McFadden, Mary (1938-)

Person

Dates

Existence: 1938-

Biography

Mary McFadden is an American designer who helped define the look of the 1970s with original clothing designs created from textiles picked up on her travels around the globe. She is known for tunics of hand-painted fabrics layered over floating silk pants and pleated Fortuny-like gowns with elaborate embroidery.

McFadden was born in New York in October 1938. She studied at the École Lubec, 1955-56, and the Sorbonne, Paris, 1956-57. In 1957 she attended New York's Traphagen School of Design, before studying sociology at Columbia University and at the New School for Social Research, New York, 1958-60.

She was working in public relations for Dior when she married Philip Harari, an executive for DeBeers Diamonds, in 1965. She followed Harari to South Africa where she took up a position as merchandising editor for "Vogue." Her second marriage took her to Rhodesia, where she founded a workshop for local artists. She returned to the USA in 1970 and worked as a special projects editor for "Vogue."

In 1972 her designs debuted in "Vogue." These simple tunics, made from African prints paired with silk pants, were like the clothes she had fashioned for herself out of necessity during her years spent in South Africa. These designs attracted a great deal of attention and she formed her own company in New York in 1976.

For years McFadden was her own best model – frequently photographed by legends such as Horst P. Horst, Richard Avedon, Sam Haskins, and Norman Parkinson, among others.

McFadden received a Coty Award in 1976 and entered the Coty Hall of Fame in 1979.

In 1995 McFadden created two new lines: the value-priced Mary McFadden Studio, featuring classic dresses and eveningwear, and Mary McFadden Collection, consisting of better suits and sportswear for younger women, which debuted in 2001. Additionally, McFadden, like other designers, had also become a popular guest on QVC. The McFadden accessories featured on the television shopping channel sold exceedingly well.

As a preeminent designer she has used her unique skills to fashion an empire, supporting various charities, and overseeing numerous licenses for womenswear, sleepwear, footwear, eyewear, neckwear, and home furnishings.