Biography
Bonnie Cashin was different from her peers in the fashion industry in most every way, including being born in Oakland, CA, rather than France. She was born in 1915, the daughter of a dressmaker and a photographer, whom moved around often along the California coast (Iverson). Her earliest influence was her mother, whom gave her scraps of fabric, to make her own designs (Nemy). Beginning designing at age 8 and showing sketches for theatre performances by 18, Cashin was on the path to be successful in fashion at a very young age (Spindler). Her sketches were impressive enough to get her a job traveling to New York with a ballet company (Spindler). Through this company she began to design for the Roxyettes Dance Group, which was the rival of the Rockettes (Iverson). Her attention to how a garment moved on the body in motion, led her to her next biggest jobs, working for coat and suit manufacturer, Adler & Adler as well as being commissioned to design uniforms for civilian defense during World War II (Spindler).
Despite her success in New York City, Cashin decided to move back to California and work for 20th Century Fox because as a costumer she was provided with more flexibility under war-time restrictions (Nemy). She created designs for female characters in over 60 movies in her 6 years at 20th Century Fox. Many movies we still consider classics today, like Anna and The King of Siam in 1946 (Spindler). While designing for movies, she also experimented with creating off-screen and off-Broadway clothing; something she had not done in her career thus far. She designed for herself as well as for the actresses she worked with, for their off-screen wardrobes (Iverson). In 1949, she moved back to New York to rejoin Adler & Adler for three more years. Her success grew, mainly because of bold choices like, layering, which had not been done before. This immediate success led to the opening of Bonnie Cashin Designs in 1952 (Nemy). She designed for the functional woman, similar to Claire McCardell and other sportswear designers. She was innovative in her use of moldable fabrics like leather, suede and tweed (Iverson). Her introduction of the brass toggle on clothing, especially for “pocket-purses,” which she was inspired to create based off the closures that were on her convertible top; helped lead to her being the first designer of Coach Purses in the 1960’s (Iverson).
For the next two decades, she created her own ready-to-wear collections under her name, designed for Phillip Sills, designed gloves for Crescendoe-Superb and designed outerwear for Modelia, in addition to her work with Coach (Nemy). In 1968 she was awarded her first Coty award and just 4 years later she was inducted into the Coty American Fashion Critics Hall of Fame (Nemy). Cashin continued to received high-praise and recognition for her work well after her retirement in the 1980’s. She loved to travel and was a generous philanthropist establishing many scholarship programs including, the James Michelin Lecture Series at the California Institute of Technology (Iverson). She died in February of 2000 due to complications from open-heart surgery. Her death was highly publicized, including articles in the New York Times. Even after her passing she continued to be honored by the fashion community with a plaque on the Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue in New York City (Iverson).
Despite her success in New York City, Cashin decided to move back to California and work for 20th Century Fox because as a costumer she was provided with more flexibility under war-time restrictions (Nemy). She created designs for female characters in over 60 movies in her 6 years at 20th Century Fox. Many movies we still consider classics today, like Anna and The King of Siam in 1946 (Spindler). While designing for movies, she also experimented with creating off-screen and off-Broadway clothing; something she had not done in her career thus far. She designed for herself as well as for the actresses she worked with, for their off-screen wardrobes (Iverson). In 1949, she moved back to New York to rejoin Adler & Adler for three more years. Her success grew, mainly because of bold choices like, layering, which had not been done before. This immediate success led to the opening of Bonnie Cashin Designs in 1952 (Nemy). She designed for the functional woman, similar to Claire McCardell and other sportswear designers. She was innovative in her use of moldable fabrics like leather, suede and tweed (Iverson). Her introduction of the brass toggle on clothing, especially for “pocket-purses,” which she was inspired to create based off the closures that were on her convertible top; helped lead to her being the first designer of Coach Purses in the 1960’s (Iverson).
For the next two decades, she created her own ready-to-wear collections under her name, designed for Phillip Sills, designed gloves for Crescendoe-Superb and designed outerwear for Modelia, in addition to her work with Coach (Nemy). In 1968 she was awarded her first Coty award and just 4 years later she was inducted into the Coty American Fashion Critics Hall of Fame (Nemy). Cashin continued to received high-praise and recognition for her work well after her retirement in the 1980’s. She loved to travel and was a generous philanthropist establishing many scholarship programs including, the James Michelin Lecture Series at the California Institute of Technology (Iverson). She died in February of 2000 due to complications from open-heart surgery. Her death was highly publicized, including articles in the New York Times. Even after her passing she continued to be honored by the fashion community with a plaque on the Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue in New York City (Iverson).
Critical Analyses
Bonnie Cashin’s career spanned the length of five decades from the 1930’s to the 1980’s. Each decade brought with it new inventions, social changes and pop culture influences. She was a top American designer, when her peers were commanding the Couture Fashion Industry in France. Her Broadway dance costume designs, as well as her large collection of costumes produced for 20th Century Fox movies from 1937-1946, while an essential influence to her later work, did not necessarily best represent her work or the times in which she created them. In contrast, her sportswear and peacetime uniforms, also a major influence on her later work, were a better representation of the 40’s rigid war-time fashion, but a terrible representation of her own personal style. Author at the New York Times, Amy M. Spindler, states in an article after Cashin’s passing, “To say that the fashion designer Bonnie Cashin was a colorful character is an understatement. Her clothes alone were so colorful that she used them, in open closets and exposed shelves, as her apartment's primary decor.”
She may have gained great success from her work with outerwear company Adler & Adler early in her career, but her real passion was revealed in the 1950’s and 1960’s during a time when great ideas and innovation ruled fashion. During these two decades, stayed ahead of the trends like the “New Look” and continued to make clothing for the functional, working woman. She refused to simply follow trends and said in an interview, “I remember the way a fisherman wore his shirt in Portofino -- the odd chic of the beige and white starched habit of a little nun in Spain -- the straw hat of a man riding a donkey in Rhodes -- a man's wedding scarf in India -- the elegant drape of a panung in Bangkok.” Similar to her, was another rebellious woman designer, Madame Vionnet, whom also focused on functional clothing and had the ability to understand how clothing fits while in motion. It is clear her ideas of fashion were influenced, like many other designers, by Vionnet’s vision. “She had little patience for the inbred fashion industry, which she felt was devoted to hobbling women with its fussy clothes,” states Spindler. Other influences on her may have been Claire McCardell and Jean Patou, both sportswear designers that changed the industry forever.
According to Spindler, Cashin never considered herself in-tune with fashion industry, “Not interested in going the way of contemporaries like Pierre Cardin, putting her name on products she didn't design, she was under-marketed and overlooked by today's standards.” Bonnie Cashin is an icon because she put in the hard work to become one. For multiple decades, during a time when most women were expected to stay at home rather than work, Cashin designed for her own brand as well as four other brands simultaneously. She was honored in the last year of her life by Coach, when they reissued her handbags, as well as by a museum that created a retrospect of her career. She wished not be copied, an impossibility in today’s fashion universe but hoped to be remembered, ''She wished to present her full life story as proof of her conviction that invention and independence are central to the creative process.'' (Iverson)
She may have gained great success from her work with outerwear company Adler & Adler early in her career, but her real passion was revealed in the 1950’s and 1960’s during a time when great ideas and innovation ruled fashion. During these two decades, stayed ahead of the trends like the “New Look” and continued to make clothing for the functional, working woman. She refused to simply follow trends and said in an interview, “I remember the way a fisherman wore his shirt in Portofino -- the odd chic of the beige and white starched habit of a little nun in Spain -- the straw hat of a man riding a donkey in Rhodes -- a man's wedding scarf in India -- the elegant drape of a panung in Bangkok.” Similar to her, was another rebellious woman designer, Madame Vionnet, whom also focused on functional clothing and had the ability to understand how clothing fits while in motion. It is clear her ideas of fashion were influenced, like many other designers, by Vionnet’s vision. “She had little patience for the inbred fashion industry, which she felt was devoted to hobbling women with its fussy clothes,” states Spindler. Other influences on her may have been Claire McCardell and Jean Patou, both sportswear designers that changed the industry forever.
According to Spindler, Cashin never considered herself in-tune with fashion industry, “Not interested in going the way of contemporaries like Pierre Cardin, putting her name on products she didn't design, she was under-marketed and overlooked by today's standards.” Bonnie Cashin is an icon because she put in the hard work to become one. For multiple decades, during a time when most women were expected to stay at home rather than work, Cashin designed for her own brand as well as four other brands simultaneously. She was honored in the last year of her life by Coach, when they reissued her handbags, as well as by a museum that created a retrospect of her career. She wished not be copied, an impossibility in today’s fashion universe but hoped to be remembered, ''She wished to present her full life story as proof of her conviction that invention and independence are central to the creative process.'' (Iverson)
Analyses of Future Trends
Bonnie Cashin’s breadth of designs ranged from gloves, raincoats and Coach Purses, to jumpsuits and “dog leash” skirts. Her innovations of using hardware like brass-knob closures on pockets and purses are still essential to Coach, as well as tons of other purse designers. In addition to her combinations of leather, tweed and hardware, which had never been seen before, she also revived the purse industry with her explosive use of color and functional designs. Her classic design, The Basic, for Coach, had a removable shoulder strap, her signature brass-knob closure and was made in bright colors. She wanted women to have independence from their clothes, leading to the dog leash skirt which could be easily cinched-up for walking up stairs (Spindler). She popularized layering for the first time, inspired by her trips to Asia, especially Japan, where they refer to cold weather as a “nine layer day” and hot weather as a “one layer day” (Iverson). All of these innovations are still seen in today’s market. Cashin signature will forever be her combination of color, functionality, and unique fabric choices that were said “to be thought out like furniture to wear – furniture for a tiny Manhattan Apartment (Spindler).”
Designers like Preen have directly referred to her influence on one of their recent collections, "Bonnie Cashin was on our minds for pre-fall," Preen's Justin Thornton said in London, referring to the sportswear pioneer. "We wanted a very fifties look of American ease—languid with minimal fabrics. A cherry red suit with wide-leg trousers and a boxy jacket had a retro feel, like something Cashin fans Marlene Dietrich and Gloria Vanderbilt would've worn in the designer's heyday (Qureshi).” She inspired their use of leather in high-fashion coats as well. One of her greatest creations, the jumpsuit is now on trend for spring 2012, according to Harpers Bazar. They show photographs of the “reinvented” jumpsuit designs from designers, Derek Lam, Stella McCartney, and Hakaan. The caption reads, “Banish your mind from thoughts of Olivia Newton-John, disco balls, and the like. The new all-in-one is ultrachic, leaving any hint of '70s connotations in the dust. Spring's jumpsuit does both day and evening duty.”
Even though the only Cashin designs you can buy now are vintage, every women has a garment, purse or coat influenced in some way by Bonnie Cashin. Her range of influence well exceeded that of her peers at the time because functionality is something we all expect in clothes; like she did, before it was acceptable to do so.
Designers like Preen have directly referred to her influence on one of their recent collections, "Bonnie Cashin was on our minds for pre-fall," Preen's Justin Thornton said in London, referring to the sportswear pioneer. "We wanted a very fifties look of American ease—languid with minimal fabrics. A cherry red suit with wide-leg trousers and a boxy jacket had a retro feel, like something Cashin fans Marlene Dietrich and Gloria Vanderbilt would've worn in the designer's heyday (Qureshi).” She inspired their use of leather in high-fashion coats as well. One of her greatest creations, the jumpsuit is now on trend for spring 2012, according to Harpers Bazar. They show photographs of the “reinvented” jumpsuit designs from designers, Derek Lam, Stella McCartney, and Hakaan. The caption reads, “Banish your mind from thoughts of Olivia Newton-John, disco balls, and the like. The new all-in-one is ultrachic, leaving any hint of '70s connotations in the dust. Spring's jumpsuit does both day and evening duty.”
Even though the only Cashin designs you can buy now are vintage, every women has a garment, purse or coat influenced in some way by Bonnie Cashin. Her range of influence well exceeded that of her peers at the time because functionality is something we all expect in clothes; like she did, before it was acceptable to do so.