Anne Fogarty

Anne Fogarty
Anne Fogarty wearing one of her own dresses, on the first edition of her book Wife Dressing (1959)
Born(1919-02-02)February 2, 1919
DiedJanuary 15, 1980(1980-01-15) (aged 60)
EducationAllegheny College, Carnegie Institute of Technology, East Hartman School of Design
LabelAnne Fogarty
Spouses
Tom Fogarty
(m. 1940, divorced)
(m. 1967; died 1971)
Wade O'Hara
(m. 1977, divorced)
Children2
AwardsNeiman Marcus Fashion Award, Coty Award
Suzy Parker wearing Anne Fogarty, 1952

Anne Fogarty (February 2, 1919 – January 15, 1980) was an American fashion designer, active 1940–1980, who was noted for her understated, ladylike designs that were accessible to American women on a limited income.[1] She started out as a model in New York in 1939, working for Harvey Berin on Seventh Avenue, before studying fashion design. She eventually secured a full-time design job in 1948, and became well-known for full-skirted designs with fitted bodices, inspired by Dior's New Look.

Fogarty's clothes were easy to wear, practical, and made with casual fabrics, following the American sportswear tradition. She ran her own label from 1962 to 1974, and worked as a freelance designer until her death. In 1959, Fogarty published a style manual, Wife Dressing: The Fine Art of Being a Well-Dressed Wife, which emphasized femininity, neatness, and always being suitably dressed as desirable qualities.[2] Wife Dressing was rediscovered in the early 21st century, and has become a key resource for designers and fashion historians looking to explore the 1950s ideology of ultra-feminine dressing.

  1. ^ Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: The 1960s (preview) Accessed February 17, 2012.
  2. ^ Brinkley, Christina (March 20, 2008). "Does This Book Make Me Look Chic?". Wall Street Journal (subscription required). Retrieved March 20, 2017.