Sophie Gimbel
Encyclopedia
Sophie Gimbel was an American
fashion design
er for Salon Moderne of Saks Fifth Avenue
. She was a leading designer for nearly 40 years and an innovator of the "New Look" that gained popularity after World War II.
. In her role as lead fashion designer, she often traveled to Paris to purchase clothes from designers. She married Gimbel in 1931.
Salon Moderne was not particularly successful or prestigious prior to her arrival. Gimbel designed costumes for Broadway
shows to generate interest and bring in new business. She created many ready-to-wear
fashions and is credited with introducing culottes (divided skirts) to the American market. Gowns designed by Gimbel were known for their simplicity, elegance, and use of expensive fabrics. She designed elegant haute couture
dresses and gowns for an exclusive clientele. Gimbel designed a red coat and dress for Lady Bird Johnson
to wear at Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 inauguration
.
Gimbel was a contemporary and competitor of Hattie Carnegie
, whose boutique was close to Saks Fifth Avenue. Gimbel took a conservative approach to fashion, decrying vanishing hem lines and exposed flesh. In a newspaper guest column, she wrote "I believe there should be a law against short shorts. " Though she wasn't a trendsetter, her designs had a widespread appeal for their use of simple lines and subdued elegance.
Gimbel was featured on the cover of Time magazine
on September 29, 1947. She was not the first fashion designer to appear there, having been preceded by Elsa Schiaparelli
in 1934, but she was the first American designer to grace the cover. The Couture Group of the New York Dress Institute named Gimbel among the best-dressed fashion personalities of 1959.
Gimbel enjoyed playing golf and skiing. She collected china dogs and raised rhododendrons and tulips. Aged 83, she died of a heart attack at Mount Sinai Hospital
on November 28, 1981. Along with her husband, she is the namesake of the Adam and Sophie Gimbel Art and Design Library in New York.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
er for Salon Moderne of Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
. She was a leading designer for nearly 40 years and an innovator of the "New Look" that gained popularity after World War II.
Early life
Born in Houston, Texas, Sophie was the daughter of Carrie and Felix Haas. Her father died when she was four and her mother remarried a year later to John Alexander McLeay, whence the family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. As a young girl, Sophie cut her designing teeth making clothing for her dolls. She married at 19 and lived in Philadelphia with her husband. They had one son, Jay Rossbach. While she was raising her son, she was employed as a part-time stage costume designer. The couple divorced after nine years.Fashion career
Sophie was hired as a stylist for Saks by Adam Gimbel, whose grandfather was the founder of department store chain Gimbels. In 1929, she was asked to take over the Salon Moderne of Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
. In her role as lead fashion designer, she often traveled to Paris to purchase clothes from designers. She married Gimbel in 1931.
Salon Moderne was not particularly successful or prestigious prior to her arrival. Gimbel designed costumes for Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows to generate interest and bring in new business. She created many ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear or prêt-à-porter is the term for factory-made clothing, sold in finished condition, in standardized sizes, as distinct from made to measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame. Off-the-peg is sometimes used for items which are not clothing.Ready-to-wear has...
fashions and is credited with introducing culottes (divided skirts) to the American market. Gowns designed by Gimbel were known for their simplicity, elegance, and use of expensive fabrics. She designed elegant haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
dresses and gowns for an exclusive clientele. Gimbel designed a red coat and dress for Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
to wear at Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 inauguration
Second inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson
The second inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson as the 36th President of the United States was held on January 20, 1965. The inauguration marked the commencement of the second term of Lyndon B. Johnson as President and the only four-year term Hubert Humphrey as Vice President...
.
Gimbel was a contemporary and competitor of Hattie Carnegie
Hattie Carnegie
Hattie Carnegie was a fashion entrepreneur based in New York City from the 1920s to the 1960s. She was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary as Henrietta Kanengeiser....
, whose boutique was close to Saks Fifth Avenue. Gimbel took a conservative approach to fashion, decrying vanishing hem lines and exposed flesh. In a newspaper guest column, she wrote "I believe there should be a law against short shorts. " Though she wasn't a trendsetter, her designs had a widespread appeal for their use of simple lines and subdued elegance.
Gimbel was featured on the cover of Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
on September 29, 1947. She was not the first fashion designer to appear there, having been preceded by Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators...
in 1934, but she was the first American designer to grace the cover. The Couture Group of the New York Dress Institute named Gimbel among the best-dressed fashion personalities of 1959.
Gimbel enjoyed playing golf and skiing. She collected china dogs and raised rhododendrons and tulips. Aged 83, she died of a heart attack at Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
on November 28, 1981. Along with her husband, she is the namesake of the Adam and Sophie Gimbel Art and Design Library in New York.
External links
- Mitchell, Jacqueline. Saks Has A Golden Year: Fifty Years Of Sophie's Fashion Celebrated. Palm Beach Daily News. 28 November 1976.
Further reading
- Sophie Gimbel's papers at the Archives of the Parsons School of DesignParsons The New School for DesignParsons The New School For Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is the art and design college of The New School university. It is located in New York City's Greenwich Village, and has produced artists and designers such as Marc Jacobs, Dean and Dan Caten, Norman Rockwell, Donna Karan, Jane...
in New York City