Levine, Beth, 1914-2006 (1914-2006)
Dates
- Existence: 1914-2006
Biography
Herbert (1916 - 1991) and Beth Levine (1914 - 2006) founded the Herbert Levine company in 1948. Their company, which sold high-end women's shoes made in New York, was one of the leading footwear design firms in the country. Their designs were worn by many celebrities including Jacqueline Kennedy and Liza Minnelli. Nancy Sinatra wore Herbert Levine white stiletto boots while singing about them in the mid-1960s. These boots, which were made for walking, started the Go-Go boot trend of the 60s. In 1964, Barbra Streisand wore Levine shoes during the run of her show "Funny Girl" on Broadway. In addition to the stage, Herbert Levine shoes were produced to be worn during fashion shows for designers like Halston and Pauline Trigère. The company folded in 1975. A year later, the Metropolitan Museum dedicated an exhibition to their designs. After closing their firm, the couple acted as consultants in the shoe industry in New York. The couple won two Coty Awards (1967 and 1973) and a Neiman Marcus Award (1954).
Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:
Beth Levine collection
This collection consists of materials pertaining to the work of the shoe designer Beth Levine and in association, her husband, Herbert Levine. The bulk of the collection is made up of paper pattern pieces for individual shoe designs. Sketches for shoe designs, swatchbooks containing material samples, press clippings and publicity photos of Beth and Herbert Levine.
Beth Levine interview, 1982 October 28, 1982 October 28
The Oral History Project of the Fashion Industries began informally in the late 1970s, and was officially funded by a grant from the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries beginning in 1981. The project was guided by an industry advisory committee chaired by Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, Jr., and was largely guided by then director of the Gladys Marcus Library at FIT, John Touhey.
CFDA Minutes of Meeting Jan 1969, 1969
This folder contains the minutes of a meeting of the CFDA at the Four Seasons Restaurant on January 8, 1969. Discusses was Operation VIP involving fashion and the veterans hospital. Beth Levine and Bill Blass made statements. Included is a members roster with notes as to who was present.
Herbert & Beth Levine, 1967-1970, 1967-1970
This folder contains biographies of shoe designers Herbert and Beth Levine, 2 black and white 8x10 portraits of Beth, 2 copies of a black and white 8x10 portrait of Herbert, a black and white 8x10 photograph of a lace-up sandal design from 1970, and a clipping from the September 7, 1967 New York Times.