Born: Maggie Besançon de Wagner in Paris, 1896. Career: Designer for company owned by parents, Drécoll; own house opened, 1929, specializing in sportswear and lingerie; retired, 1948; daughter, Anne-Marie, took over; retired, 1960; house turned briefly to ready-to-wear; closed, 1960s.
Born: Barrington, Illinois, 29 July 1958. Education: Studied art at Arizona State University, graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, 1981.
Born: Milan, Italy, 1 February 1945. Education: Studied design at Accademia delle Arti Applicate, Milan, 1963-65.
Born: Sonia Flis in Paris, 25 May 1930. Education: Attended high school in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Born: Gloria Harris in Scarsdale, New York, circa 1927. Education: Graduated in fine arts, Skidmore College, New York, 1947; studied textile design, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan, 1947; studied painting with Fernand Léger, Paris, 1949; studied architecture with Gió Ponti and Franco Albini, Italy.
Born: Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent in Oran, Algeria, 1 August 1936. Education: Studied at L'École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, 1954.
Opened: in 1924 as a joint venture between Horace Saks of Saks & Co. and Bernard Gimbel of Gimbel Bros.
Born: Spain, 1934. Education: Studied fashion, École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, 1951-53.
Born: Heidemarie Jiline Sander in Wesselburen, Germany, 27 November 1943. Education: Graduated from Krefeld School of Textiles, near Düsseldorf, 1963; foreign exchange student, University of Los Angeles, 1963-64.
Born: Count Giorgio Imperiale di Sant'Angelo in Florence, 5 May 1933; raised in Argentina; immigrated to the U.S., 1962. Education: Studied architecture in Florence, industrial design in Barcelona, and art at the Sorbonne.
Born: Arnold Isaacs in Montreal, Canada, 8 May 1931. Education: Studied fashion design at École Cotnoir Capponi, Montreal, 1953, and at the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne, 1954-55; apprenticed one year with Paquin.
Born: Paris, circa 1936. Education: Studied ballet, Conservatoire de Danse Classique, Paris, and fashion, Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
Born: Rome, 10 September 1890. Family: Married Comte William de Wendt de Kerlor, 1914 (separated); children: Yvonne ("Gogo").
Born: Maria Carmen Nutrizio Schön in Trau, Dalmatia, Yugoslavia, 1919; raised in Trieste and Milan, Italy. Career: Opened atelier, Milan, 1958; first showed own custom designs, 1965; first boutique Mila Schön, spring/summer 1967: silk damask suit (left) and striped linen suit (right).
Born: Carolyn Goldsand in New York City, 5 January 1908. Education: Studied at the New York Training School for Teachers; received B.S.
Born: Amsterdam, Netherlands, 24 November 1945; raised in Australia. Education: Trained as an architect, self-taught in fashion design.
Born: London, England, 27 June 1956. Education: St.
Born: Duchess Simonetta Colonna di Cesaró, Rome, Italy, 10 April 1922. Family: Married Count Galaezzo Visconti di Modrone, 1944 (divorced, 1959); married Alberto Fabiani (divorced); children: Verde, Bardo.
Born: Adele Smithline, in New York City, 28 December 1904. Education: Studied dressmaking at Pratt Institute of Design, Brooklyn, New York, 1921-22.
Born: circa 1952 in Casablanca; raised in Casablanca and Paris. Education: Graduated in fashion design from the Studio Bercot, Paris, 1974.
Born: Paris, France, 29 June 1961. Education: Attended the Lycée Victor Hugo, Paris; followed a one-year course in screenwriting, Paris, 1980; studied fashion design, 1981-83, Paris.
Born: Paris, France, 1969. Education: No formal training in fashion; studied art history at the École du Louvre.
Born: Bexley, Kent, 19 January 1938. Education: Studied at Bromley College of Art, 1956-57, and the Royal College of Art, London, 1958-59.
Attended Beeston Fields Grammar School, Nottingham, England. Career: Opened first menswear shop, Nottingham, 1970; opened in London, 1979; opened New York store, 1987; opened flagship Tokyo shop, 1991; introduced womenswear collection, 1993; opened first women's boutique, Paris, 1994; opened first children's shop, London, 1994; first Jeans shop, London, 1994; introduced watch collection, 1994; offered custom tailoring, 1998; new London flagship, 1998; 13 worldwide stores, sold in more than 40 countries, by 2001.
Born: Willi Donnell Smith in Philadelphia, 29 February 1948. Education: Studied fashion illustration, Philadelphia Museum College of Art, 1962-65; studied fashion design, Parsons School of Design, New York, 1965-67.