Staying with one company for one’s entire career is very unusual, but that is exactly what I did…I started my career at Saks Fifth Avenue, Chicago while still in high school, i was the youngest employee hired by the company, and spent the next 53 years, at the time the longest tenured employee, with the company as fashion and special events director. In that position I worked with 200 fashion designers (including…Adolfo, Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene, Bonnie Cashin, Normal Norell, Pauline Trigère, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Carolyne Roehm, to name just a few), lifestyle experts and produced thousands of fashion shows and special events. During my time at Saks I also taught fashion courses at various Chicago colleges, most recently in the Fashion Studies Department at Columbia College Chicago. I was very fortunate to receive many awards, the City of Chicago proclaimed a day in my honor, and I chaired numerous charity galas, have been involved on many not-for-profit boards most recently as president of the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum. I currently host monthly nenasnotes The Fashion Book and Film Clubs and a weekly series of nenasnotes The Fashion Master Class. In addition, I write for the nenasnotes blog and do free lance writing and fashion lecturing.

     THE FASHION BOOK AND FILM CLUBS

I began the monthly nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club in 2019, and am pleased to say, many of the authors have joined me in conversation over the past 4+ years. The events were held in a private club, in person with champagne in hand, prior to the pandemic when they became virtual. Taking them virtual has allowed me to welcome attendees, who are recommended by current members, from all over the States. I started the nenasnotes The Fashion Film Club in March of 2020, the Tuesday of the week we went into lockdown….obviously went virtual month two! In January 2021 I started a weekly nenasnotes The Fashion Master Class…we are now in series 4 with a 16 week series 5 beginning in May.