DOROTHY SHAVER: PROMOTER OF "THE AMERICAN LOOK"

Author

Tiffany Webber-Hanchett, University of Rhode Island

Date of Award

2003

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design

Department

Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design

First Advisor

Linda Welters

Abstract

In the Depression year of 1932, Dorothy Shaver, the newly appointed vice president of Lord & Taylor, featured three young American designers in the department store's advertisements, window and store displays. Until this point, most American designers worked anonymously for manufacturers and retailers, many copying and interpreting Parisian fashions for the American market. Shaver's promotion of Elizabeth Hawes, Annette Simpson, and Edith Reuss in April 1932 was a successful effort to recognize American designers by name as the French couturiers were known. Shaver saw the need to pay tribute to domestic talent and in doing so, she became a trailblazer in bringing American fashion designers out of obscurity. However, Shaver is often only briefly credited for her contributions in costume and fashion history books.

With the use of her personal records and store archives along with interviews former colleagues, this study examines the impact of Dorothy Shaver's promotional ideas and decisions on the American fashion industry. During her tenure at Lord & Taylor (1924-1959), particularly her years as vice president (1931-1945), Shaver expanded the store's merchandising and marketing policies toward the furtherance of American fashion, which included the launch of ''The American Look" advertising campaign in 1945. She also played a vital role in changing the face of department store retailing in the first half of the twentieth century and created new opportunities for women in the fashion business.

Recommended Citation

Webber-Hanchett, Tiffany, "DOROTHY SHAVER: PROMOTER OF "THE AMERICAN LOOK"" (2003). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2451.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2451