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Glamour and Innovation: Sally Milgrim

Sally Milgrim got her start working as a dressmaker for her husband Charles’s suit-making business in the 1910s. By the 1920s, her business proved to be so successful that she began creating custom designs for the Hollywood elite and was eventually approached by Eleanor Roosevelt to design her inaugural gown in 1933. This exhibit was curated by Maegan Jenkins, the inaugural Digital Exhibits Intern and MA/MS dual degree student in Costume Studies and Library and Information Sciences at New York University.

Sally Milgrim

(c. April 21, 1898 - June 16, 1994)

Sally Milgrim got her start working as a dressmaker for her husband Charles’s suit-making business in the 1910s. By the 1920s, her business became so successful that she created custom designs for entertainers including Ethel Merman, Pearl White, and Mary Pickford. Milgrim’s line expanded to include eveningwear as well as ready-to-wear gowns and accessories like wraps, furs, and negligees. Milgrim’s attention to detail was apparent in her creations – she often incorporated embroidery, cross-stitch, ruffles, pleats, and embedded crystals. She was approached to design Eleanor Roosevelt’s inaugural gown for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 Inauguration, a high point in her career. The pale blue, floor-length gown was embroidered with a leaf and flower design in gold thread and features detachable sleeves! It also included an intricate belt buckle, and shoulder clips made from rhinestone and moonstone.

Gallery

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    Eleanor Roosevelt’s Inaugural Gown, 1933

    Sally Milgrim designed this slate-blue silk gown for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to wear to the 1933 Inauguration. This innovative gown features detachable long sleeves and a belt buckle and shoulder clips made of rhinestone and moonstone. A leaf and floral pattern has been embroidered into the fabric using a gold thread. It is believed that Eleanor Roosevelt favored simple yet elegant clothing that could be worn again.

    National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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    A Night on the Town

    This fashionable evening hat with a veil and satin ornament was designed by Sally Milgrim ca. 1935-1950. Caroline Ogden Jones Peter, of the Peter family that owned Tudor Place, wore this hat as part of her evening and formal wear.

    Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, Washington, D.C., 8598

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    Eleanor Roosevelt's Inaugural Ball Gown, January 16, 1937

    Sally Milgrim also designed First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s inaugural ball gown in 1937. In this picture, Mrs. Roosevelt poses for a portrait photograph in the White House.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum/NARA

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    Fringed Canton Crepe Dress

    Designed as a fashionable but casual dinner dress, this frock is made of black fringed Canton crepe. Canton crepe is a thick fabric made of silk or rayon in plain weave with fine crosswise ribs. The Sally Milgrim ensemble was part of an August 1921 article from a travel magazine about wardrobe suggestions for summer vacations.

    White House Historical Association

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    “Autumn Silhouette,” Shadowland Magazine

    This advertisement for an ensemble with an “autumn silhouette” features a dress/coat with a peplum and tea-length skirt. The dress also features a fur collar and a fitted hat. This sleek silhouette is touted as a Milgrim original, and the advertisement asks buyers to check the label for authenticity. It appeared in the December 1919 issue of Shadowland, an arts and culture magazine.

    Internet Archive

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    Black and White Checkered Afternoon Gown, 1921

    Actress Dorothy Philips is modeling a black and white afternoon gown with ribbon trim. The dress was featured in an article about mid-summer fashion in the July 1921 issue of Shadowland. Shadowland was dedicated to American arts and culture.

    Internet Archive

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    Sally Milgrim Portrait

    A black and white photo of Sally Milgrim onboard a ship. Circa 1920 – 1925.

    Library of Congress

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