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Zelda Wynn Valdes (1905 - 2001)

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Zelda Wynn Valdes was an extremely successful Black fashion and costume designer. She was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where she began teaching herself to sew by studying the work of her grandmother's seamstress. In a 1994 interview with The New York Times, Valdes recalls a time where she designed a dress for her grandmother, and that when she asked her grandmother if she could, she responded by saying, "Daughter, you can't sew for me. I'm too tall and too big," but she did anyways and the dress was a perfect fit. After graduating high school, her family moved to White Plains, New York, where she worked at her uncle's tailoring shop, and later at an upscale boutique, where she became the boutiques first black sales clerk and tailor. 

In 1948 at age fourty-seven, Valdes opened her own boutique, called Chez Zelda. She is recognized as being the first Black designer to open her own shop, which was the first Black-owned business on Broadway. She designed elegant dresses that accentuated and celebrated the female figure, made for women of all shapes and sizes. Many of her dresses were sleeveless, with a low, heart-shaped neckline, and a shape that hugged around the waste. Her iconic style was extremely desired in the world of Hollywood, as her dresses were worn by famous entertainers such as Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker, Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Ma West, Ruby Dee, and many others. She was a master at her work and her custom dresses always fit live gloves. Zelda designed for Ella Fitzgerald for over twelve years, but only measured her once and based sizing off of the recent images of Fitzgerald in the news. She also designed for singer Joyce Bryant, a huge star in the Black community in the early 1950s. Valdes is responsible for the signature look that Bryant developed by beginning to wear Valdes's dresses. This led to Bryant being placed on the cover of Life Magazine, and coining the nickname "the Black Marilyn Monroe." Valdes popularity only kept increasing, as more and more stars wanted to rep her signature style. 
Joyce Bryant in classic Valdes dress


In 1958, Valdes caught the attention of Playboy Magazine's founder Hugh Hefner, and he hired her to design the first Playboy Bunny costumes. 


Playboy Bunny costume


Then in 1970, Valdes began designing costumes for the Dance Theater of Harlem, where she would work until her death in 2001 at age 96. She designed costumes for over eighty productions, and played an important role in promoting dancers of all colors. Valdes strayed away from the tradition pink ballet tights, and had the dancers wear tights that were died to match their skin tone. She wanted to combat the traditional aesthetic that all ballet dancers are meant to be the same color, and stood for diversity in dance through her costume designs. Not only did Valdes promote diversity in the world of dance, but she also did in the world of design. She was the president of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers (NAFAD), which was an organization of Black designers which was founded on the sole purpose of promoting Black designers. Valdes made it her mission to help Black female designers in a profession largely dominated by white men. 

Valdes was a very inspiring and talented designer in history. All of her work was devoted to celebrating women and people of color by designing costumes and dresses meant to make women feel beautiful, and by paving the way for Black female designers. She knew that it was important that dresses are designed to fit the woman, and not vice versa. Also, it was very difficult at the time to be recognized in both the world of fashion design and costume design, but Valdes prospered in both. Despite all of her success, Valdes remains overlooked in fashion history studies. 


Written by Lia Sgarzi


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