Tom Brigance
Tom Brigance | |
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![]() Tom Brigance, c.1951 | |
Born | Thomas Franklin Brigance (1913-02-04)4 February 1913 Waco, Texas |
Died | 14 October 1990(1990-10-14) (aged 77) New York City |
Nationality | American |
Known for | American sportswear |
Awards | Coty Award, 1953 |
Thomas Franklin Brigance (February 4, 1913 – October 14, 1990) was a Texan-born New York–based fashion designer noted for his work in sportswear in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.[1][2] As a house designer for Lord & Taylor, Brigance was best known for bathing costumes and play clothes, and for his clever use of flattering details such as pleats and darts.[1][3] During the 1930s Brigance was a rare example of a male working in the female-dominated world of American sportswear design.[2] In the late 1930s, he was regularly mentioned alongside Clare Potter as a leading name in mid-range priced sportswear.[2] Like Potter, Brigance was skilled at designing smart, fashionable clothing which could easily be mass-produced, making his work attractive to manufacturers as well as to customers.[2]
After serving in the Army during the Second World War, Brigance resumed designing for Lord & Taylor and for Charles W. Nudelman; branching out into a wider range of garments, including suits, coats, and formal wear.[1][3][4] He was known for his clever use of unusually textured and/or unexpected fabrics, such as a flannel swimsuit, and in 1953, reportedly designed over half of the textiles in his collections himself.[3] In 1953 Brigance was awarded the Coty Award for his designs.[3]
Brigance continued designing during the 1960s and 1970s, focusing on swimwear for various companies.[1] One of his swimsuit designs for Gabar, produced before his retirement in the late 1970s, was still a best-selling design for the company in 1990.[1] He died in New York in 1990.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Schiro, Anne-Marie (18 October 1990). "Thomas F. Brigance Dies at 70; Designed Sophisticated Swimwear". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d Arnold, Rebecca (2008). The American look : fashion, sportswear, and the image of women in 1930s and 1940s New York. London: I. B. Tauris. pp. 9, 107, 120–122. ISBN 9781860647635.
- ^ a b c d Staff writer (28 September 1953). "A Bonus for Brigance". LIFE. pp. 77–79. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ Martin, Richard (1998). American ingenuity : sportswear, 1930s - 1970s. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 79. ISBN 9780870998638.
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sportswear designers
- Adri
- Bill Atkinson
- Louella Ballerino
- Jhane Barnes
- Geoffrey Beene
- Tom Brigance
- Donald Brooks
- Stephen Burrows
- Jeanne Campbell
- Bonnie Cashin
- Kenneth Cole
- Liz Claiborne
- Perry Ellis
- Anne Fogarty
- Tom Ford
- Rudi Gernreich
- Halston
- Elizabeth Hawes
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Marc Jacobs
- Norma Kamali
- Donna Karan
- Muriel King
- Anne Klein
- Calvin Klein
- Michael Kors
- Ralph Lauren
- Tina Leser
- Vera Maxwell
- Claire McCardell
- Isaac Mizrahi
- Clare Potter
- Clovis Ruffin
- Giorgio di Sant' Angelo
- Carolyn Schnurer
- Diane von Fürstenberg
- Vera Wang
- John Weitz
- Emily Wilkens
- Sydney Wragge
- Zoran
sportswear designers
- Popover (dress)
- Wrap dress
- Richard Martin
- Dorothy Shaver
- The American Look
- Clothing terminology
- Fashion
- History of clothing
External links
- Tom Brigance collection, 1930s-1960s (bulk 1960-1978) from The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library at The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.