Goodbye Mr. Nolan

January 31st, 2011 § 4 Comments

I, along with so many in the fashion world, was saddened to hear that Charles Nolan passed away this weekend. Mr. Nolan was, in career and in design aesthetic, a quintessentially American designer. He attended FIT, and went on to design first for Garment District dressmakers, and then for Blass and Dior. He made his biggest impact in senior roles at Ellen Tracy and Anne Klein. While today we don’t necessarily think of these Misses/Bridge lines as influential, they are the clothes bought and worn by multitudes of working women. Mr. Nolan wasn’t a master of self-promotion or hype, but a very skilled designer who truly understood what real women wanted to wear.

His shop on Gansevoort St. has been an ongoing source of inspiration. Mr. Nolan’s beautifully designed space was merchandised with his subtle and well-made pieces (produced in the Garment District), interesting jewelry, footwear, ballgowns, books, art, home accessories and even a recently opened vintage section. You could tell that every inch of the shop had been thought about, which I very much admired.

Mr. Nolan's shop

Several years ago, my mother, sister and I stopped into the shop after lunch at Pastis. It was another snowy January, similar to this one. I was immediately drawn to the portrait collar yellow basketweave coat shown below. ‘Vintage Inspired’ is a term too often used, but this coat was retro in the most perfect way — it’s cut had been modernized, and the fit was perfect. This coat continues to be a favorite and treasured part of my wardrobe.