Lambert, Eleanor (1903-2003)
Dates
- Existence: 1903-2003
Biography
Born August 10, 1903 in Crawfordsville, IN, Eleanor Lambert attended the Chicago Art Institute before moving to New York in 1925 with her first husband Willis Connor. She soon found work with publicist Franklin Spear and brought in new clients from the New York art world, representing both artists and institutions. She was involved with the founding of both the Whitney Museum of Art and MoMA in the late 1920s and early 1930s. By 1935, she was sufficiently established and branched out on her own, forming Eleanor Lambert, Inc.
The marriage to Connor was short-lived and Lambert married Hearst newspaper executive Seymour Berkson in 1936, with whom she had her only child, William in 1939. During the 1930s, her professional attentions shifted away from art and towards the American fashion industry. She helped establish the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1937 and established the New York Dress Institute in 1939, serving as director until 1962. When the International Best Dressed list was suspended during WWII, Lambert appropriated it, running it until 2002 when she turned it over to Vanity Fair. In 1941 she created the American Fashion Critics Awards (aka the COTY Awards) and launched the first New York Fashion Press Week in 1943. Long associated with the Costume Institute, Lambert established the annual Party of the Year fundraiser, the precursor to what is now the Costume Institute Ball. In 1962, Lambert was instrumental in the founding of American Art Dealers Association of America and created the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In 1964, she launched a syndicated newspaper column on fashion "She" which was renamed "Eleanor Lambert" in 1982 which would run until the time of her death. Over the next several decades, Lambert received numerous awards and recognition for her dedication to the American fashion industry, notably the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.
At the age of 99, Lambert shuttered the doors of Eleanor Lambert, Inc. and passed away at the age of 100 in her Park Avenue home.
Found in 24 Collections and/or Records:
Eleanor Lambert collection, 1942-2003
This collection is comprised of the papers and records of renowned publicist Eleanor Lambert.
Eleanor Lambert Columns and Column Records, 1961-1998
This series contains columns and materials pertaining to columns written by Eleanor Lambert. Presumably, the columns here were issued as her syndicated "She" column which started, according to John Tiffany, in 1964 and was renamed "Eleanor Lambert" in 1982. The column ran until the time of her death in 2003.
Eleanor Lambert Designer Files, 1942-2002, 1942-2002
This series contains the files Lambert kept on designers, both client and non-client.
Eleanor Lambert interview, 1977 December 8, 1977 December 8
Eleanor Lambert press photos, circa 1970-1979, circa 1970-1979
This series holds black and white photographs with press slugs from Eleanor Lambert depicting designs from a variety of fashion designers.
Everfast Fashions, 1946-1947 / Everfast Third Edition of the Fashion Review, 1946 / Everfast Fashion Show, November 26, 1946, also Publicity from Altman's Promotion of Portuguese plaids by Everfast, November 26, 1946, 1946-1947
This folder contains a scrapbook from 1946-1947 with newspaper clippings, photographs, and promotional materials for women's wear made with Everfast Fabrics. There are designs by Claire McCardell, Carolyn Schnurer, Joset Walker, Emily Wilkens, and Tina Leser, with reviews by Eleanor Lambert and photographs by Marian Stephenson. There are ads for Everfast's Portuguese plaids and "Have Fun" fabrics, and photographs of window displays at B. Altman.
Everfast Fashions, 1947-1951, 1947-1951
Everfast "Have Fun" Promotion, 1945-1946, 1945-1946
This folder contains a scrapbook from 1945-1946 with newspaper clippings, swatches, photographs, and promotional materials for Everfast Fabrics' new 1946 print line, "Have Fun." There are fashions designed by Carolyn Schnurer, Adele Simpson, Emily Wilkens, and Claire McCardell. There are photographs of each of the garments on models, accompanied by reviews by Eleanor Lambert.
Fashion Show, Nov. 1944, 1944
This folder contains a scrapbook with photographs and publicity for the "Southward to Spring" fashion show at the Plaza Hotel in November 1944, featuring designs made with Everfast Fabrics, with reviews by Eleanor Lambert. There are fashions designed by Claire McCardell, Helen Lyolene, Emily Wilkens, David Goodstein, David Crystal, and Mary Stevens.
Interview with Eleanor Lambert reflecting on Norman Norell, 1982 September 2, 1982 September 2
American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert is interviewed by Mildred Finger, where they discuss fashion designer Normal Norell and his contributions to American fashion. Miss Lambert personally knew Norell for a number of years and provides insight into his personality, presence, fashion preferences and designs.