Malcolm Starr was born to be a somebody in fashion. His mother, Claire was a costume designer. His father, Frank Starr, was a well-known figure in the New York textile industry who, in the 1940s, founded the Malcolm Starr clothing company located at 530 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan’s garment district. When Starr senior died in 1969, Malcolm took over the business.
Some of the designer names associated with the Starr label include Bill Tice, Youssef Rizkallah, Elinor (Rizkallah) Simmons, Gino Charles and Carol Horn.
Elinor Simmons was a designer at the company from the early 1960s up to 1972. Youssef Rizkallah joined Starr in 1969, working there until 1975. Carol Horn was at the label during the early years of the 70s.
Those aren’t the only branches in the Starr fashion family tree. In 1966, Starr partnered with Teal Traina to form Gino Charles (a combination of the two men’s middle names). This line was designed by Alan Phillips.
There’s an iconic photograph of the model, Veruschka in 1965 wearing an eye-catching lime green Malcolm Starr maxi dress.
The fashion house continued to operate until 1976 when Starr sold it for a reported 7 million dollars.
In March 2008, Starr passed away following a fall at his Connecticut home; he was 84.
Vintage Malcolm Starr pieces are readily available online and at auction, especially in the USA. Try 1stDibs, eBay and Etsy.
Image credits:
1stDibs | Live Auctioneers
