Jo Copeland

Jo Copeland (1899 – March 20, 1982) was an American fashion designer. She received the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1944.

Jo Copeland
Born	1899 (1899) New York, New York, US
Died	March 20, 1982(1982-03-20) (aged 82–83) New York, New York, US
Education	Parsons School of Design
Occupation	Fashion designer
Spouse	Edward J. Regensburg Jr.
Children	2, including Lois Gould
Awards	Neiman Marcus Fashion Award

Early life and education

Copeland was born in New York City in 1899 to parents Samuel and Minna Copeland, however her mother died during childbirth.^[1] Copeland was educated in New York at Parsons School of Design and Art Students League of New York.^[2]

Career

After graduating from the Parsons School of Design, she began working as a designer which paid enough to help put her older brothers through Harvard Law School.^[1] Copeland began selling her own designs as a commercial artist to manufacturing firms^[3] and was hired by Pattulo Models Inc in 1920 as a fashion illustrator.^[4]

After World War II led to the liberation of Paris, Copeland began looking at other sources of inspiration for fashion including China and South America.^[5] She also persuaded other American fashion designers to become independent from Paris' influence.^[4] Copeland was so determined to not be influenced by Paris that she refused to travel to the city after 1947.^[6] By 1949, she was promoted to partner at the firm Pattulo Models Inc^[3] and eventually became Vice-President and Head Designer at Pattulo-Jo Copeland Inc. where she earned a reputation for refusing to conform to typical fashion norms.^[7]

Copeland designed the buttoned, two-piece suit for women to wear without a blouse.^[2] She rejected the Mod style as desperation to be noticed and a sign of immaturity.^[8] As a result, many of her designs incorporated an extended torso and skirts no shorter than two inches above the knee.^[7] She received the 1944 Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for her designs.^[4]

Copeland died on March 20, 1982, from a stroke.^[4] A collection of her designs is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[9]

References

1. Gould, Lois. "Jo Copeland". jwa.org. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
2. Fischel, Jack R. (December 30, 2008). Encyclopedia of Jewish American Popular Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 114. ISBN 9780313087349. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
3. Tierney, Tom (June 1, 1987). Great Fashion Designs of the Forties Paper Dolls: 32 Haute Couture Costumes by Hattie Carnegie, Adrian, Dior and Others. Courier Corporation. p. 17. ISBN 9780486253862. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
4. Chira, Susan (March 21, 1982). "Jo Copeland, A Fashion Designer Noted for Two-Piece Suit, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. 39. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
5. Lou Taylor; Marie McLoughlin (January 9, 2020). Paris Fashion and World War Two: Global Diffusion and Nazi Control. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 152. ISBN 9781350000285. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
6. Jonathan Walford (October 10, 2012). 1950s American Fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9780747812807. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
7. Hinton, Sarah (February 22, 1968). "Gimmicks Don't Interest Jo Copeland". Burlington Daily Times News. North Carolina – via NewspaperArchive.
8. Hennessy, Helen (November 14, 1965). "Jo Copeland Dislikes The Mod Look". Cedar Rapids Gazette. Iowa – via NewspaperArchive.
9. "Evening dress ca. 1965 Jo Copeland". metmuseum.org. Retrieved January 31, 2020.