Nina Hyde interview, 1989 May 18, 1989 May 18
Scope and Contents
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.
Dates
- Creation: 1989 May 18
Creator
- Hyde, Nina, -1990 (1932-1990) (Person)
- Finger, Mildred (1924-1995) (Person)
Language of Materials
English Latin
Conditions Governing Access
Access is open to researchers by appointment at the Fashion Institute of Technology Library, Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive. If you have any questions, or wish to schedule an appointment contact us at [email protected] or call (212) 217-4385.
The contents of this collection are also available to the public via our Archive on Demand repository: https://archiveondemand.fitnyc.edu/items/browse?collection=22
Biographical / Historical
Nina Solomon Hyde was born Nina Solomon in 1932 in New York City. She attended Smith College and was accepted at NYU Law School. She left NYU and went to work at McCann-Erickson (advertising), the Maidenform Brassiere Company, Women's Wear Daily, and the Tobe Report. In 1961 she married Lloyd Hyde and moved to Washington D.C. There she worked for the Washington Daily News and then the Washington Post. Hyde worked as the fashion writer at the Washington Post from 1972 until her death in 1990. She received the Eugenia Sheppard Award for outstanding fashion reporting from the Council of Fashion Designers in 1988, the Aldo Award from the menswear industry (the first lifetime achievement award given by that group), the Georgetown University Bicentennial Medal, and the rank of chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters from the French culture minister in 1989. Hyde died in 1990 in Washington D.C. from breast cancer, and the Georgetown University Medical Center established the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research in her honor.
Biographical / Historical
"Mildred Finger Haines ... helped shape fashion tastes for four decades as a top buyer for department stores and a consultant to clothes makers and retailers.... From the late 1940's through the late 1960's, Mrs. Haines, known throughout her career as Mildred Finger, was a buyer of ready-to-wear at Macy's, Ohrbach's and Bergdorf Goodman, and was one of New York City's most often cited taste makers. At Bergdorf's, in particular, she was noted for bringing European styles to American consumers. She later became Vice President of Charles of the Ritz, headed fashion merchandising for Yves St. Laurent and became an independent consultant, with clients like the Limited and Arthur D. Little. Suffering from multiple sclerosis, she retired in 1986. In succeeding years, she frequently contributed her knowledge of the fashion industry to the oral history projects of the American Jewish Committee and the Fashion Institute of Technology...." New York Times Obituary, 1995
Full Extent
From the Sub-Group: 1 placeholder
Existence and Location of Originals
This interview may have been conducted for the NYPL's American Jewish Committee Oral History Collection: https://www.nypl.org/collections/nypl-recommendations/guides/jewishoralhistories
Physical Description
Original media: N/A
General
Nina Solomon Hyde was born Nina Solomon in 1932 in New York City. She attended Smith College and was accepted at NYU Law School. She left NYU and went to work at McCann-Erickson (advertising), the Maidenform Brassiere Company, Women's Wear Daily, and the Tobe Report. In 1961 she married Lloyd Hyde and moved to Washington D.C. There she worked for the Washington Daily News and then the Washington Post. Hyde worked as the fashion writer at the Washington Post from 1972 until her death in 1990. She received the Eugenia Sheppard Award for outstanding fashion reporting from the Council of Fashion Designers in 1988, the Aldo Award from the menswear industry (the first lifetime achievement award given by that group), the Georgetown University Bicentennial Medal, and the rank of chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters from the French culture minister in 1989. Hyde died in 1990 in Washington D.C. from breast cancer, and the Georgetown University Medical Center established the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research in her honor.
General
"Mildred Finger Haines ... helped shape fashion tastes for four decades as a top buyer for department stores and a consultant to clothes makers and retailers.... From the late 1940's through the late 1960's, Mrs. Haines, known throughout her career as Mildred Finger, was a buyer of ready-to-wear at Macy's, Ohrbach's and Bergdorf Goodman, and was one of New York City's most often cited taste makers. At Bergdorf's, in particular, she was noted for bringing European styles to American consumers. She later became Vice President of Charles of the Ritz, headed fashion merchandising for Yves St. Laurent and became an independent consultant, with clients like the Limited and Arthur D. Little. Suffering from multiple sclerosis, she retired in 1986. In succeeding years, she frequently contributed her knowledge of the fashion industry to the oral history projects of the American Jewish Committee and the Fashion Institute of Technology...." New York Times Obituary, 1995
General
Published
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and FIT Archive Repository