Spiritual. Egalitarian. Welcoming.
Membership Luncheon Featuring fashions by C. Orrico of Palm Beach
Pnina Tornai born November 25, 1962, is an Israeli fashion and wedding dress designer, reality, and daytime TV personality. Tornai and her wedding gowns have appeared on TLC’s reality television show Say Yes to the Dress.
Pnina Tornai was born in Ramat HaSharon, Israel, to Mizrahi Jewish parents; she is the eldest of four girls. Her father was an Israeli diplomat from Alexandria, Egypt, and her mother was from Morocco. After graduation, she enlisted in Israel’s mandatory military service and once completed Tornai decided to pursue her acting career by enrolling in acting school in Paris, France. There she married and had her son, David.
After ten years in Paris, she returned to Israel with her son and opened a small store in Tel Aviv, with only one seamstress. The two began creating day and evening gowns. Tornai began making wedding dresses in 1992, when a woman asked if she could make her a wedding dress that mirrored an evening gown that she had seen in the shop window. Tornai accepted the challenge, and when the woman got married, the photo of their wedding made the front page of an Israeli newspaper. When other brides-to-be saw the picture, they came to Tornai asking if she could replicate the dress, which then launched her career. Tornai turned her store into a wedding dress salon.
In 2005, Tornai first showed her dresses to Kleinfeld Bridal, but her designs were initially rejected by the famous bridal salon for being too sexy. Tornai did not give up, slightly altered her designs, and returned. This time her gowns were accepted. Soon one of her dresses became popular with the clientele and she became one of Kleinfeld’s most successful designers. A Pnina Tornai bridal boutique was opened in-store for her dresses, the only designer to have a boutique. In two years she became the store’s top vendor. Women from all over the world travel to meet with Tornai at her boutique inside Kleinfeld’s. Tornai takes personal interest in every one of her brides and feels truly honored to be dressing them on the most important day of their lives. On several episodes Pnina has generously donated one of her highly prized creations to make a bride’s dream come true.
Tornai now spends two weeks out of every month in New York City, where she meets with brides and holds monthly trunk shows. She still approves every dress that is sold. She spends the rest of her time traveling and visiting her other stores around the world, including the States, Canada, Bahamas, Israel, Italy, Greece, Germany, Croatia, Angola, South Korea, and China.
The Pnina Tornai product line has expanded to include footwear, accessories, headpieces, jewelry, and fragrance, all befitting the brand’s couture aesthetic. Pnina includes her family in her business; her husband is the business manager; her sister is her makeup artist; and her son is her graphic designer.
Born Nettie Rosenscrans in Salzburg, Austria in 1890, she and her family immigrated to America in the 1890s and settled in Harlem. In 1913 Nettie married Saul Rosenstein, who ran a women’s underwear business, and began dressmaking as a home business. After being approached by the I. Magnin department store in 1919, she began wholesaling. By In the 1920s American fashion business, imported fashions by named French couturiers were considered the best. At this time Rosenstein’s designs were sold by stores under their own labels, though purchasers were told that the dresses were in fact by Nettie Rosenstein. Through word-of-mouth Rosenstein earned name recognition and her own-name label became a valuable commodity. Her clothes were retailed around America, but only one store in each city was permitted to carry fashions bearing Rosenstein’s label. In 1927 Rosenstein tried an early retirement, but resumed designing in 1931, when she reopened in collaboration with her sister-in-law Eva.
In 1937, Rosenstein was described by Life Magazine as one of the most highly regarded American designers. She was one of the first recipients of the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for its launch in 1938. In 1940, Rosenstein clothing was sold out of 92 shops and department stores across the USA, at prices ranging from $98 to $500. These prices were beyond the range of most consumers, Rosenstein’s designs were so widely copied that she still influenced the average American woman’s wardrobe. One such design was the “little black dress” designed to go from day to evening with low-cut evening necklines combined with daywear silhouettes and materials. Nettie Rosenstein designs also included printed dresses with gloves to match, and she was also known for her accessories and striking costume jewelry. Many of the more striking Nettie Rosenstein garments were designed by Eva Rosencrans as Rosenstein preferred to focus her attention on running the business, and her sister-in-law was happy to let Nettie take credit for her work 1921, she owned an establishment with 50 workers in New York.
Nettie Rosenstein announced her second retirement in March 1942, inspiring a tribute in TIME Magazine. However, this retirement did not last long, as she resumed fashion design a few years later, winning a Coty Award in 1947. Nettie Rosenstein was responsible for First Lady Mamie Eisenhower’s dress commissioned by Neiman Marcus for the 1953 presidential inauguration Ball, although the dress itself (and the subsequent 1957 ballgown for the second presidential inauguration) were designed by Eva Rosencrans, a good friend of Mamie’s since 1950.
Nettie Rosenstein discontinued the fashion side of her business in 1961. Eva Rosencrans went on to design clothing for Ben Reig, while their long term business partner and Coty Award winner, Sol L. Klein, continued to design and manufacture costume jewelry and accessories under the name Nettie Rosenstein Accessories until 1975. He retired in 1975, the same time as the Nettie Rosenstein brand closed. On March 13, 1980, after a long illness, Nettie Rosenstein died at the age of 90.
Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin was an American clothing designer and retailer who founded the plus-size clothing chain Lane Bryant. Despite difficult circumstances, she saw a need and came up with a solution that revolutionized the women’s fashion industry.
Lena Himmelstein was born in 1879 to a Lithuanian Jewish family. She became an orphan shortly after birth when her parents were murdered in a pogrom and was raised by her grandparents. In 1895, she joined her sister Anna, in New York where she found work in a sweatshop at $1 a week. In 1899, she married David Bryant, a Russian Jews refugee. She moved to Harlem with her husband, who was a jeweler. He died not long after their son Raphael was born. She then lived on West 112th St. in Manhattan, supporting herself by making and selling negligees and tea gowns from delicate laces and fine silks.
In 1904, Bryant moved to Fifth Avenue and rented a shopfront on the first floor of a building for $12.50 a month, with living quarters in the rear. She hung garments from the gas fixtures and set up shop. Her sister’s new husband lent her $300 to open a bank account as working capital for the purchase of fabrics. A bank officer misspelled her name on the application as “Lane”, so that became the name of the store.
Bryant earned a reputation for the clothing she made for pregnant women. Bryant created a comfortable and concealing tea gown by attaching an accordion pleated skirt to a bodice using an elastic band. She had created the first known commercially sold maternity dress.
In 1909, at age 32, she married Albert Malsin who was a fellow Lithuanian Jewish refugee. A mechanical engineer, he took charge of the business. He systematically began to develop and expand it and instituted engineering exactness, and modern cost accounting and pricing. Sales had reached $50,000 a year by 1910 (equivalent to $1,570,357 in 2022). Albert was determined to steer the operation towards specialization. To produce in quantity and at lower cost he began to have dozens of dresses mechanically cut at once and employed high-speed sewing methods. Lane Bryant began supplying design pattern materials and financing for contractors.
Once she was able to advertise in newspapers in 1911, sales increased substantially. Soon she expanded to a new shop at 19 W. 38th Street where she employed a dozen employees. Introducing a mail-order catalogue increased sales further so that the company’s revenue was over one million dollars in 1917. Her second innovation was mass producing ready-made clothing for women in larger sizes and this was the basis of further growth, with sales greater than for maternity wear by 1923.
To bypass exclusion from the newspapers, the Malsins created the first mail order catalog for maternity wear. The mail order business was developed for the women preferring privacy about their “condition”. By 1917, revenues from the catalog alone exceeded one million dollars (equivalent to $23 million in 2022). By 1919, their “stout catalog” had 52 pages and the “maternity catalog” had 76 pages.
Three more children, Theodore, Helen, and Arthur were born to the couple. Her son Raphael served as the company chairman and chief executive of Lane Bryant from 1940-1972, followed in that role by his half-brother Arthur.
Lena Bryant was a pioneer in other ways. Her customers were important to her, and customer relations and corporate philanthropy were high on her list. At her suggestion, Lane Bryant, Inc. worked with the Red Cross to replace any Lane Bryant customer’s wardrobe destroyed in a disaster. After the 1947 Texas City Disaster in Texas City, Texas, the company outfitted 58 mail order customers whose homes were destroyed in the resulting fire.
Another concern was employee benefits. At a time when few companies offered anything more than wages, Lane Bryant offered profit sharing, pension, disability insurance, group life insurance plans, and medical benefits. By 1950, more than 3,500 employees participated in these pioneering concepts. Twenty-five percent of the stock issued when the company went public was reserved for employee subscription.
Lena Bryant Malsin took an active role in Jewish communal charities. She supported the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the New York Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, and several other causes. She died at her home in Manhattan on September 26, 1951, at the age of 74, leaving the business to her sons. Lane Bryant has been acquired by several parent companies over the years but Lena’s name remains as the leader in size-plus ready to wear.
Lea Gottlieb was born to a Jewish family in Hungary in 1918 and raised in poverty by an aunt. Before World War II began, she was planning to study chemistry, but could not continue higher studies in Budapest because of the quota on Jews. After her marriage to Armin Gottlieb, she worked as a bookkeeper at the raincoat factory owned by her husband’s family. During Germany’s occupation of Hungary in the mid-1940s, her husband Armin was shipped to a labor camp; Lea and her two daughters survived from the Nazis in Budapest, moving from one hiding place to another.
In 1949, the family emigrated to Israel, where they started selling rainwear before moving onto swimwear, which better matched the country’s climate. They founded Gottex (a combination of their last name and the word “textiles”) in 1956 and built it into one of the world’s most successful swimwear companies ultimately sold in more than 100 countries.
As chief designer, Gottlieb was actively involved in every facet of design, from choosing the fabrics to overseeing the samples. Her collection, in bold eye-catching colors, florals and prints, expanded from swimwear to pareos, caftans, tunics, skirts, pants and jackets in fabrics that matched the swimwear. The line staged elaborate fashion shows and became an important resource at stores such as Neiman’s, Saks and Bloomingdale’s.
For much of its history, Gottex remained a family business. Lea Gottlieb was at the helm, her late husband oversaw the company’s administration and finances; her daughter Miriam ran the Gottex operations and showroom in the U.S., and her late daughter Judith assisted her mother with design.
Gottlieb was honored both in Israel and around the world for her accomplishments. In 2005, she was voted one of the 200 greatest Israelis of all time and was included in the book “Great Jewish Women” for her contribution in helping Israel develop its fashion industry.
In 1997, Gottex, which was generating $60 million in sales, was sold to Africa-Israel Group, a real estate conglomerate in Tel Aviv. After a year heading the design team, Gottlieb left the company, and once her non-compete expired, at the age of 85, she founded a new swimwear line under her own name for Tefron.
Mrs. G., as she was known, passed away peacefully at 94 on November 17,2012 at her home in Tel Aviv. She was survived by daughter Miriam, six grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
Ida Cohen Rosenthal, co-founder of Maidenform, the first company to make modern bras, was born on January 9, 1886, in Tsarist Russia. Shortly after immigrating to New Jersey in 1904, she married William Rosenthal, purchased a Singer sewing machine on the installment plan and began working as an independent seamstress.
Ida’s sewing business boomed during World War I, and soon she and her husband, along with business partner Enid Bisset, opened a custom dress shop called Enid’s Frocks. The popular “flapper” style of the day demanded a flat-chested look, which women achieved by wearing uncomfortable bandeaux. But the Rosenthals’ disliked the way their dresses fit women with artificially flat chests, and so they developed a new undergarment that would support and accentuate woman’s natural figure: two cups connected by shoulder straps and a band that fastened in the back. At first, they simply gave the new bras away with each dress they sold. As the popularity of their new undergarment grew, they gave up dressmaking and focused exclusively on producing and selling bras. To distinguish their product from the “boyish form” bandeaux, they called their new garment “Maidenform.” The new company, established in 1922 was called the Enid Manufacturing Company until, in 1930, it became the Maidenform Brassiere Company to be more identified with its principal product. The firm survived both the Great Depression and Bisset’s retirement and, by the end of the 1930s, department stores across the country and around the world were selling Maidenform bras.
William, an amateur sculpturer focused on design, inventing standardized cup sizes, maternity and nursing bras, and adjustable straps—Ida ran the business, negotiating with unions and introducing assembly-line production. A marketing genius, she began an aggressive print and radio ad campaign, making Maidenform the first intimate apparel company to advertise. In 1949, Ida came up with the now-famous “I dreamed I… in my Maidenform bra” campaign, depicting brassiered women in a range of unexpected settings (like driving a chariot), which ran successfully for 20 years.
After William’s death in 1958, Ida became the company’s president and then chairman of the board. She continued working until she suffered a stroke in 1966, after which she stayed on as honorary chairman of the board until her death in 1973. Her daughter, Beatrice, inherited the multimillion-dollar family company and upon her death her daughter Elizabeth Coleman. Although Maidenform held much of the market share, other competitors flourished. The company expanded their product line, bought other brands and in 1997 burdened with debt, filed for chapter 11 and the last of the Rosenthal heirs resigned. The Maidenform brand survived with venture capital infusion and turn around expertise.
Maidenform Charitable Foundation is committed to funding a series of programs focusing on initiatives that support and empower women, breast, and colon cancer research.
Sara Blakely
Sara Blakely born February 27, 1971 in Clearwater, Florida and graduated from FSU founded Spanx in Atlanta in 1998 at age 27. Sara was named in Time magazine’s “Time 100” annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Although she planned to become an attorney, she reconsidered after scoring very low on the LSAT; she instead accepted a job at Disney in Orlando where she worked for three months. She also occasionally worked as a stand-up comedian during this period.
After her short stint at Disney, she sold fax machines door-to-door. She was quite successful in sales and was promoted to national sales trainer at the age of 25. Forced to wear pantyhose in the hot Floridian climate for her sales role, she disliked the appearance of the seamed foot while wearing open-toed shoes but liked the way that the control-top eliminated panty lines and made her body appear firmer. For a party, she experimented by cutting off the feet of her pantyhose while wearing them under a new pair of slacks and found that the pantyhose continuously rolled up her legs, but she also achieved the desired result.
At age 27, Blakely relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and while still working at Danka, the office supply company, spent the next two year researching and developing her hosiery idea.
Sara drove to North Carolina, the location of most of America’s hosiery mills, to present her idea. She was turned away by every representative; these companies were used to dealing with established companies and did not see the value of her idea. Two weeks later Blakely received a call from a mill operator based in Asheboro, who offered to support Blakely’s concept, as he had received strong encouragement from his three daughters who tried the samples. Blakely further explained that the experience of developing her idea revealed to her that the hosiery manufacturing industry was overseen solely by men who do not use the products.
The creation of the initial product prototype was completed over the course of a year.
She arranged a meeting with a representative of the Neiman Marcus, at which she changed into the product in the ladies’ restroom in the presence of the Neiman Marcus buyer to prove the benefits of her innovation. Blakely’s product was sold in seven Neiman Marcus stores because of the meeting; Bloomingdales, Saks, and Bergdorf Goodman soon followed. At around this time, Blakely sent a basket of products to Oprah Winfrey’s television program, with a gift card that explained what she was attempting to develop.
In November 2000, Oprah Winfrey named Spanx one of her “Favorite Things,” which led to a significant rise in popularity and sales, as well as Blakely’s resignation from her day job. Spanx achieved $4 million in sales in its first year and $10 million in its second year. In 2001, Blakely signed a contract with QVC, the home shopping channel.
In 2012, Blakely landed on the cover of Forbes magazine for being the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.
In 2006, Blakely launched the Sara Blakely Foundation to help women through education and entrepreneurial training. Blakely became the first female billionaire to join the “Giving Pledge,” Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s pledge, whereby the world’s richest people donate at least half of their wealth to charity.
Amidst her challenging schedule, Sara converted to Judaism, married entrepreneur Jesse Itzler in 2008 and had four children.
During the pandemic, Blakely pledged to give $5,000,000 to support female-run small businesses.
In October 2021, the Blackstone Group acquired a majority stake of Spanx, Inc. The company was valued at $1.2 billion. Blakely retained the position as Executive Chairwoman. To celebrate the transaction, Blakely gave each of her 750 employees $10,000 in cash and let them purchase two first-class plane tickets to any desired travel destination.
Sara Blakely
Sara Blakely born February 27, 1971 in Clearwater, Florida and graduated from FSU founded Spanx in Atlanta in 1998 at age 27. Sara was named in Time magazine’s “Time 100” annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2014, she was listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Although she planned to become an attorney, she reconsidered after scoring very low on the LSAT; she instead accepted a job at Disney in Orlando where she worked for three months. She also occasionally worked as a stand-up comedian during this period.
After her short stint at Disney, she sold fax machines door-to-door. She was quite successful in sales and was promoted to national sales trainer at the age of 25. Forced to wear pantyhose in the hot Floridian climate for her sales role, she disliked the appearance of the seamed foot while wearing open-toed shoes but liked the way that the control-top eliminated panty lines and made her body appear firmer. For a party, she experimented by cutting off the feet of her pantyhose while wearing them under a new pair of slacks and found that the pantyhose continuously rolled up her legs, but she also achieved the desired result.
At age 27, Blakely relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and while still working at Danka, the office supply company, spent the next two year researching and developing her hosiery idea.
Sara drove to North Carolina, the location of most of America’s hosiery mills, to present her idea. She was turned away by every representative; these companies were used to dealing with established companies and did not see the value of her idea. Two weeks later Blakely received a call from a mill operator based in Asheboro, who offered to support Blakely’s concept, as he had received strong encouragement from his three daughters who tried the samples. Blakely further explained that the experience of developing her idea revealed to her that the hosiery manufacturing industry was overseen solely by men who do not use the products.
The creation of the initial product prototype was completed over the course of a year.
She arranged a meeting with a representative of the Neiman Marcus, at which she changed into the product in the ladies’ restroom in the presence of the Neiman Marcus buyer to prove the benefits of her innovation. Blakely’s product was sold in seven Neiman Marcus stores because of the meeting; Bloomingdales, Saks, and Bergdorf Goodman soon followed. At around this time, Blakely sent a basket of products to Oprah Winfrey’s television program, with a gift card that explained what she was attempting to develop.
In November 2000, Oprah Winfrey named Spanx one of her “Favorite Things,” which led to a significant rise in popularity and sales, as well as Blakely’s resignation from her day job. Spanx achieved $4 million in sales in its first year and $10 million in its second year. In 2001, Blakely signed a contract with QVC, the home shopping channel.
In 2012, Blakely landed on the cover of Forbes magazine for being the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.
In 2006, Blakely launched the Sara Blakely Foundation to help women through education and entrepreneurial training. Blakely became the first female billionaire to join the “Giving Pledge,” Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s pledge, whereby the world’s richest people donate at least half of their wealth to charity.
Amidst her challenging schedule, Sara converted to Judaism, married entrepreneur Jesse Itzler in 2008 and had four children.
During the pandemic, Blakely pledged to give $5,000,000 to support female-run small businesses.
In October 2021, the Blackstone Group acquired a majority stake of Spanx, Inc. The company was valued at $1.2 billion. Blakely retained the position as Executive Chairwoman. To celebrate the transaction, Blakely gave each of her 750 employees $10,000 in cash and let them purchase two first-class plane tickets to any desired travel destination.