Abrams, Lawrence

Scope and Contents Lawrence Abrams met with April Calahan of FIT Special Collections on January 9, 2018 to discuss his mother Miriam Abrams' career in fashion. Ms. Abrams grew up in the industry; her family owned and operated a girls coat manufacturing business, but lost it during the depression. To bring in extra money to help her family, Abrams found a position sketching designs for Billy Gordon, an American couturier. After leaving Billy Gordon, Abrams worked for other influential American designers, such...

Scope and Contents

This collection is comprised of sketchbooks, designs, sketches, promotional materials, press releases, letters, photographs, legal documents, a medal, and fashion shows relating to the work of Miriam Abrams; a manuscript, fashion press releases, catalogs from the Fashion Group and magazine tear sheets relating to Norman Norell; and other fashion books, press and sketches (1930s-2016).

Scope and Contents About five months after first sitting down with April Calahan for an Oral History, Lawrence Abrams once again met with Calahan to discuss the fashion designer Norman Norell. Known for his precise garment construction, Norell first became entranced with womens fashion as a youth patronizing burlesque shows. His first garment, however, was made for his mother in 1920. During the 1920s, Norell designed costumes for stage (Ziegfeld Follies, the Cotton Club) and screen. Norell began designing...