Voris was the professional name of Voris Marker, an American designer of

suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was fir ...

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical sport-specific garments ...

who won the

Neiman Marcus Fashion Award The Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion was a yearly award created in 1938 by Carrie Marcus Neiman and Stanley Marcus. Unlike the Coty Award, it was not limited to American-based fashion designers. Recipients of t ...

in 1942 for her work. As Voris Marker, she also worked as a sculptor.

Early life and education

Born Voris Linthacum in

Baker City, Oregon Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census. History Pl ...

according to her marriage certificate,"Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F3W9-473 : accessed 8 March 2015), Clifford H. Marker and Voris Linthacum, 29 Nov 1936; citing Marriage, Kalispell, Flathead, Montana, county courthouses, Montana; FHL microfilm 1,902,481. but growing up on a ranch near

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

, Voris worked as a

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for an

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

after finishing school in Montana.

Career

While in Chicago, she had to have an operation on her leg, which led to her returning home as an invalid. Whilst recuperating, Voris came across a piece of soft

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, which inspired her to use it to make up clothing. She made a golf skirt for a Spokane woman to wear in a tournament. Other players and spectators noticed the skirt, and asked Voris to make them leather garments too. She founded her business, Suedes by Voris, in 1933, and by 1940, had shops in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

(where she sold garments to many actors) and across the Southwest, selling a wide range of clothing entirely made in suede. Her range included day and evening wear, hats, jewelry, and men's jackets, shirts, and ties, made in a wide range of colors. One noted design was a gold-plated evening jacket. When the couturier

Elsa Schiaparelli Elsa Schiaparelli ( , also , ; 10 September 1890 – 13 November 1973) was a fashion designer from an Italian aristocratic background. She created the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she managed from the 1930s to the 1950s. ...

visited

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...

and was invited to choose any one thing she wanted from the store; she chose a Voris coat as "the most distinctive fashion she had ever seen by an American designer." It has been suggested that this inspired the decision to award Voris the

in 1942. Voris later gave up the business to dedicate herself to

sculpting Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. Following her receipt of the Neiman Marcus award, she was commissioned to create a bronze portrait of

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, the co-founder of the store. She made a memorial bust of

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

for the

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in 1961.

Personal life

On 29 November 1936, Voris married Clifford H. Marker (1899–1987) who went on to become a President of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners in the early 1960s. She died on 22 May 1973."California, Death Index, 1940-1997," index, FamilySearc
Voris L Marker
accessed 8 March 2015, 22 May 1973; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Voris 1908 births 1973 deaths American fashion designers American women sculptors Artists from Montana 20th-century American sculptors People from Yellowstone County, Montana 20th-century American women artists American women fashion designers