When people think about classic Hollywood glamour, they usually picture satin gowns, diamonds, old studio portraits, and dramatic red carpets. But many of the people who helped create that image were Jewish actresses, beauty queens, and designers whose influence stretched far beyond film itself. Through costume design, fashion, celebrity image-making, photography, and performance, they helped shape what glamour looked like throughout the twentieth century. What makes that esp

Shavuot begins in two days, which means synagogues will soon fill with white clothes. Wearing white has become one of Shavuots most recognizable customs, symbolizing purity, renewal, and spiritual preparation after the forty-nine days of counting the Omer. However, the connection between Shavuot and clothing goes far beyond aesthetics. Before the Jewish people received the Torah at Mount Sinai, God instructed Moshe in the Book of Exodus: “Go to the people and consecrate them

The history of fashion retail is often told through famous brands, department stores, and powerful business families. Yet many of the biggest changes in the way Americans shop were shaped by Jewish women and Jewish immigrant entrepreneurs who transformed the fashion industry. They did more than open stores, they changed the entire shopping experience. From the rise of department stores and boutique fashion to inclusive sizing and personalized customer service, their ideas res

Before fashion was defined by runways, branding, and designer labels, it was built in crowded garment factories on New York City’s Lower East Side. At the center of that world were Jewish immigrant women whose labor quietly shaped the foundation of the American fashion industry. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish women arrived in the United States fleeing poverty and persecution in Eastern Europe. Many entered the garment industry, becoming the backbone of the

Ida Cohen Rosenthal, a Jewish immigrant in fashion, played a transformative role in shaping the modern bra industry. Born in 1886 in Rakov, Russia, she and her husband, William Rosenthal, immigrated to the United States in 1905. Together, they later invented the modern bra and founded Maidenform, which became a global leader in lingerie. Ida Cohen Rosenthal With limited resources, she managed to purchase a Singer sewing machine on a payment plan and began working as a seamst

Nettie Rosenstein (1890–1980) was a prominent American fashion designer based in New York City. Born Nettie Rosenscrans in Austria-Hungary in 1890, she immigrated to the U.S. with her Jewish family, settled in Harlem, and began a dressmaking business that grew into a successful fashion establishment by 1921. She was known for creating tailored looks that suited a variety of body types and for bringing ready-to-wear fashion, such as “the little black dress,” to American consum

Hattie Carnegie was one of the most influential figures in American fashion during the 1920s-1950s. She was born to a Jewish family in Vienna as Henrietta Kanengeiser and later immigrated to New York City’s Lower East Side. Her career began in the hat-making trade, which she joined at a young age to support her family. In 1909, she and her business partner, Rose Roth, established their own millinery business, which grew over the years. By 1919, Carnegie had bought out Roth an