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Isaac Mizrahi

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Isaac Mizrahi
Born (1961-10-14) October 14, 1961 (age 62)
Brooklyn, New York
NationalityAmerican
EducationParsons School for Design
Label(s)Liz Claiborne New York
Isaac Mizrahi New York
AwardsCFDA: 1991 Womenswear Designer of the Year
2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design

Isaac Mizrahi (born October 14, 1961) is an American fashion designer and the creative director of Liz Claiborne. He is best known for his eponymous fashion lines.

Biography

Mizrahi was born in Brooklyn, NY, and comes from Muslims who lived in Egypt.[1] Although rumored to be the cousin of rock guitarist Sylvain Sylvain (Sylvain Mizrahi), a former player in the New York Dolls who is also of Egyptian Muslim ancestry, the guitarist denies they are related "except in spirit." [citation needed] Mizrahi went to school at NYC's Yeshivah of Flatbush, High School of Performing Arts and the Parsons School of Design.

Fashion

Mizrahi presented his first collection in 1987 at a trunk show held by famed New York department store Bergdorf Goodman. The line immediately earned praise from fashion editors that prompted several top retailers to place orders.[2] In 1992, the French fashion house Chanel bought a stake in the company and began to bankroll its operations.[3] Despite continued critical acclaim, sales were inconsistent; Bloomingdale's executive Kal Ruttenstein stated that Mizrahi had "good years and bad years."[4] This volatility is mainly attributed to the designer's failure to establish a defined aesthetic or "Mizrahi Look", as the frenetic Mizrahi was famed for changing gears each season. Though the company grossed between $10-20 million a year, it never made a profit and in fact lost substantial amounts in its final four years of operation. Chanel eventually tired of the mounting losses and pulled financing in October 1998, forcing the closure of the company after the Fall 1998 collection..[5]

Mizrahi also designed a diffusion line named "IS**C" from 1995-1997. The lower-priced line (in the $275 to $850 range) was meant to diversify the label from the very expensive Isaac Mizrahi collection, but it failed to gain traction and was shuttered in 1997.[6]

Mizrahi returned to fashion in 2002 when he began designing another diffusion collection, Isaac Mizrahi for Target collection. The line was an enormous hit, and soon spread to cover accessories, bedding, housewares, and pet products. Sales volume tripled over five years to over $300 million and introduced the designer to mainstream America.[7] The line was discontinued in 2008 as Mizrahi left for Liz Claiborne.

Media

Mizrahi has made appearances in numerous television shows and movies since the 1990s. In 1995, a movie was released about the development of his Fall 1994 collection called Unzipped. In fall 2005 the Isaac show debuted on Style Network. He previously had a show on the Oxygen network.

He often appears on many of E!'s programs and has become well-known for being flamboyant and considered by some to be rude. He also appeared as himself in the episode "Plus One is the Loneliest Number" of the fifth season of Sex and the City and also in an episode of Spin City.

He also guest starred on the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, in which he played a reporter for the cable channel Fashion TV in the episode "Lose the Boss".

Mizrahi also appeared as himself in The Apprentice season 1 (episode 6) as one of the celebrities auction for The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Currently, Mizarhi co-hosts the new Bravo series "The Fashion Show," which premiered May 7, 2009.

Mizrahi appeared on the public radio game show, Wait, Wait, Don't tell me September 16, 2006. He said "Fat is the new black."[citation needed] (http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=09-16-2006&view=storyview)

Isaac Mizrahi also stated that he sees himself as an entertainer who can sing and act. On his oxygen network show, he sang jazz in a nightclub. He also has acted in films before. He was in Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks and Hollywood Ending.

2006 Golden Globes

Mizrahi was an interviewer for The Red Carpet Show on E! for the Golden Globes in 2006. He took liberties with many female actresses, including looking down Teri Hatcher's dress, and feeling Scarlett Johansson's breast, over which she later expressed discomfort.[8] He drew attention to Hilary Swank about being single given that she recently separated from her husband, Chad Lowe. He also asked many celebrities whether they were wearing underwear.

Costume design

Mizrahi has also worked as the costume designer for three Broadway revivals, including two plays (The Women in 2001 and Barefoot in the Park in 2006), and one operetta (Threepenny Opera in 2006). For his work on The Women, Mizrahi won the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.

Mizrahi was also costume designer in the Metropolitan Opera's 2008 production of Orfeo ed Euridice.

Other projects

He made a series of comic books called Sandee, the Adventures of a Supermodel, published by Simon & Schuster.

Mizrahi is currently the spokesperson for Basic Research shell company Klein-Becker's StriVectin anti-wrinkle cream.

He is developing "The Collection," a one-hour scripted project that draws on the experiences of the designer for The CW Network.

Mizrahi narrated the children's classic Peter & The Wolf at the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process performing arts series in December 2007.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hartog, Kelly (2006-12-11). "Red carpet rascal". The Israeli Post. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574305121066294920.html
  3. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574305121066294920.html
  4. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/120837
  5. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/93442
  6. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/93442
  7. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/business/16design.html
  8. ^ Usmagazine.com | Scarlett Johansson: Sexiest One-Eyed Woman Alive
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