Barbara; Holloman, Lillian O.; Nordquist, Barbara K. (1990). African American Dress and Adornment: A Cultural Perspective. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. ISBN 0-840-35902-0.
- Mulvaney, Jay (2002). Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album. Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-29160-4.
- Pottker, Jan (2013). Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-466-85230-3.
- Way, Elizabeth. “Elizabeth Keckly and Ann Lowe: Recovering an African American Fashion Legacy That Clothed the American Elite.” Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, vol. 19, no. 1, Feb. 2015, pp. 115–141.