Tina Leser was an American fashion designer. Part of a generation of pioneering sportswear designers, Leser was particularly known for her global influences.
Personal life
Tina Leser was born Christine Wetherill Shillard-Smith in Philadelphia. She studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the School of Industrial Arts in Philadelphia, and the Sorbonne in Paris. Leser made her debut in Philadelphia in 1929. Tina married Curtis Leser in November 1931 and the couple moved to Honolulu. In 1936, the Lesers divorced. In 1948, Tina Leser married James J. Howley. The couple had one daughter. In 1949, Leser and Howley took a round the world honeymoon that helped to develop Leser's international aesthetic. In 1982, the Long Island home of Leser and Howey was burglarized. Two million dollars worth of art and silver were stolen, including a Picasso and a Monet. The thieves were caught. Leser's mother, Georgine Shillard-Smith, founded the Gulf Coast Art Center. Leser was president of the organization from 1952 to 1954. The Gulf Coast Art Center closed in 2009.
Career
Leser opened a store in Honolulu in 1935. Until it closed in 1942, the store sold resort wear, primarily playsuits and coverups, designed by Leser. Fabrics used included sailcloth, Hawaiian and Filipino fabrics. Encouraged by Edna Woolman Chase and Carmel Snow, Leser met with buyers at Saks Fifth Avenue who purchased 500 playsuits from Leser. Leser briefly ran her own company in New York from 1941 to 1943. Her 1941 collections included Hawaiian palanka fabric, hand painted fabric, and menswear. At that time, her business was headquartered at 1 West 47th Street in Manhattan. A 1941 article describes her salon as having "hand-painted satin drapes and sea-shell chairs." From 1942 to 1952, Leser designed for the Edwin H. Foreman sportswear company. While working with Edwin H. Foreman, Leser introduced harem pants, dhoti pants, and toreador pants as "at home" clothing for American women. In 1952, Lesser again founded her own company, Tina Leser Inc., which she headed until her retirement in 1964. The headquarters were at 550 7th Avenue in Manhattan. During this phase in her career, Leser promoted hand painted Hawaiian print, sarong-type play clothes, and cashmere dresses. From 1949 to 1953, Leser organized the Tina Leser prize for Japanese designers. Leser's celebrity clients included Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard, Audrey Hepburn, and Kim Novak. Leser designed costumes for the 1950 film Born to be Bad. Star Joan Fontaine said "the only acceptable art of the film was my wardrobe designed by Tina Leser." Leser also designed the costumes for the 1946 Broadway musicalPark Avenue. Tina Leser died on January 23, 1986.
