Voris (designer)
Voris Linthacum Marker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Voris Linthacum 20 September 1908 Baker City, Oregon, U.S.[1] |
| Died | 22 May 1973 (aged 64) |
| Label | Suedes by Voris |
| Awards | Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, 1942 |
Voris was the professional name of Voris Marker, an American designer of suede sportswear who won the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1942 for her work.[2] As Voris Marker, she also worked as a sculptor.[3]
Early life and education
Born Voris Linthacum in Baker City, Oregon according to her marriage certificate,[1] but growing up on a ranch near Billings, Montana, Voris worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency in Chicago after finishing school in Montana.[4]
Career
While in Chicago, she had to have an operation on her leg, which led to her returning home as an invalid.[3] Whilst recuperating, Voris came across a piece of soft chamois leather, which inspired her to use it to make up clothing.[4] She made a golf skirt for a Spokane woman to wear in a tournament.[4] Other players and spectators noticed the skirt, and asked Voris to make them leather garments too.[4] She founded her business, Suedes by Voris, in 1933, and by 1940, had shops in Hollywood (where she sold garments to many actors) and across the Southwest, selling a wide range of clothing entirely made in suede.[4] Her range included day and evening wear, hats, jewelry, and men's jackets, shirts, and ties,[4] made in a wide range of colors.[3] One noted design was a gold-plated evening jacket.[3] When the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli visited Neiman Marcus and was invited to choose any one thing she wanted from the store; she chose a Voris coat as "the most distinctive fashion she had ever seen by an American designer."[3] It has been suggested that this inspired the decision to award Voris the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1942.[3]
Voris later gave up the business to dedicate herself to sculpting.[3] Following her receipt of the Neiman Marcus award, she was commissioned to create a bronze portrait of Herbert Marcus, the co-founder of the store.[3] She made a memorial bust of Gary Cooper for the Friars Club of Beverly Hills in 1961.[3][5]
Personal life
On 29 November 1936, Voris married Clifford H. Marker (1899–1987) who went on to become a President of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners in the early 1960s.[1][6] She died on 22 May 1973.[7]
References
- ^ a b c "Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F3W9-473 : accessed 8 March 2015), Clifford H. Marker and Voris Linthacum, 29 Nov 1936; citing Marriage, Kalispell, Flathead, Montana, county courthouses, Montana; FHL microfilm 1,902,481.
- ^ McDowell, Colin (1984). McDowell's Directory of Twentieth Century Fashion. Frederick Muller. pp. 302–303. ISBN 0-584-11070-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gaskill, Al (29 October 1961). "The Man in the Brown Derby". The Independent Record. Retrieved 6 March 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Staff writer (10 February 1940). "Talented Designer Visits". Arizona Independent Republic. p. 34. Retrieved 6 March 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meyers, Jeffrey (2001). Gary Cooper: American hero (1st Cooper Square Press ed.). New York: Cooper Square Press. p. 357. ISBN 9781461660989.
- ^ Staff writer. "Water, power assets mark milestone". Redlands Daily Facts. UPI. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "California, Death Index, 1940-1997," index, FamilySearch Voris L Marker accessed 8 March 2015, 22 May 1973; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.