Jane Derby (born Jeanette Fleming Barr; May 17, 1895 – August 7, 1965)[1] was an American fashion designer.[2][3][4]

Biography

Jeanette Fleming Barr was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia in 1895, Derby first worked as an apprentice designer before opening her own business in 1936 in New York.[3] She later opened Jane Derby, Inc., in 1938, which she ran continuously until her death in 1965 (with the exception of during World War II).[3] She was one of the first fashion designers to show the short dinner dress.[5] In 1951 she received the Winnie award of the Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards.[5]

She was married to Arthur Lawrence Derby from 1915 until his death in 1961, and in December 1964 remarried to Ross Cuthbert (1892-1970), a former Olympic ice hockey player and retired lieutenant colonel of the British Army.[6] Derby had children, including a son, Arthur (1916-1944), who was killed in action in World War II.[5]

Derby died in Bermuda in August 1965, aged 70.[7] Oscar de la Renta then took control of her company, having worked there before her death.[8][9][10]

References

  1. ^ "Jeanette Barr Derby". Find a Grave. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Adrian Room (September 20, 2012). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. pp. 142–. ISBN 978-0-7864-5763-2.
  3. ^ a b c Caroline Rennolds Milbank (November 1989). New York fashion: the evolution of American style. Abrams. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-8109-1388-2.
  4. ^ Kent University Museum Archived March 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ a b c "The Milwaukee Sentinel - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. September 25, 1951.
  6. ^ "Jane Derby Remarried". The New York Times. December 23, 1964.
  7. ^ "Charlottesville Funeral Set For Fashion Designer". The Progress-Index. August 9, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Óscar de la Renta 1965". Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  9. ^ "Jane Derby". Vintage Fashion Guild. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  10. ^ "Oscar de la Renta, American Elegance". Kent University Museum. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.


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