Donald Brooks (January 9, 1928 – August 1, 2005) was an American
fashion designer and creator of the "American Look" founded in the 1950s and 1960s. He had an immense passion for stage and film, designing well over 3500 costumes.
[ His efforts were recognized by an Emmy Award and numerous other honors; he was also nominated three times for the ]Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and once for a Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
.
Biography
He was born as Donald Marc Blumberg in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
on January 9, 1928. Brooks attended Syracuse University, where he began studying art. He then attended the Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
School of Drama, where he first decided to become a costume and clothing designer. He studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
and then the Parsons School of Design in New York. Brooks' first job in the fashion industry was as a window designer for department store Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...
. The former vice president of Lord & Taylor, Gerald Blum (his life partner with whom he lived at 969 Park Avenue in NYC) described Brooks: "As an American Designer, he never relied on Paris, Milan or that kind of thing, as many designers do,". The window designs brought a lot of attention to Brooks. This would him the job position of taking over Claire McCardell
Claire McCardell (May 24, 1905 – March 22, 1958) was an American fashion designer of ready-to-wear clothing in the twentieth century. She is credited with the creation of American sportswear.
Early life
McCardell was the eldest of four childr ...
's place of designing Townley Frocks in 1958. He attracted the attention of Dorothy Shaver
Dorothy Shaver (July 29, 1893 – June 29, 1959) was the first woman in the United States to head a multimillion-dollar firm. She was a well known leader of the fashion industry.
Life
Dorothy Shaver was born in Center Point, Arkansas, in Howard ...
, the store's president, who hired him to design a clothing line that year.
By the 1960s, Brooks was a preeminent figure in American fashion, cited by ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' as one of "the three B's of fashion" alongside Bill Blass
William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).
Early ...
and Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene (born Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr.; August 30, 1924 – September 28, 2004) was an American fashion designer. Beene was one of New York's most famous fashion designers, recognized for his artistic and technical skills and for creati ...
.[ In 1962, Brooks became one of the founders of the ]Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory d ...
. This endorsed Brooks' popularity, in a matter of a decade he was able to win three Coty Awards made for Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and Hollywood. This was the beginning spark for Brooks' career in the costume design world. He opened his first store in 1963.
In addition to his work on Seventh Avenue, Mr. Brooks also designed the costumes for numerous Broadway plays. The 1963 production of "No Strings
''No Strings'' is a musical drama with book by Samuel A. Taylor and words and music by Richard Rodgers. ''No Strings'' is the only Broadway score for which Rodgers wrote both lyrics and music, and the first musical he composed after the death of ...
" which starred Diahann Carroll, incorporated some of Brooks' designs which rewarded him with the New York Drama Critics' Award. Brooks was nominated for three Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for his pieces in "the Cardinal
''The Cardinal'' is a 1963 American drama film produced independently, directed by Otto Preminger and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel of the same name (1950) by Henry Morton Robi ...
" of 1963, "Star" of 1968, and "Darling Lili
''Darling Lili'' is a 1970 American romantic-musical spy film, written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, the latter also directing the film. It stars Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by ...
" of 1970. He worked under his own label from 1965 to 1973. Throughout this time, he designed sweaters for Jane Irwill, Shoes for Newton Elkin, furs for Coopchik-Forrest and many designs for different department stores.
In 1971, he explored the field of drapery fabrics and bed linens and created designs for the well-known department store, Burlington. His success in theatrical designs continued through this time. In 1982 Brooks won an Emmy for his pieces in the TV show " The Letter" which starred Lee Remick
Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in ...
. His awards include The New York Drama Critics Award, a Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
nomination, and the Emmy Award. He was also the recipient of three Coty Awards for fashion and the Parsons' Medal of Distinction.
Towards the end of his career, Brooks' designs were placed in the 2003 Parsons
Parsons may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Parsons, Kansas, a city
* Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* Parsons, Tennessee, a city
* Parsons, West Virginia, a town
* Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingt ...
exhibit. The galleries showed a range of his designs, one being his evening wear.
He died on August 1, 2005, at Stony Brook University Hospital in Stony Brook, New York.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Donald
1928 births
2005 deaths
American fashion designers
Yale School of Drama alumni
Fashion Institute of Technology alumni
Syracuse University alumni
Artists from New Haven, Connecticut
People from Bridgehampton, New York
LGBT people from Connecticut
20th-century American Jews
LGBT Jews
21st-century American Jews
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people