Spring Fashion & Accessories

The Arthur McGee Collection can be found in Lots 1 – 18. The collection includes 45 garments and ensembles designed by Arthur McGee (1933-2019), and an archive of personal and business records. A true trailblazer in the fashion world, McGee was the first African American to run the design room of an established Seventh Avenue apparel company in New York City. He was a highly influential designer and has inspired generations of designers through his talent and mentorship. This collection honors the legacy of Arthur McGee and exemplifies the elegant and innovative designs for which he became renowned. The net proceeds of the collection’s sale will benefit a scholarship for emerging fashion designers from Arthur McGee Legacy, LLC.

This lot contains an archive and personal clothing related to Arthur McGee: 

Personal Items: 
Pair of eye-glasses worn by Arthur McGee and the sewing pouch he used to carry his pins, which he wore around his neck. Shirt and scarf worn by Arthur McGee to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Tribute in 2009. The shirt is made of grey wool with long sleeves and a center front button closure. The tie-dyed scarf features a repeat print of the outline of the country of Africa in gold. The shirt and scarf were made and worn by Arthur McGee. Scarf is 44" x 10". 

Awards: 
Four awards given to Arthur McGee in 2009-10. The first is a 2009 "Citation" from the State of New York "Executive Chamber" that states the following "...we take pleasure in honoring Arthur McGee as a world-renowned fashion designer, known as the Dean of African-American designers." The second award was given to McGee in 2009 for being 'A pioneer in the fashion industry" by the "Defining Style Advisory Committee". The third is a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from FIT. The fourth is the "Legacies" award from 2010 (this award has many chips). 

Photographic Prints: 
Hundreds of photographic prints in various sizes and from over decades of time, mostly from the 1980s-2000s. The prints vary from McGee at home, work, and on trips. Some of the people in the images have been identified, such as Bill Cunningham, Cicely Tyson, André Leon Talley, and B. Michael. Most of the prints have been separated into groups and placed into zip-lock bags with notes in them, such as: 
McGee Trip to China 
Arthur McGee Designs and Clothes 
McGee Trip to South Africa
McGee with People Unidentified 
- There is also a photo album with prints from the 2009 Metropolitan Museum of Art's Tribute to Arthur McGee. 

Letters and Postcards: 
Hundreds of letters and postcards addressed to Arthur McGee, mostly from the 1990s - early 2000s. 

Notebooks: 
Five notebooks with design sketches, pinned fabric, contact lists, inspiration sources, and journal entries. 

Collection of Origami: 
Three published books with several packets of paper on Origami. There is an envelope of many folded Origami, some with sections marked out with numbers as if the pieces and pattern were being studied. 

Published Fashion Books: 
Nine published books on fashion, including books on the 1920s, Adrian, Vionnet, buttons, 1960s fashion, and four books on fashion techniques, such as knitting, pattern drafting and grading, sewing, and indigo textiles. 

Personal and Business Records: 
Two manilla folders worth of personal and business records, including an invitation to a 1978 "evening with Arthur McGee" to the invitation to the 2009 Arthur McGee Tribute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to fashion illustrations, and bills. 

Sketches and Patterns: 
A collection of approximately 75 illustrations and patterns by Arthur McGee.

14 CDs: 
Some of these are homemade with handwritten labels, such as: Arthur Mitchell Designs by Arthur McGee, Arthur McGee 1-26-09 Photographer: Don Pollard, others are unmarked, others are music CDs, and a few are copies of the 2009 Metropolitan Museum of Art interview "The Fashion of Arthur McGee".