Jeannene Booher is not a designer you hear much about. But she sure was one talented and ambitious lady! I’m sure you’re familiar with the Maggie London label, but did you know that Jeannene Booher designed for that company in the 1980s and also became its vice president? And from the 1960s until she ended up at Maggy London, she not only worked for several other large design houses, and also designed her own collections. The list of companies and designers she worked for is impressive, including Pauline Trigere, Jo Copeland, Arnold Scassi, Adele Simpson, Jerry Silverman’s Jennifer Originals, Dalani, Claret Originals and David Morris.
She began sketching when she was 8 years old, and started making her own clothes at the age of 12. Graduate and former teacher of the Parsons School of Design in New York, she also received the Young Designers Award two years in a row from the Hecht Company, a chain of large department stores originating in Washington D.C. that was later bought out by Macy’s.
A 1967 article in the NY Times by Bernadine Morris stated “A star is born on 7th Avenue as infrequently as on Broadway. But instant success came last week to Jeannene Booher with her first fall collection for Claret.”
“Buyers from stores throughout the country called her clothes the best they had seen at any price, and one compared her to Courreges, Gernreich, Tiffeau and Beene.”
Jeannene Booher dresses for Claret 1968
Jeannene Booher Claret dresses 1968
The famous fashion publicist, Eleanor Lambert, wrote in 1970 ” Jeannene is a whiz at tailoring. She worked for several years at Pauline Trigere and now blends the grace and sophistication she learned from that great artist with her own snappy angular cut, flaring skirts and sense of the waistline.”
Jeannene Booher red, white and blue skirt set for Jerry Silverman 1970
Jeannene Booher jumpsuit and dress of flowing “Santora” dacron polyester knit-1976 for David Morris
In this 1981 Maggie London ad Jeannene Booher is quoted as saying “I never lose site of the body. My clothes are deceptively simple. But the cut, the fit and the shaping become apparent when you put them on.”
Jeannene Booher body conscious silk dress for Maggie London 1981
1970s Jeannene Booher maxi dress for sale at Blue Velvet Vintage.Click on image for more information.
Jeannene Booher flowy floral 70s maxi dress
Jeannene Booher 70s Label
Though Jeannene Booher’s Maggie London fashions are still pretty plentiful, it’s rare to find her earlier designs. So if you appreciate her clean lines, bold graphic prints and timeless style, then this is certainly a desirable label to look for when out on your hunts for vintage designer clothing.
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