Adele Simpson

Adele Simpson (December 8,[1] 1903[2] – August 23, 1995)[3] was a child performer in vaudeville who danced in productions with Milton Berle and other entertainers.[4] She became a fashion designer whose influence continued for nearly five decades.

Design career

Born Adele Smithline, she was the fifth daughter born to Latvian immigrants. At 21 she completed her design curriculum at the Pratt Institute. Simpson took the place of her older sister, Anna, as head designer for Ben Gershel, which was a prominent 7th Avenue ready-to-wear fashion house.[5] Some years later she began work for Mary Lee, a business also based on 7th Avenue.[3]

She introduced her medium-priced line of clothing in New York in 1949.[6] She adapted French couture and presented it with an American ready-to-wear translation.[3] Also in 1949, Simpson bought Mary Lee and renamed the company Adele Simpson.

In 1971 Simpson's business address was Adele Simpson, Inc., 530 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York. Her homes were at 5 East 78th Street, New York City 10021 and 61 Porchuck Road, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830.[1]

Prominence

Simpson received many citations for her fashion designs, including the 1947 Coty Award. She designed a wrinkle-resistant yellow street-length coat and matching princess-line dress and hat for Lady Bird Johnson in 1966. The occasion for the designs was the marriage of Luci Johnson.

Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Barbara Bush also wore Simpson designed clothing. Her collections were available at Bonwit Teller, B. Altman, and Saks Fifth Avenue.[3]

Media coverage

The March 3, 1947 Life Magazine has pictures of Simpson's crocus suit. The spring attire was constructed of sheer wool crepe. The cuffs of the jacket are made of linen and it's buttons are high and snug. It has a petal-white collar.[7]

A September 22, 1947 Life Magazine featured an article entitled Newest styles give every woman's figure a chance. These fall fashions included an Adele Simpson green satin afternoon dress with a dropped shoulder line for $50, and a gold brocade dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline, which retailed for $79.[8]

Simpson's 1970 fall collection featured Japanese-styled, high-necked, hobble-skirted dresses in Japanese silk prints.[9]

Later years

Simpson continued to design into her 70s before she retired in 1985. Her daughter, Joan Raines, and her son-in-law, Richard Raines, maintained the business prior to selling out to Barron Peters in 1991. Based in Lowell, Massachusetts, the firm chose not to continue the Adele Simpson line. Barron Peters later filed for bankruptcy.

Death

Simpson died at her Greenwich, Connecticut home in 1995. Her husband, Wesley Simpson, a textile executive, died in 1976. Aside from her daughter, Simpson was survived by a son, Jeffrey, also of Manhattan. She had three grandchildren.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Adele Simpson, Current Biography Yearbook, H.W. Wilson Company, 1971, p. 397.
  2. ↑ Adele Simpson, American Decades 1940 - 1949, Victor Bondi, Gale Research, 1995, pg. 195.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Adele Simpson, 91, a Designer And Postwar Fashion Leader, New York Times, August 24, 1995, p. D21.
  4. ↑ Adele Simpson, Biography News, March/April 1975, p. 444.
  5. ↑ SIMPSON, Adele, Fashion Encyclopedia
  6. ↑ American Decades 1940 - 1949, Victor Bondi, Gale Research, 1995, p. 171.
  7. ↑ Springlike! Adele Simpson's Crocus Suit!, Life Magazine, March 3, 1947, pg. 60.
  8. ↑ Life Magazine, September 22, 1947, p. 117.
  9. ↑ Adele Simpson, Current Biography Yearbook, H.W. Wilson Company, 1971, p. 398

External links