Charles Kleibacker
Encyclopedia
Charles John Kleibacker (November 20, 1921 – January 3, 2010) was an American
fashion design
er who earned the nickname "Master of the Bias
" for the complex designs of his gowns for women, carefully cut from fabric at a diagonal to the weave.
Kleibacker was born in Cullman, Alabama
on November 20, 1921. His family were the proprietors of a department store in the municipality. He attended the University of Notre Dame
, where he majored in journalism, and worked for a time as a reporter for a newspaper in Alabama. He attended New York University
for his graduate studies.
While working at a clothing store in San Francisco, Kleibacker met singer Hildegarde and her manager Anna Sosenko
at the hotel in which he was staying. He was hired as her driver, primarily because he owned a station wagon large enough to transport the singer's sizable entourage. On tour in Europe, Kleibacker met numerous fashion designers and came to the conclusion that he had an interest in the field while in the offices of Christian Dior
. He submitted a series of his early designs while in Paris in 1954, and earned a post as an assistant at Lanvin
. Back in New York City in 1957, Kleibacker worked for Nettie Rosenstein
.
He started his own collection in 1959 in a brownstone on the Upper West Side
of Manhattan
and by the mid-1960s was designing clothing for some of the city's most exclusive clothiers, including Henri Bendel
, Bergdorf Goodman
and Bonwit Teller
. Hildegarde was one of his few private customers, as well as such notables as Diahann Carroll, Alicia Markova
and Pat Nixon
. He would design clothing in silk and wool crepe, preferring the bias cut as it allowed for designs that appeared to "be cut, not stamped out". Vogue
editor Diana Vreeland
was an early supporter.
He joined the faculty of Ohio State University
as Designer-in-Residence with the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection at the College of Human Ecology, where his work was part of a 2005 exhibit titled "Sculpture and Drapery: The Art of Fashion".
Kleibacker died at age 88 on January 3, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio
due to pneumonia
. At the time of his death, Kleibacker was an adjunct curator of design at the Columbus Museum of Art
, where he had organized several exhibitions on fashion design.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
er who earned the nickname "Master of the Bias
Bias (textile)
The bias or cross-grain direction of a piece of woven fabric, usually referred to simply as "the bias" or "the cross-grain", is at 45 degrees to its warp and weft threads. Every piece of woven fabric has two biases, perpendicular to each other...
" for the complex designs of his gowns for women, carefully cut from fabric at a diagonal to the weave.
Kleibacker was born in Cullman, Alabama
Cullman, Alabama
Cullman is a city in Cullman County, State of Alabama. Cullman is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, and about south of Huntsville. According to the U.S...
on November 20, 1921. His family were the proprietors of a department store in the municipality. He attended the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, where he majored in journalism, and worked for a time as a reporter for a newspaper in Alabama. He attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
for his graduate studies.
While working at a clothing store in San Francisco, Kleibacker met singer Hildegarde and her manager Anna Sosenko
Anna Sosenko
Anna Sosenko was a songwriter and manager who achieved great popularity in the 1930s. Born in Camden, New Jersey, she is perhaps best known as a manager and writer for Hildegarde for whom she wrote "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup". She worked with Hildegarde for twenty years and was her companion...
at the hotel in which he was staying. He was hired as her driver, primarily because he owned a station wagon large enough to transport the singer's sizable entourage. On tour in Europe, Kleibacker met numerous fashion designers and came to the conclusion that he had an interest in the field while in the offices of Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
. He submitted a series of his early designs while in Paris in 1954, and earned a post as an assistant at Lanvin
Lanvin (clothing)
Lanvin is a high fashion house founded by Jeanne Lanvin.-History:Lanvin made such beautiful clothes for her daughter that they began to attract the attention of a number of wealthy people who requested copies for their own children...
. Back in New York City in 1957, Kleibacker worked for Nettie Rosenstein
Nettie Rosenstein
Nettie Rosenstein was an acclaimed Jewish-American fashion designer, based in New York between c.1913 and 1975. She was particularly renowned for her little black dresses and costume jewellery.-Early life:...
.
He started his own collection in 1959 in a brownstone on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and by the mid-1960s was designing clothing for some of the city's most exclusive clothiers, including Henri Bendel
Henri Bendel
Henri Bendel is an American upscale women's specialty store based in New York City that sells fashion accessories, cosmetics and fragrances, gifts and gourmet foods...
, Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....
and Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller was a department store in New York City founded by Paul Bonwit in 1895 at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street. In 1897 Edmund D. Teller was admitted to the partnership and the store moved to 23rd Street, East of Sixth Avenue...
. Hildegarde was one of his few private customers, as well as such notables as Diahann Carroll, Alicia Markova
Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova, DBE, DMus, was an English ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internationally, she was widely considered to be one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of the...
and Pat Nixon
Pat Nixon
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...
. He would design clothing in silk and wool crepe, preferring the bias cut as it allowed for designs that appeared to "be cut, not stamped out". Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
editor Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland was a noted columnist and editor in the field of fashion. She worked for the fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman...
was an early supporter.
He joined the faculty of Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
as Designer-in-Residence with the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection at the College of Human Ecology, where his work was part of a 2005 exhibit titled "Sculpture and Drapery: The Art of Fashion".
Kleibacker died at age 88 on January 3, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
due to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. At the time of his death, Kleibacker was an adjunct curator of design at the Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art
The Columbus Museum of Art is an art museum located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, it was the first art museum to register its charter with the state of Ohio.-Building:...
, where he had organized several exhibitions on fashion design.