Dillon, Phyllis
Biography
Phyllis Dillon is an Independent Scholar and Consulting Museum Curator. She has worked for over 35 years in the fields of costume and textile studies, and in museums as a textile conservator, curator and arts administrator. She was a textile conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Textile Conservation Workshop. In the 1980s-90s she was a grants officer at the New York State Council on the Arts in the Museum Program. In that position she oversaw the distribution of millions of dollars to Museum’s statewide.
For the last 20 years she has concentrated her research on the history of the Jewish role in the American garment industry and the history of ready-made clothing. She was Main Researcher and Associate Curator of the National Endowment for the Humanities funded exhibit: “A Perfect Fit: The Garment Industry and American Jewry 1860-1960 at Yeshiva University Museum in the Center for Jewish History in 2005 and co-authored the catalogue of the same name. She also had an article in a second book called A Perfect Fit published by Texas University Tech in 2012.
She was Associate Producer and Main Researcher on a documentary film called “Dressing America: Tales from the Garment Center (2014) in collaboration with Pacific Street Films . The film showed in international film festivals and was aired on PBS in 2014 and 2016.
Her latest publication is a chapter co-written with British business historian Andrew Godley about the history of the American garment industry in the book Chosen Capital: The Jewish Encounter with American Capitalism from Rutgers University Press (July 2012).
She holds a Certificate in Museum Studies and an M.A. in anthropology from New York University. She was awarded a Winston Churchill Traveling Fellowship to Great Britain in 1981 to study the differences between American and British Art Conservation Services and has lectured widely. Since 2016 she has researched and done selected oral history interviews of senior members of the Fashion Industry for the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:
Bud Konheim interview, 2016 December 7, 2016 December 7
In this interview, conducted on December 7th 2016, fashion historian Phyllis Dillon interviews Bud Konheim about his life and 60+ years working in the apparel industry, including his time working with Nicole Miller since 1976.
David Wolfe interview, 2018 February 21, 2018 February 21
In this interview, David Wolfe discusses his life, his career, and the current state of fashion. He and the interviewer get into the current state of fashion and culture and how it is and is not similar and to the past.
Dorothy Roberts interview, 2018 September 13, 2018 September 13
On September 13th, 2018, Phyllis Dillon interviewed Dorothy Roberts, chairman of Echo Design Group, Inc. Echo Design is one of the most well-known scarf companies in the United States. Roberts explores the founding of Echo within her family, Echo working in the war effort, and the overall growth of the business. She also delves into her experiences working with the Smithsonian and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fern Mallis interview, 2019 July 10, 2019 July 10
Gary Wassner interview, 2018 May 25, 2018 May 25
Fashion historian Phyllis Dillon interviews Gary Wassner, CEO of Hilldun Corporation, a financing and factoring company established in 1958. Wassner explores Hilldun’s history, his experience in production, the issues in financing a fashion company, and his own career growth.
Josie Natori interview, 2017 June 12, 2017 June 12
Marylou Luther interview, 2015 December 15, 2015 December 15
On December 15, 2015, Marylou Luther was interviewed by Phyllis Dillon. Luther was the current creative director of The Fashion Group International and editor of the International Fashion Syndicate. She is the former fashion editor of The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Des Moines Register. The interview explores her career growth as a journalist, her experience working with individual designers and manufacturers, her views on American retailing, and her life growing up.
Michael Stanley interview, 2019 June 26, 2019 June 26
Paul Winston interview, 2016 November 8, 2016 November 8
In this interview, Paul Winston talks about his early career, working for his father's company in the 1960s, his own company, and the men's Ivy League fashion business.