[Deathwatch] Pauline Trigere, fashion designer, 93

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Fashion Designer Trigere Dies at 93 
Thu Feb 14, 8:01 PM ET 
By JUDIE GLAVE, Associated Press Writer 

NEW YORK - Fashion designer Pauline Trigere, known for her impeccable
and imaginative tailoring of women's suits and coats, has died. She was
93.

Trigere died Wednesday night at her Manhattan home, according to her
daughter-in-law, Melanie Radley.

"There is nobody quite like her," said Valerie Steele, acting director
of the Fashion Institute of Technology's museum. "Her coats were
magnificent. Her dresses were very chic. They were designed with a kind
of deceptive simplicity that belied the kind of intelligence that went
into making them."

Trigere lectured often at FIT and left students with mouths agape as
she cut freehand into the most expensive fabric and in a matter of
minutes turned it into a beautiful garment, Steele said.

Trigere kept designing into her 90s. Most recently, she worked with a
Web site and catalog company to make items for style-conscious seniors
like eyeglass cases, pill boxes and hearing-aid pouches.

"Practicality has always been very important in my life and my designs.
You have to make things functional, but that doesn't mean they can't be
attractive," she said in an interview with The Associated Press in
December 2000.

Trigere was among the first to use common fabrics like cotton and wool
in evening wear in the 1940s. In the 1960s, she introduced the jumpsuit
as a fashion staple.

She created clothing for royalty and celebrities, including style icons
like Bette Davis and the Duchess of Windsor. Her designs had such
staying power that her vintage gowns have popped up on Hollywood red
carpets in the 21st century.

"In the time I worked with her, every fashion figure, every
entertainment figure passed through her salon," said Jimmy Newcomer,
who is now assistant chair of fashion design at FIT.

Trigere was born into a French tailoring family and moved to New York
City in 1937.

She won her first Coty Award from the jury of the American Fashion
Critics in 1949. In 1993, she received a lifetime achievement award
from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.