Archive note: This newly written account revisits Patricia Black and Albright Fashion Library, subjects of an earlier Grandpa Style entry. It draws on Albright’s own account and reporting published in 2014 and 2016. The original article and photographs are not reproduced.
The people behind the clothes
Patricia Black’s work at Albright was about helping people find a direction within an extensive collection of clothing. A March 2014 Vogue report by Chioma Nnadi identified her as the library’s creative director and Irene Albright as its founder. In that account, editor Kathryn Neale remembered working alongside Black as an education in fashion.
Those distinct roles matter. Albright assembled the business and its collection; Black became an important guide to what the clothes could do for a particular person, image or occasion.
A working fashion library
Albright’s own account describes a collection bringing historical and contemporary designer pieces together for shoots, films, performances and events. It also describes a practical order: garments arranged by designer, category and colour, with staff helping clients turn a brief or mood board into selections.
Seen this way, a fashion library is both a collection and a working resource. Organisation makes the clothes accessible; knowledge helps connect them to the job. The interesting question is what a garment contributes to an image, beyond the name on its label.
Selection as problem-solving
In Paige Reddinger’s September 2016 interview for The Daily Front Row, Black explained how a business focused on industry rentals expanded to people dressing for events. Changing clients also meant reconsidering the range of sizes being bought.
She also recalled working with costume designer Catherine George and Tilda Swinton on a character’s appearance. In that instance, the selected garments were references for shapes and colours to show the people making the costumes, rather than pieces Swinton would wear in the production. An archive could support research as well as provide a finished look.
Reading the archive today
Our practical reading is to start with the occasion and the person, then consider what each piece adds. Does its shape help the overall silhouette? Does its colour support the intended mood? Is it useful as clothing to wear, or as a reference to learn from? These are editorial prompts drawn from the history, not a claim to have used Albright’s services.
Continue with Jill Wenger and Totokaelo’s approach to curation, read about Raul Guerrero and creative collaboration, or return to the Archive.