Peggy Hamilton (born Mae Bedloe Armstrong; 1894February 26, 1984) was an American fashion and costume designer who designed many dresses for Hollywood silent actresses in the 1920s and 1930s. She was also the editor of a fashion column in ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' and a fashion commentator on the radio. She was "one of the first boosters of Los Angeles-made fashions."

Life

Hamilton was born Mae Bedlow Armstrong in 1894 in Colorado. She grew up as a member of high society in Los Angeles from the age of 10. She studied fashion in New York and Buenos Aires. Hamilton began her career as a designer in New York City in the 1910s, only to move to Los Angeles to work for the Triangle Film Corporation shortly after. She designed many dresses for Hollywood silent actresses in the 1920s and 1930s, including Gloria Swanson, Myrna Loy,

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'N ...

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

, Betty Davis, and

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

. She designed a dress whose pattern matched the ceiling of the ballroom inside the

Biltmore Hotel Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman. The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and the gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attracti ...

painted by muralist

John B. Smeraldi John B. Smeraldi (died May 14, 1947) was an Italian-born American muralist, and furniture and interior designer. He painted the ceilings of many buildings, including the ballroom inside the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Life Smerald ...

for its dedication in 1923. Hamilton was the editor of the fashion column in ''

'' from 1921 to 1934. She was also a radio commentator on fashion from 1929 to 1933. She was the hostess of the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

in Los Angeles, and she became "one of the first boosters of Los Angeles-made fashions." Hamilton was married six or seven times, including John Quincy Adams IV, a descendant of President John Quincy Adams. She resided in Hollywood, where she died of cancer on February 26, 1984, at age 90.

References

1894 births 1984 deaths People from Hollywood, Los Angeles California people in fashion American costume designers Women costume designers American fashion designers American women fashion designers Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American women {{US-fashion-bio-stub