#zelda wynn valdes

[legendarytragedynacho]

Zelda Wynn Valdes , A well-known Cuban -American fashion designer and costumer who made outfits for leading performers through the decades, including Josephine Baker, Joyce Bryant, Marlene Dietrich, Ella Fitzgerald, Dorothy Dandridge, Mae West, Gladys Knight, Ruby Dee, Eartha Kitt and Jessye Norman to name a few. She also created the Playboy bunny outfit that stands as one of the most recognizable uniforms globally (and the first to be patented)

#zelda wynn valdes #playboy bunny #fashion desingers #costumer #fashion #american fashion #women designers #uniform

[boricuacherry-blog]

At the apex of her career, Valdes made clothes for Ella Fitzgerald and Maria Cole, Nat King Cole's wife. She designed Cole's famous off-the-shoulder wedding dress in 1948, the very same year in which she opened her own boutique.

#zelda wynn valdes

[h-the-jewel-thief]

Zelda Wynn Valdes (1905-2001) was an iconic American fashion designer and trailblazing business owner.

Zelda Wynn Valdes was the creator of the original Playboy Bunny costume. Valdes began her career in the peak years of Jim Crow segregation, when black seamstresses were largely low-wage...regardless, she became the first black woman to open a store on broadway and dressed many Hollywood stars and her clients were paying her ALOT. She also was responsible for the pieces African-American jazz singer Joyce Bryant wore which got a her nicknamed a sex symbol and 'the black Marilyn Monroe:

#hthejewelthief #black hugh hef #black hugh hefner #Zelda Wynn Valdes

[onthebeatzworld]

Zelda Wynn Valdes

Zelda Wynn Valdes (1905-2001) was an iconic American fashion designer and trailblazing business owner.

As a young woman, Zelda Wynn Valdes started working in her uncle’s tailoring shop in outer New York, while also working in a high-end fashion boutique as a salesgirl. In 1948, she opened her own shop on Broadway in New York City, making her the first African-American to own a store on the highly coveted street. was the creator of the original Playboy Bunny costume. Valdes began her career in the peak years of Jim Crow segregation, when black seamstresses were largely low-wage...regardless, she became the first black woman to open a store on broadway and dressed many Hollywood stars and her clients were paying her ALOT. She also was responsible for the pieces African-American jazz singer Joyce Bryant wore which got a her nicknamed a sex symbol and 'the black Marilyn Monroe:

Zelda Wynn Valdes was known for creating gowns that fit perfectly- regardless of the shape of the wearer, Valdes could create a design that accentuated any woman’s body type. She became one of Hollywood’s most sought after designers, creating dresses for Josephine Baker, Mae West, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, and the wedding of Maria and Nat King Cole.

Zelda Wynn Valdes was commissioned by Hugh Hefner to design the original Playboy Bunny costumes which have become an iconic symbol in pop culture. She was also the New York chapter president of the National Association of Fashion & Accessory Designer (NAFAD), a coalition of black designers that was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune.

#Zelda Wynn Valdes #strictly boss #strictlyboss #bosslife #boss level #black Hugh hefner

[kaimactrash]

wip

Drawing Maureen from that apparently not very good Club Playboy tv show from years ago that got like 3 episodes.

Theres some really high quality photots of the stars of the show in their bunny suits, so I took that and the fact Maureens actress is bi, to make a bi flag bunny suit, bc its fucking cute.

#yes I hate the playboy company and what they stood for but god do I love fashion #especially Zelda Wynn Valdes work she made good shit

[soberscientistlife]

In 1948 Zelda Wynn Valdes opened her own shop on Broadway in New York City which was the first in the area to be owned by an African American.

Valdes moved to New York and opened her boutique, Chez Zelda, on Broadway and 158th Street.

Valdes was a fashion legend who was the first black designer to open her own shop on Broadway in New York in 1948.

She began to develop her skills by studying through her grandmother and working for her uncle’s tailoring business. She made clothes for her dolls and eventually made her grandmother a dress.

Her grandmother was so impressed, despite doubting Valdes could construct an outfit to fit her tall frame. Her grandmother was buried in the same dress Zelda made for her.

Valdes’ first job was at a fancy boutique where she had to try very hard to prove she was capable. Over time her good works were recognized and wanted by those who doubted her as a young black woman.

Valdes moved to New York and opened her boutique, Chez Zelda, on Broadway and 158th Street. She then moved the store to midtown Manhattan on West 57th Street.

Valdes attracted many celebrities such as Some of her clients included other notable black women of her era, including Marian Anderson, Dorothy Dandridge, Sarah Vaughn, Josephine Baker, Joyce Bryant, Ella Fitzgerald and Mae West.

In 1949, Valdes became president of the New York Chapter of NAFAD, the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers, a coalition of black designers that was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune.

At the age of 65, Valdes was hired by Arthur Mitchell to design outfits for the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Later, Valdes was commissioned by Hugh Hefner to design the first Playboy Bunny outfit.

At 83 years old, Valdes closed her business to retire from fashion.”I just had a God-given talent for making people beautiful,” Zelda said during a 1994 interview with The New York Times.

Zelda Wynn Valdes died at the age of 96 in 2001.

African Archives

[yukithesnowman314]

Zelda Wynn Valdes: The Mother of Bunny Girls

View On WordPress

#anime bunny girls #anime fanservice #Black American #Black Creators #Black Designers #Black History #bunny girls #Daicon III #daicon IV #fashion #FBA #Hugh Hefner #Victor Lowens

[eyeliner-and-c1garettes]

Hi dolls! Welcome to my fashion account.

From 2016-2018 I was an avid polyvore user and content creator. And I may say it was one of the most wonderful, fun, and rewarding apps I’ve ever been a part of. Tragically, the app was shut down, and all was lost for my fashion, character creation, and mood board passion.

For a while I was lost…. Until I discovered shoplook in 2019. It brought me so much joy to create then, when I was being charged to post. But tragedy stuck in April 2020, when I was forced to delete my account. After that, I never thought I’d ever be able to make any content there again…. But at last, in 2023, the year of our lord and savior Zelda Wynn Valdes, I finally found the app again! And folks, I’ll be here to stay forever! I’m adding all the sets I make to this tumblr account, but please feel free to pay me a visit on shoplook under the username eyeliner_and_cigarettes. (Follow this link here!)

I believe that fashion can tell a story. And that story can reflect all the aspects of our personalities, hopes, dreams, and fears. I hope you enjoy the fever dream that is my personal style, what I wish I could be versus what I show you here now, enjoy your stay here! 🗝️

#welcome post #fashionblogger #shoplook

[alaniwaves]

designer Zelda Wynn Valdes & Jennifer Jackson

#vintage #fashion #design

[cheeborat]

With everyone drawing bunny suits for the new year, I wanted to remind people that the designer of the suit is Zelda Barbour Wynn Valdes!

#facts #bunny suit #fashion #new year

[theprophet359]

We have centuries of contributions to the fashion industry! It’s no secret that mainstream culture is Black culture and, more importantly, Black style is the foundation on which all things cool exist. Still, many would like to conveniently leave that part out, opting to rename our innate styles under newfangled terminology, but we will never forget. Fashion rockstars like Kanye West and the late, great, Virgil Abloh may seem like supernova stars, but the truth is that they exist because of a long line of fashion forefathers and matriarchs. Black fashion magic isn’t a new concept, and fashion mavens like Kahlana Barfield and Samantha Black are able to run primarily because legends like André Leon Talley walked.  While some of our fashion patriarchs like Dapper Dan were forced into obscurity for decades by gatekeepers, torch bearers like Sean “Diddy” Combs held space in their absence. This intentionality, with the added help of social media’s long memory, made way for an eventual resurgence of the OGs. And now that brands like Dap’s and Karl Kani are back in the game, a new generation is able to properly give them their flowers.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karl Kani🦅 (@karlkani)   It’s impossible to know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been,...

[aimorticia]

Working on a stamp project for my 495 course! Somewhat stressful because I couldn’t be in class on Wednesday so I don't have the access to in person feedback that I am used to. I think my concepts to a degree make sense ( Black Heritage Stamp so I interpret that as a good point to delve into Black contributions in fashion). I will say that Google lied. Zelda Wynn Valdes is not the first notable fashion designer. But she did design something quite iconic.

[twixnmix]

Eartha Kitt during a fitting with Zelda Wynn Valdes in New York City in 1952. Zelda Wynn Valdes is the creator of the original Playboy Bunny costume. In 1948, she opened "Zelda Wynn," her design and dressmaking studio   was the first black-owned business on Broadway.

Photos by Gordon Parks for LIFE magazine

#Eartha Kitt #Life magazine #1952 #nyc #New York City #film #cinema #Actress #african american #1950s fashion #1950s #old hollywood #gordon parks #Zelda Wynn Valdes

[kaimactrash]

She is finally done!! Really love how this one came out, enjoyed trying and failing then trying and not failing as badly with the deeper colour in the shading I did after seeing a tutorial on here and then losing it...lmk if you know what one it is but it was like on tonal colouring and stuff, words!

anyway, this is Maureen from Club Play Boy, a show almost no one saw, and those who did, didn't seem to love it, but hey! the costume work on that show was top-notch.

Maureen usually wears blue but I chose to make her suit the bi flag because her actress, Amber Heard, is bi and tbh I am a sucker for pride flag-coloured clothing.

This was for a bunny month but I missed the deadline then real-life shit happened, so here we are now!

(fuck the Playboy corporation, but damn was Zelda Wynn Valdes a talented woman! the suits are a work of art even if made for a shithead company.)

#my art #kai art #playboy bunny #bunny suit #club playboy #maureen #amber heard #bi #bi flag #bi pride #don't be weird in the comments about amber heard I'm not playing that game I will just block you #my tumblr is not a platform for folks who hate victims of abuse for doing shit millions of vicitms of abuse do

[dreams-in-blk]

Dorothy Dandridge in a strapless magenta gown by Harlem-based designer, Zelda Wynn Valdes – who was famously commissioned to design the first Playboy Bunny outfits by Hugh Hefner.

#dreams in blk #black tumblr #black beauty #vintage black glamour #vintage #dorothy dandridge #black designer #zelda wynn valdes #1950s hollywood #pink