ELLIS, PERRY 1940-1986

Fashion designer

Styles

Perry Ellis, often grouped with other classic sportswear designers such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, designed for both men and women. Eternally antitrendy, he refused to join the label fad of the 1980s. He showed much talent in carrying out a theme, whether inspired by an artist such as Sonia Delauney (winter 1986 collection) or by Chinese export ceramics (spring 1986 collection). He was particularly known in the 1980s for his popular female silhouette: an oversized, boxy jacket worn, first, with long pleated skirts and, later in the decade, with shorter, narrower skirts. He borrowed from the 1920s, showing pleated straight linen skirts, loose linen jackets, and jumpers with puffed sleeves, all in white, cream, or pastels. Ellis's clothes captured a young, adventurous spirit, and he was known for the use of natural fabrics and painterly colors. Ellis's loafers and his trademark hand-knitted sweaters in cotton, silk, and cashmere were coveted in the 1980s. He received many Coty American Fashion Critics' awards, including several Return awards. He entered the Hall of Fame for his women's lines in 1981 and for menswear in 1984. He was also recognized by the Menswear Fashion Association of America as Outstanding U.S. Designer in 1983 and 1984.

Life

Ellis was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1940. He earned a B.A. at William and Mary College and an M.A. in retailing from New York University. He began as a sportswear buyer for several companies, learning sketching, pattern making, and fabric selection along the way. In 1975 he expanded his career by designing with the Portfolio Division of Vera Companies, and three years later he established Perry Ellis Sportswear. His menswear company began in 1980.

Expansion

In his years as president of his own company Ellis designed furs, shearling coats, a successful sportswear line for export to Japan, and a less-successful line of children's clothes. He eventually expanded his business to include shoes, leg wear, scarves, and Vogue patterns. His sheets, towels, and blankets for Martex were classically designed, like his clothes. His handmade sweaters and other articles made with fine fabrics and intricate crafting were expensive, but in 1984, like many other designers during the decade, he launched a moderately priced line. He paired with the jeans company Levi Strauss to make the "American Line," which included items such as sixty-dollar sweatshirts. This venture was not as successful as his more-expensive sportswear lines. In May 1986 Ellis, who was too frail to walk down the runway, was given a dramatic standing ovation on receiving an achievement award at a New York fashion show. He died later that month, at age forty-six. It was quietly understood, especially after his last public appearance, that he had suffered from AIDS. Because of the stigma attached to the disease, Ellis never disclosed his illness publicly. His company is now headed by his former design assistant, Patricia Pastor. In 1988 a respected young designer, Marc Jacobs, was selected as head designer.

Sources:

Jennet Conant, "A Designer's Death: AIDS and the Fashion Industry," Newsweek, 107 (9 June 1986): 25-26;

Jonathan Moor, Perry Ellis: A Biography (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988).