Vera Huppe Maxwell (April 22, 1901,
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
– January 15, 1995,
Rincón, Puerto RicoRincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
) was a legendary sportswear and fashion designer until her retirement in 1985.
She was the first American designer to make clothes with Ultrasuede material. She won the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award in 1953, the Neiman Marcus Award in 1955 and was honored in 1970 with a retrospective exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Born to
VienneseVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
parents, she traveled to Europe with them as a child and lived for a while in
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
.
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Vera Huppe Maxwell (April 22, 1901,
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
– January 15, 1995,
Rincón, Puerto RicoRincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
) was a legendary sportswear and fashion designer until her retirement in 1985.
She was the first American designer to make clothes with Ultrasuede material. She won the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award in 1953, the Neiman Marcus Award in 1955 and was honored in 1970 with a retrospective exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Born to
VienneseVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
parents, she traveled to Europe with them as a child and lived for a while in
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
. She attended high school in
Leonia, New JerseyLeonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,914. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge....
and studied ballet in New York, becoming a member of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 1919 until 1924 when she married Raymond J. Maxwell. They divorced in 1937. She married Carlisle H. Johnson, an architect, in 1938 and divorced him in 1945.
Vera Maxwell became known as a designer in the 1930s and became famous for her innovative designs. After years of designing for other manufacturers, she founded her own company,
Vera Maxwell Originals, in 1947. Her heyday was in the 1950s. By 1960 her clothes were being sold in 700 stores around the country, but during that decade with its huge upheavals her classic style waned and she "decided to lie fallow for a while".
She resurfaced in 1970 with a collection that was introduced at B. Altman. Until her retirement in 1985 she continued to turn out the tasteful classic suits, coats and dresses that her loyal customers would wear for years.
Death
She died on January 15, 1995, in
Rincon, Puerto RicoRincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
, aged 93, following a brief illness. She was survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Dr. R. John Maxwell and Rhea Maxwell, and their extended family.
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