Donald Brooks
Encyclopedia
Donald Brooks was an American fashion
designer. Though he was very successful, if not as famous as some of his contemporaries, his passion was his work for the stage and film, designing over 3500 costumes. His efforts were recognized by an Emmy Award
and numerous other honors; he was also nominated three times for the Academy Award and once for a Tony
.
, Brooks attended Syracuse University
followed by the Yale
School of Drama, where he first decided to become a costume and clothing designer. He studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology
and then the Parsons School of Design in New York
. Brooks' first job in the fashion industry was as a window designer for department store Lord & Taylor
. He attracted the attention of Dorothy Shaver, the store's president, who hired him to design a clothing line that year.
By the 1960s, Brooks was a preeminent figure in American fashion, cited by the New York Times as one of “the three B's of fashion” alongside Bill Blass
and Geoffrey Beene
. He opened his first store in 1963.
In addition to his work on Seventh Avenue, Mr. Brooks also designed the costumes for numerous Broadway plays, including Promises, Promises
, No Strings
, and Barefoot in the Park
; television shows including The Letter, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
; and feature length motion pictures such as Star!
, Darling Lili
and The Cardinal
, being nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design
for all three films. His awards include The New York Drama Critics Award, a Tony
nomination, and the Emmy Award
. He was also the recipient of three Coty Award
s for fashion and the Parsons' Medal of Distinction.
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
designer. Though he was very successful, if not as famous as some of his contemporaries, his passion was his work for the stage and film, designing over 3500 costumes. His efforts were recognized by an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and numerous other honors; he was also nominated three times for the Academy Award and once for a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
.
Biography
Born Donald Marc Blumberg in New Haven, ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Brooks attended Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
followed by the Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
School of Drama, where he first decided to become a costume and clothing designer. He studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
and then the Parsons School of Design in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Brooks' first job in the fashion industry was as a window designer for department store Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
. He attracted the attention of Dorothy Shaver, the store's president, who hired him to design a clothing line that year.
By the 1960s, Brooks was a preeminent figure in American fashion, cited by the New York Times as one of “the three B's of fashion” alongside Bill Blass
Bill Blass
William Ralph "Bill" Blass was an American fashion designer, born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is known for his tailoring and his innovative combinations of textures and patterns...
and Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene was an American fashion designer.Beene was born in Haynesville, Louisiana. He studied medicine at Tulane University, but dropped out in 1946, after three years. He moved to New York in 1947 to attend the Traphagen School of Fashion...
. He opened his first store in 1963.
In addition to his work on Seventh Avenue, Mr. Brooks also designed the costumes for numerous Broadway plays, including Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises is a musical based on the 1960 film The Apartment. The music is by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon. Musical numbers for the original Broadway production were choreographed by Michael Bennett; Robert Moore directed and David Merrick produced...
, No Strings
No Strings
No Strings is a musical drama with a book by Samuel A. Taylor and words and music by Richard Rodgers, his only Broadway score written without a collaborator. The musical opened on Broadway in 1962 and ran for 580 performances...
, and Barefoot in the Park
Barefoot in the Park
This article is about the Broadway production. For the film adaptation see Barefoot in the Park .Barefoot in the Park is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The original Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened October 23, 1963, with the four lead roles taken by actors Elizabeth Ashley ,...
; television shows including The Letter, The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles is a 1985 novel by Dominick Dunne based on the sensational Woodward murder case of 1955. It was made into a television movie in 1987, directed by John Erman, and starring Genevieve Allenbury, Ann-Margaret, Elizabeth Ashley, Claudette Colbert and Stephen Collins...
; and feature length motion pictures such as Star!
Star! (film)
Star! is a 1968 American musical film directed by Robert Wise. The screenplay by William Fairchild is based upon the life and career of British performer Gertrude Lawrence.-Plot:...
, Darling Lili
Darling Lili
Darling Lili is a 1970 American musical film. The screenplay was written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, who also directed. The cast included Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp.-Plot:...
and The Cardinal
The Cardinal
The Cardinal is a 1963 film which was produced independently and directed by Otto Preminger, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel by Henry Morton Robinson....
, being nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design
Academy Award for Costume Design
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in film costume design....
for all three films. His awards include The New York Drama Critics Award, a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination, and the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. He was also the recipient of three Coty Award
Coty Award
The Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards were first announced in January 1942 by the cosmetics and perfume company Coty, Inc. to promote and celebrate American fashion, and encourage design during the Second World War. The first awards were presented in January 1943, with Norman Norell winning...
s for fashion and the Parsons' Medal of Distinction.