Lydia de Crescenzo was an Italian fashion designer known as Lydia de Roma (Lydia of Rome), specialising in

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical spor ...

Biography

de Crescenzo was born in Buenos Aires and grew up in Paris. Her father, who worked in the fashion industry as a buyer, came to Italy just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and opened a shop for imported goods, with the assistance of his daughter as a designer.Part 2
/ref> After the War, there was no ability to import goods, resources were low, and their business was in danger, which inspired de Crescenzo to make clothing out of unwanted trousseau sheets and tablecloths, and even mattress

ticking Ticking may refer to: * Ticking (sound), a sharp, rhythmic sound * Ticking (textile), a kind of textile * "Ticking" (song), song by Elton John on the 1974 album, ''Caribou'' * ''The Ticking'', a 2006 comic book by Renée French * White ticking, ...

, incorporating the embroidery already on the linens. de Crescenzo told Marcia Corbino of the

Sarasota Journal The ''Sarasota Journal'' was an American daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. ...

, that when she started out in business, it was very difficult for professional women in Italy to be taken seriously; and that clever businesswomen were distrusted. She launched the Lydia de Roma business in 1961. By 1962 Lydia de Roma clothing was being retailed by

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...

and becoming known for its sophisticated use of Italian fabrics and needlework. Marjorie Griswold, the influential buyer for

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was an American department store chain founded in 1826 by Samuel Lord. It had 86 full-line stores in the Northeastern United States at its peak in the 2000s, and 38 locations at the time of its liquidation in 2021. The Lord & Tay ...

who had introduced

Emilio Pucci Emilio Pucci, Marchese di Barsento (; 20 November 1914 – 29 November 1992) was an Italian Marquess, aristocrat, fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company Pucci designed geometric prints in many colors. Early life Pucci wa ...

and

Claire McCardell Claire McCardell (May 24, 1905 – March 22, 1958) was an American fashion designer of ready-to-wear clothing in the twentieth century. She has been credited with the creation of American sportswear. Early life McCardell was the eldest of four ...

among others to the department store's clientele, noted Lydia de Roma as one of her recent discoveries in 1964. de Crescenzo's distinctive embroidered motifs were drawn from various sources, such as 16th century flower designs from

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (; ; 14 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German Renaissance polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, knight, theologian, and occult writer. Agrippa's ''Three Books of Occult Philosophy'' pub ...

's ''Strange Medical Gallery''. By 1977, de Crescenzo's two daughters, Nicoletta and Rossella, had joined her in business, helping her design. Nicoletta had already had designing success as Nicoletta of Rome, creating clothing to be manufactured by

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a mail-order business and later a department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001; its common nickname was "Monkey Wards". ...

and sold through their Brentshire Designers line in 1966, as well as having her work presented alongside her mother's. In 1977 Lydia de Crescenzo was still working to the

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

principle, employing home-workers to embroider and sew her work, including women whose husbands would not allow them to work away from home and young

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

students.

Awards

* 1967:

Neiman Marcus Fashion Award The Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion was a yearly award created in 1938 by Carrie Marcus Neiman and Stanley Marcus. Unlike the Coty Award, it was not limited to American-based fashion designers. Recipients of th ...

for producing "Italy's finest hand-embroidered play clothes."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crescenzo, Lydia de Italian fashion designers Designers from Buenos Aires People from Rome Italian women fashion designers 20th-century Italian businesswomen 20th-century Italian businesspeople Date of birth missing Date of death missing