Episode 41: Stan Herman
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There was never meant to be a two-year break between episodes. I was recording interviews back in the first part of 2023 and trying to get them out with a not-too-long delay, but somewhere between a big move and a very hard pregnancy, editing interviews fell to the very bottom of my to-do list. The more time went by, the more guilt I felt at the delay, further compounding my severe pre- and post-partum depression. Earlier this summer, I realized that hiring an editor was my best solution, so I took some time to look for one and to save up some money. I am very happy to be back, sharing these conversations with you.
Stan Herman
This interview with fashion designer Stan Herman was recorded in September 2024. When we spoke, Stan was just about to turn 96 and had just released his memoir, Uncross Your Legs: A Life in Fashion. He is now 97, and as this episode airs, he will be retiring from QVC after 32 years. Stan is really an incredible powerhouse. With an over seventy-year career, he has been designing and working in the New York fashion industry since the early 1950s—first assisting uptown designers like Fira Benenson and Oleg Cassini, before moving to the Seventh Avenue rag trade. After becoming a youthquake fashion star as head designer for Mr. Mort in the late 60s, starting in the 1970s, he became the designer of choice for corporate uniforms; through his uniform designs for many different airlines, McDonald’s, FedEx, Amtrak and more, as well as his many-decade career selling robes and loungewear on QVC, he is the most worn designer ever. Even now, in his late 90s, he continues to design uniforms for FedEx, JetBlue, and other major corporations. From 1991 to 2006, Stan was also president of the CFDA, where he was instrumental in bringing New York Fashion Week to the Bryant Park tents.
Stan Herman in his studio, Cosmopolitan, December 1970.
Talking and listening to Stan is a delight. Our conversation zigzags through all these aspects of his incredibly long, multi-faceted career, touching on his childhood, time in the army, the fashion industry and the Garment District, his long love affair with writer Gene Horowitz, poodles, and much more. If this conversation whets your appetite to learn more about Stan, pick up a copy of his beautiful memoir, Uncross Your Legs.
Some spreads from Uncross Your Legs: A Life in Fashion:
