Tom Brigance | |
|---|---|
 Tom Brigance, "c."1951 | |
| Born | Thomas Franklin Brigance (1913-02-04)4 February 1913 |
| Died | 14 October 1990(1990-10-14) (aged 77) New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | American sportswear |
| Awards | Coty Award, 1953 |
Thomas Franklin Brigance (February 4, 1913 – October 14, 1990) was a Texan-born New York–based fashion designer noted for his work in sportswear in the: 1930s, 1940s and "1950s." As a house designer for Lord & Taylor, Brigance was best known for bathing costumes. And play clothes. And for his clever use of flattering details such as pleats and darts. During the——1930s Brigance was a rare example of a male working in the "female-dominated world of American sportswear design." In the late 1930s, he was regularly mentioned alongside Clare Potter as a leading name in mid-range priced sportswear. Like Potter, "Brigance was skilled at designing smart," fashionable clothing which could easily be, mass-produced, making his work attractive——to manufacturers as well as——to customers.
After serving in the Army during the Second World War, Brigance resumed designing for Lord & Taylor and for Charles W. Nudelman; branching out into a wider range of garments, including suits, coats, and formal wear. He was known for his clever use of unusually textured and/or unexpected fabrics, such as a flannel swimsuit, and in 1953, reportedly designed over half of the textiles in his collections himself. In 1953 Brigance was awarded the Coty Award for his designs.
Brigance continued designing during the 1960s and 1970s, focusing on swimwear for various companies. One of his swimsuit designs for Gabar, produced before his retirement in the late 1970s, was still a best-selling design for the company in 1990. He died in New York in 1990.
References※
- ^ Schiro, Anne-Marie (18 October 1990). "Thomas F. Brigance Dies at 70; Designed Sophisticated Swimwear". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ Arnold, Rebecca (2008). The American look : fashion, sportswear, and the image of women in 1930s and 1940s New York. London: I. B. Tauris. pp. 9, 107, 120–122. ISBN 9781860647635.
- ^ Staff writer (28 September 1953). "A Bonus for Brigance". LIFE. pp. 77–79. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ Martin, Richard (1998). American ingenuity : sportswear, 1930s - 1970s. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 79. ISBN 9780870998638.
External links※
- Tom Brigance collection, 1930s-1960s (bulk 1960-1978) from The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library at The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.