1. Liz Claiborne
Devin Case

2. Biographical Information
Liz Claiborne was born in Brussels, Belgium on
March 31st, 1929.
After moving to the U.S. in 1939, when she
was 19 she decided to live in N.Y.C.
Her father did not approve,but she always
aspired to be a fashion designer.

3. The Early Years
 In the 1950s Claiborne designed sportswear, dresses, and
tailored clothing.
 She then became the designer for the junior dress division of
Jonathan Logan from 1960-1975.
 Although she liked her job she saw a need for something new
and different in women’s clothing.
 Claiborne wanted to create more comfortable, but professional
clothes for working women.

4. Liz Claiborne Inc.
 In 1976, Claiborne founded her company, Liz Claiborne Inc.
 Her clothes became instantly popular.
 The company went public in 1981.
 By 1985, the company was listed
on Fortune 500.
 Her company being the first founded
by a woman to have this honor.

5. Claiborne Changes the Way Women
Dress For Work
 Claiborne’s idea was to give women their
own identity through the clothing they
wore.
 She created a look that was more
feminine and attractive, yet still classic
and conservative.
 During this time period women were
just beginning to enter the business world,
they needed a style of their own.

6. How Women Obtained Their Own Style
 Women needed a way to show they were different from men
and Claiborne helped them achieve it.
 Before her women’s clothes consisted of dresses and skirts
with matching blazers or suits just like men.
 Claiborne created new pieces for
women such as high-waisted pants
that flared at the bottom and
long-sleeved button-down shirts.
 All her new clothes were
also reasonably priced.

7. Other Contributions Claiborne Made
to Women’s Clothing
 Claiborne introduced
the idea of separates,
pieces of clothing that
women could mix and match.
 This idea lead to changes
in the displays of
department stores.
 Instead of having the pants
with the pants and the shirts
with the shirts, she had “outfits”.
 Claiborne had the pants with
the shirts and color combinations
to match.
 She also brought in bright, vibrant
colors, like bright red, yellow, and
royal blue which made her clothes more appealing.

8. Claiborne’s Successes and Awards
 Claiborne and her husband founded The Liz Claiborne
and Art Ortenberg Foundation to protect wildlife
after she resigned from the company.
 She then received the Humanitarian Award in 2000.
 She was inducted into the National Business Hall of
Fame with her husband in 1990 and the National
Sales Hall of Fame in 1991.

9. Liz Claiborne In Review
 Claiborne was a strong business
woman, she changed the way
women dressed for work.
 She added new styles and color
to women’s clothing providing good
fit, color, comfort, and value.
 Claiborne was an inspirational
fashion designer until her death on
June 26, 2007.

10. Works Cited
 Barker, Olivia. "Liz Claiborne, icon of fashion; Designer added 'more choice, fun' to
wardrobes of career women; [FINAL Edition]." ProQuest. USA TODAY, June-July
2007. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2009. <http://proquest.umi.com/>.
 Horyn, Cathy. "Can Liz Claiborne Get Its Groove Back?" ProQuest. New York
Times Magazine, Fall 2008. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2009. <http://proquest.umi.com/>.
 Johnson, Rebecca. "Queen of the Separates." ProQuest. New York Times Magazine,
Dec.-Jan. 2007. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2009. <http://proquest.umi.com/>.
 "Liz Claiborne Biography." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 22 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ch-Co/Claiborne-Liz.html>.
 Picture URL’s:
 www.beastieboys.com/ bbs/showthread.php?p=1669450
 www.nndb.com/people/ 497/000055332/
 dailysplice.com/ LBC-Liz-Claiborne-podcast
 modadimagno.blogspot.com/ 2007_06_01_archive.html
 blogs.seattleweekly.com/ threadcount/2007/06/
 www.brandsoftheworld.com/ logo/L/liz_claiborne..
 www.coutorture.com/ tag/shopping?page=3
 careers.astate.edu/ interviewattire.html
 www.blogthecoast.com/.../ archives/shopping/