by “Where in the world is Mary McFadden?”
That would be a fair question on any given day in any given year for 70 years or so for Mary McFadden. But the inveterate traveler and New York fashion designer and artist is putting down roots by establishing the Mary McFadden Archive at Drexel University.
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Before the opening reception for the exhibit, “Modern Ritual, The Art of Mary McFadden,” on the Philadelphia campus, the 95-year-old spoke to WWD about her career, her 11 marriages and why she still believes in love. The show showcases her hand-painted textiles, exquisite beading, bejeweled embellishments and signature Marii pleating.
WWD: So many institutions must have wanted your archives. What made you decide on Drexel?
Mary McFadden: Yes, but Philadelphia is closest to my heart. My family is from Philadelphia. They were in the cotton business. I was too young to remember. Also, the center of the cotton business at that time was in Memphis, Tenn. We lived there on a cotton plantation.
WWD: How did that influence your decision to go into fashion and design?
MM: It didn’t affect him at all. When you live on a cotton plantation, you’re pretty isolated. I think I became interested in art, travel and fashion through the lore and traces of my family.
WWD: Was that by studying at Columbia University or La Sorbonne?
MM: Going to Europe [to study at the Sorbonne] at 17 or 18 helped a lot. It was so understandable.
WWD: That seems outlandish to someone aged in the early 1950s.
MM:. I had a couple of friends, who were, of course, older than me, who were doing the same thing.
WWD: As someone who attended Columbia University, what do you make of what is happening now on campus with the student protests?
MM: I relate so much to that. I mean watching it carefully every day. I never had a situation like that when I was there. I hope it will be resolved as soon as possible.
WWD: What made you go into fashion?
MM: That was inevitable; since I was born, I was always interested in how I dressed and building things. [McFadden also studied at Ecole Lubec, The New School for Social Research and the Traphagen School of Fashion.]
WWD: How many garments have you saved over the years and what are some of your favorites?
MM: About 100 – all of them. Check them out and tell me which ones you like.
WWD: Did you enjoy working in public relations for Dior in New York in the 1960s?
MM: Of course; I met the heads of Dior at a cocktail party, and I told them that I would like to come for an interview the next day. And they accepted me. The whole time was very favorable.
WWD: Are you surprised that Dior is so ubiquitous today and so much a part of the culture today that many people want to buy it?
MM: It was not part of the culture at my time. He was very reserved. It is better that it is aspired to.
WWD: What was your experience of being in South Africa when your first husband Philip Harari worked for De Beers and later lived there? [in 1968 following their divorce]?
MM: De Beers was just starting out in South Africa so you can imagine how simple everything was – the mines, life. I was there for five years and my job at Vogue South Africa was arranged by Diana Vreeland. She was my family friend, always helping me.
WWD: When you started your company in 1976, did you know it would succeed?
MM: At that time, no one knew that anything would succeed. Diana Vreeland’s support gave me the confidence to do it. She was just encouraging.
WWD: What do you like about your early designs?
MM: I think they are all terrible. They were not very good. That’s my feeling. They got better. They were bad adaptations, bad colorations, bad combinations. Everything was terrible.
WWD: It must have sold pretty well if you kept going.
MM: Well, I was also the editor of all these different magazines [at different times] so I could put them in all the magazines.
WWD: Do you think that was fair or enterprising?
MM: I think that was fair, because I had the best stuff on the market.
WWD: What has helped you become more agile or precise in your design work?
MM: I don’t know if that much goes into the designs. They started out like that.
WWD: But there is such elegance to your work. Is that the influence of art, or years of practice?
MM: Competition.
WWD: Who were the main competitors?
MM: I have no competitors. I had no competitors at that time. The competition was to stay in business, be profitable and be successful.
WWD: What is the secret to being successful in fashion design?
MM: A good dress that people want to buy.
WWD: Do you have a favorite?
MM: I wear everything in sight in my closet.
WWD: Did you enjoy leading the CFDA in the early 1980s and being a part of it today?
MM: Of course.
WWD: But it must have been difficult, because there were so many strong-willed people, no?
MM: I never noticed that.
WWD: What inspires you about fashion design today?
MM: It is inevitable.
WWD: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement to date?
MM: I don’t know what it could be.
WWD: How would you sum up how people are dressed on the streets today?
MM: It’s up and down. Some people look great, and others don’t.
WWD: What is driving people to shop or spend?
MM: Vanity. That’s how it always is.
WWD: Where are you traveling to next?
MM: My next trip will be to Mexico City. I try to see the world. I hope to see the art and everything in Mexico City. Of course, I have been before.
WWD: Some travelers are concerned about safety there. Are you?
MM: I didn’t think about it.
WWD: Have you been to more than 60 countries?
MM: Of course. My family [members] they were all travelers and I inherited the gene from them. They were famous explorers. The first was my great uncle Charles Suydam Cutting [Western] man into Tibet [in 1935-37]. That look was different — no one had ever been in Tibet. [Some of the remnants from his expeditions can be found at the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Botanical Garden.]
WWD: How do you stay so active and keep your health up?
MM: Well, I was born that way. I haven’t had any problems yet.
WWD: Are you careful about diet, sleep or walking?
MM: It’s not.
WWD: What is your biggest indulgence?
MM: I would guess going to parties. I love cocktail parties, dinner parties, all parties. It’s the conversation, the fashion, the ambience – everything.
WWD: What do you think people will think of when they hear your name?
MM: They will be thinking about my dresses of course. And that I am a good tennis player. And I am.
WWD: What would you like to do that you haven’t had the time to do?
MM: I have done almost everything I want to do.
WWD: What is your opinion on marriage?
MM: It’s a very dicey operation.
WWD: Are you happy you’ve been married 11 times?
MM: Of course. Everyone had a different experience.
WWD: Is there one that you would call your greatest love?
MM: share.
WWD: Is there anyone you would like to nominate?
MM: No.
WWD: Are you in love now?
MM: Far away, they don’t live here in New York right now.
WWD: Are you open to a twelfth marriage?
MM: Definitely.
WWD: Are you happy in New York?
MM:. me love New York. The city will not take the shine off – the solidity. He is always there for me. I love the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I think the Met Gala is great — anything you can do to get people in to see the museum.
WWD: Are you still making your own art?
MM: I’m not painting anymore. I don’t miss it at all. I don’t regret doing it.
WWD: What do you do most that you enjoy or entertain?
MM: I like to play tennis indoors and outdoors.
WWD: What is your strong suit – serve, forehand, backhand?
MM: I would say my strong suit is my whole game. I prefer to play singles. Of course, I play with Stan Herman. He is a nice guy.
WWD: Did you design your own outfit or wear a brand?
MM: I have the Marii pleated suits, Fortuny-esque pleats that require a six-step heat treatment that she created in 1975.
WWD: What do people not understand about you or wish they knew?
MM: I have no problems with that.
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