Norman Norell

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Norman Norell (actually Norman David Levinson ; born April 20, 1900 in Noblesville , Indiana , † October 25, 1972 in New York ) was an American fashion and costume designer .

Past life and education

Norman was the son of a haberdashery dealer, during the First World War he was at a military academy. But he soon recognized his artistic talent and studied fashion design at New York's Pratt Institute . After he was accepted into the Parsons School of Design , Norman David Levinson changed his name to Norman Norell .

Costume designer and designer

In the early 1920s he worked as a costume designer for the Astoria Studio division of Paramount Pictures , where he designed clothes for Gloria Swanson and other silent movie stars . Between 1924 and 1928 he worked as a costume designer for Broadway , as well as for Brooks Costume Company and for the costume wholesaler Charles Armor . In 1928 he worked for Hattie Carnegie , and Norman Norell gained invaluable experience over the next twelve years. During that time he designed Gertrude Lawrence's wardrobe and costumes, including for the play " Lady in the Dark ".

Teachers and entrepreneurs

From 1943 Norman Norell taught at Parsons The New School for Design , where he had been a course participant twenty years earlier. Together with Anthony Traina they founded the fashion label Traina-Norell . Norell became known for his simple yet elegant wool dresses with a high round neckline. His designs can be seen in films, including "Separate Beds" (Original Title: The Wheeler Dealers , 1963) with Lee Remick and " A Touch of Mink " (Original Title: That Touch of Mink , 1962) with Doris Day . Some of his cocktail dresses can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Norman Norell died of a heart attack on October 25, 1972 in his New York apartment and was buried in the Crownland Cemetery in Noblesville.

literature

  • Georgina O'Hara Callan: The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers , New York: Thames and Hudson (1998)

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