Ronald Amey, of the Burke-Amey clothing label, is a somewhat obscure designer. Though he didn’t have a long career in the fashion industry, what he did design during the 1960s and early 70s was extremely high quality clothing, many with couture details. Use of unique fabrics was his trademark and wealthy socialites and Hollywood actresses were his clientele.
Recently I was fortunate enough to acquire a stunning very early 60s outfit bearing the label. The fabric and workmanship were of such a fine construction that I was compelled to dig up more information on the maker.
60s Ronald Amey red lace cocktail dress set
Below is information I gleaned from one of my favorite books, “New York Fashion, The Evolution of American Style” byCaroline Reynolds Milbanks and a couple of newspaper articles by the famous fashion journalist, Marian Christy.
Originally from a farm in Superior Arizona, Ron Amey, who was interested in fashion from a very young age, ended up in Los Angeles to pursue his dream by studying design at Chouinard in Los Angeles. He only lasted one semester and went off to work in a small fashion establishment where he got a job designing a dress for up and coming singer, Giselle MacKenzie, who was to appear on the Jack Benny Show. He had no technical skills to speak of. So he just cut out the dress freehand from some blue taffeta fabric. Even though he messed it up and made the hemline too short, he made some alterations by dropping the waistline to hip length. And the singer ended up loving it because it looked so different! He even got a job as a delivery boy for the a grocer who catered to the stars. Amey drew up some gown sketches for Lucille Ball and tried delivering them along with her groceries, but ended up being tossed off the property by Desi Arnez. You’ve certainly got to give the guy credit for trying!
After his stint in LA, he joined the Air Force during the Korean War. Apparently he ended up stationed on a base in Clovis, New Mexico, where he made sure to befriend all the officers’ wives. After revealing his design talents to them, they ended up enlisting him to create custom clothing for them. Of course, all of this was done on the QT, and he had fabrics and sewing machines hidden in shower stalls and under beds, so as not to get found out by his commanding officers. This is also where he met his business partner Joseph Burke.
After he was discharged, Amey studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York. After a rocky start in the fashion business, he and his partner started the Burke Amey clothing line in 1959. His clothes were all sewn on their premises and many sold for thousands of dollars in stores all over the country.
From a 1976 article by Marian Christy, Ronald Amey recounted the early days of his fashion career on Seventh Avenue in New York.
“In rapid succession he accepted and was fired from six design rooms on Seventh Avenue, New York’s fashion center. “All those companies hired me on the basis of my originality and when I tried to be original, they insisted I conform,” says nonconformer Amey huffily. As the years dwindled and Amey worked in the shadow of Arnold Scaasi, the American designer who creates originals for Barbra Streisand, he managed to “learn everything about fashion” and to save $10.000. On a sizzling August day he opened his own shop.”
During the latter 60′s and into the 70′s Ronald Amey was known for combining bold colors, prints and fabrics in interesting, unusual ways. He often collaborated with famous textile designer, Tzaims Luksus, who was the first person to win a Coty Award for fabric design. Below is a photo of an amazing coat by the designer that I found on the Pollack Insight blog, where. you can read about how this wearable piece of art ended up in a collection at the Rhode Island School of Design.
70s Ronald Amey Coat
And here’s a Luksus/Amey creation from Vogue circa 70/71 I found on Tzaims Blog, where you can read lots more about Mr Luksus, the talented textile designer.
Ronald Amey Dress/Tzaims Luksus Print
A 1973 article by Marian Christy regarding Ronald Amey’s fascination with sleeves for his fall/winter collection states that his “tricked up” sleeves were for adding emphasis whenever a woman made a meaningful gesture. Most women, Amey goes on to say, have no taste when it comes to accessorizing their clothing. So he made fancy sleeves that didn’t require any jewelry!
Fashion illustration and photo of Ronald Amey
Ronald Amey Jumpsuit Illustration 1976
Prices are rising on this designer’s pieces, especially the ones made with the prints from Luksus. So, when you’re out scouting for vintage, if you see something with the Burke/Amey or the Ronald Amey label for a decent price, snap it up! Because he’s not a household name like some other collectible designers, it is still possible to find his pieces for a reasonable price compared to other couture quality vintage.
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