Year Two Research

The culmination of the first year of research reflected upon the ambitious scale of tracing the history the department store in New York City. In order to focus research, the second year shifted to undertaking a case study of Geraldine Stutz and Henri Bendel. Lauren Sagadore took over as research fellow in February 2014, following the departure of the first year fellows.

Undertaking this case study on Stutz equally posed challenges concerning sources for the second year. The fellowship’s initial agenda was to investigate “unknown” women of New York fashion, and it was precisely this “unknown” nature that slowed the research. It is not simply that these stories have yet to be told, but also that they are difficult stories to reconstruct. Similarly to the first year, the project struggled with a lack of secondary sources. Literature of the retail landscape in New York, sparse to begin with, typically studied the 19th and early 20th century, with the second half of the 20th century woefully unaddressed. This presented challenges in building a context in which to situate primary source data for the period in question, from the late 1950s to the mid 1980s. Consequently, it necessitated a stronger reliance on primary sources through which to construct an account of Stutz’s life and impact.

The research practice that ensued highlighted a multi-methodological approach to research, making use of traditional and digital archives, as well as oral history. In light of a minimum of secondary sources, it was very important to reconstruct a historical context of the era (and subsequently would be very important for cross-referencing and fact checking oral histories collected). This was done by turning to period news sources, including trade journal Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue and The New York Times. These sources were available on digital databases that permitted keyword searches, which greatly facilitated collecting relevant articles on Stutz and Henri Bendel.

In addition to accessing digital collections, research was also carried out in a number of brick and mortar archives, making use of New York’s resources in researching fashion. Highlights included viewing and transcribing videos of interviews with Geraldine Stutz herself, with vice-president Jean Rosenberg, and with designer Stephen Burrows, which were all completed at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Other archival adventures included viewing the New York Public Library collection on The Fashion Group in search of two speeches given by Stutz. Research visits also included trips to The New York Historical Society and the Schomburg Centre for Research on Black Culture.

Though information in the public domain accessible through traditional and digital archives formed a base of research, the project was greatly indebted to oral histories. Ethnographic interviews were undertaken to provide valuable insight into Stutz’s character and intimate details on Bendel’s and its position within New York fashion at that time. These personal accounts were a means of compensating for the aforementioned challenges in finding sources. Accounts substantiated and often expanded upon details of Bendel’s and the historical context of the store that had been compiled through periodicals and other archival research.

Much effort was placed on making contact with interview subjects with whom to speak. After some initial difficulties in finding contact information for names mentioned in association with Stutz through news articles, a few key interviews conducted had a snowball effect and led to increasing numbers of contacts. Over the course of six months over a dozen interviews were conducted in person, in addition to a few email interviews, with former Henri Bendel employees, designers, members of the media, family, friends and associates of Geraldine Stutz. These accounts were invaluable in illuminating details of the store, Geraldine’s Stutz’s personal and professional life, and a larger context of New York fashion during this period. Many interview subjects also donated or gave access to personal archival items including scrapbooks, photographs, newspaper clippings and other ephemera related to their time at Bendel’s or concerning Stutz. These were a welcome discovery and contributed to the materials displayed on the website.

At the conclusion of year two, there was a mosaic of primary and secondary source research on Geraldine Stutz and Henri Bendel. The process of collecting this data highlighted the challenges faced by fashion researchers in investigating unknown women in the fashion industry, particularly those engaged in business and retailing. While the initial dismay at the lack of primary and secondary sources seemingly available was daunting, this resulted in careful consideration of method and the use of a diversity of archival materials. Moving forward, the third and final year of the fellowship will involve presenting this material in the form of academic writing, an online digital presence and a public symposium in the fall of 2015.