Day. 6 - Ann Cole Lowe Born: 1898 in Clayton, Alabama Died: February 25, 1981 in Queens, New York Highlight: First African American to become a noted fashion designer. Ann Cole Lowe moved to New York City in 1917, where she enrolled at the S.T. Taylor Design School. After graduating in 1919, Lowe and her son moved to Tampa, Florida where she opened her first dress salon, Annie Cohen, the following year. In 1928, Lowe returned to New York City where she worked on commission for stores such as Henri Bendel, Chez Sonia, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. In 1946, she designed the dress that Olivia de Havilland wore to accept the Academy Award for Best Actress for To Each His Own, although the name on the dress was Sonia Rosenberg. Since Lowe was not getting credit for her work, she and her son opened a second salon, Ann Lowe's Gowns, in New York City on Lexington Avenue in 1950. Her one of a kind designs made from the finest fabrics were an immediate success and attracted many wealthy, high society clients. The Saturday Evening Post called Lowe "society's best kept secret". Over the course of her career, Lowe created designs for several generations of the Auchinclosses, the Rockefellers, the Lodges, the Du Ponts, the Posts and the Biddles. In 1953, she was hired to design a wedding dress for future First Lady Jackie Kennedy. While the Bouvier-Kennedy wedding was a highly publicized event, Lowe did not receive public credit for her work. Throughout her career, Lowe continued to work for wealthy clientele who often talked her out of charging hundreds of dollars for her designs. Lowe later admitted that at the height of her career, she was virtually broke. In 1962, she lost her salon in New York City after failing to pay taxes. However, in 1968, she would open a new store, Ann Lowe Originals, on Madison Avenue. Lowe would retire several years later in 1972. A collection of five Ann Lowe designs are currently held at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Three are also on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. #Day6 #BlackHistoryMonthTribute #2018 #AnnColeLowe
