Carrie Munn….Fashion Designer & Socialite. Have you heard of her? I had not until 20 mins ago when I was browsing Etsy for 1950s vintage dresses and came upon one of her creations, a 50s tailored blouse and circle skirt with military inspired embellishments. GORGEOUS!
Source: Etsy
Now what does one do when they don’t know something? They do their research and that is exactly what I did! I had to know more about the designer who made this beautiful outfit.
Unfortantely there is not a lot of information on Carrie (AKA Mrs. Orson Munn) but we do have photos of some of her designs, society images & vintage advertising.
Let’s take a look!
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Carrie Munn-1940s & 1950s American Fashion Designer and Socialite
Source: Wikidata
Background on Carrie Munn
Mrs. Munn was best known for her feminine designs, which featured billowing skirts and slim waists and used lace, sequins and ribbon. She also designed ready-to-wear clothes.
Here is a 1952 Cigarette Ad featuring Carrie Munn in one of her designs. STUNNING DRESS!
Source: eBay
Caroline “Carrie” Nunder was born in Buffalo in 1898 and in 1924 married Orson D. Munn, who was the editor and publisher of Scientific American magazine until he sold his interest in 1947. Mr. Munn died in 1958.
In 1942, without any formal training in fashion design, Mrs. Munn opened a dress shop, Carrie Munn, at 640 Madison Avenue. Among her most popular designs was a quilted tapestry skirt decorated with sequins.
Mrs. Munn was known for her parties at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which featured shows of her most recent designs (Source).
She passed away in 1984.
The Museum at FIT call’s Munn’s work “derivative” of Dior and Balenciaga (Source).
Fashion designer Carrie Munn (Mrs. Orson D. Munn) in a 1951 advertisement for Utica and Mohawk Cotton Mills, Inc.
“I live on Park Avenue…I sleep in Utica”
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Source: Wikimedia
Press photo from the 1920s of Mrs. Harold Wall, Mrs. Orson D. Munn (I think she is the one on the right), Mrs. WIlliam Fleitmann in incredible 1920s dresses, hats and shoes. Another very fashionable photo. (Available as of July 27th, 2021 HERE)
Source: eBay
1932 Press photo of Mrs Orson D Munn at Southhampton Long Island NY in the most FANTASTIC 1930s outfit (love it!). (Available as of July 27th, 2021 HERE)
“Society Matron at Southhampton….
New York…Mr.s Orson D. Munn, popular society leader, as she appeared at Southhampton, Long Island, where she is a prominent member of the fashionable summer colony. July 30th, 1932.”
Source: eBay
1950s Photo of Mrs. Orson Munn (seated L) and Mrs. Bruno Graf (seated R) posing in a fashion show with their grand daughters, daughter and daughter-in-law.
I am unsure if the dresses in the image are a Carrie Munn Creation (but I’m thinking they are).
Source: Getty Images
1950s Photo of Socialite Mrs. Orson (Carrie) Munn, escorted by Earl Blackwell, director of celebrity service, arrives at the fashionable first night of the Metropolitan Opera House tonight.
Mrs. Munn wore a gown of golden beige moire with an immense skirt of unpressed pleats. Over it was fitted jacket of the same fabric with deep mink cuffs. Gold and diamond jewelry and a golden lacquer coiffure completed the ensemble.
Television carried the glossy opening night spectacle to 32 theaters throughout the nation (Source).
Source: Getty Images
Carrie Munn Fashion Designs Examples
1950s Woman’s Evening Ensemble: Dress and Slip. WOW! The back is even more stunning then the front.
Source: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Elizabeth Parke Firestone, wife of tire magnate Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., cultivated a refined sense of fashion. Her fashion choices not only reflected her years of interest in clothing design and collaboration with world-renowned couturiers, but also highlighted her family’s social standing.
Firestone wore this jacketed dress — by American designer Carrie Munn — to her 25th wedding anniversary celebration at New York’s Ritz Hotel in 1946.
She would go on and wear several of Carrie Munn Designs.
Source: Arts and Culture Google
Here is the dress that was under the jacket. YOOZA!
Elizabeth Parke Firestone at Her 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration with Daughters Martha and Elizabeth, June 25, 1946 (Source).
Source: Henry Ford Museum
Satin Jacquard Evening Dress with Diagonal Stripes, about 1947.
This garment was owned by Elizabeth Parke Firestone. She is shown wearing this dress in photographs taken by Cecil Beaton for Vogue Magazine in very late 1949 or early 1950. Elizabeth also wore this dress at a party for her eldest daughter, Elizabeth (Source).
Source: Digital Library Wayne Edu
When I look at this next dress, all I can think about is SPRING! What another knockout 1950s Dress! Don’t you just love the flowers on the skirt? How creative!
Source: The museum of fine arts, Houston
1941 Vintage Photo: In The Carrie Munn winter collection shown at the luncheon fashion show at the Waldorf-Astoria was this red wool dinner suit with small black velvet collar trimmed with jeweled buttons. With it are two black fox muffs worn as cuffs.
Source: Getty Images
Carrie Munn, 1950s Beige, Cream and Pink Dress. Big fan of this combo!
Source: Pinterest
Late 1940s, Carrie Munn Apron Gown. Another stunner of a Spring dress!
Source: Doyle.com
1953 Cocktail Dress. Black jersey sleeveless bodice with bib of black braid and cord, faille circle skirt, braid and cord decorated net apron. THE DETAILS! Fantastic!
Source: Bidsquare.com
Why there is not more on this designer, I will never know. Her creations are beautiful and yet she is footnote on many pages (and it was a HUNT to find images of her designs).
Hopefully this blog post will help shed a bit more light on Carrie Munn to those, like myself who had no idea who she was. Special thanks to FabGabs who brought her to my attention.
Question time: Did you enjoy learning about this designer? Have you ever seen her designs in real life or even on the web? Share in the comments section below, I would love to learn some more!
Further Reading:
- Vintage Fashion Designers (Archived Blog Posts)
- Vintage Fashion 1920s-1960s (Archived Blog Posts)
Take care!
Liz