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Meet ’80s Designer Patrick Kelly

May 28, 2008 by WendyB

For 20 years, I’ve been fascinated by Patrick Kelly, the designer of my controversial leopard-print dress.

Kelly designed his own label from 1985 to 1989. He died of AIDS on New Year’s Day in 1990 at the age of 35. (At the time, the death was attributed to bone marrow disease and a brain tumor, but since then his partner has confirmed that the cause was AIDS). Kelly was a gay black man from Mississippi without formal training, whose stretchy, button-decorated clothes were inspired by his grandmother’s sewing. He became the first American member of the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter (the governing body of the French ready-to-wear industry).

Patrick Kelly with a model in a button dress
Photo from Fashionwindows

Kelly went to Paris in 1980, when the model Pat Cleveland anonymously gave him an airplane ticket. He worked for Paco Rabanne, catered and put on guerrilla fashion shows until 1985, when French Elle did a major spread on him. Kelly’s career took off.

Kelly and models wearing his typical animal print designs
Photo from the Brooklyn Museum

Another big break came in 1987, when actress Bette Davis, then pushing 80, appeared on the David Letterman show in one of Kelly’s ultra-tight dresses. I wish I could find a clip of this appearance on YouTube. (It is available on one of the David Letterman “best of” DVDs.) Davis made a special point of showing off the dress and talked up Kelly so much, that Linda Wachner of Warnaco immediately signed on as a financial backer. Hmmm! People always tell me, “It takes seven years to become an overnight success.” I guess they’re right.

A Kelly jacket, available at AntiqueDress.com

Kelly had an enormous collection of black memorabilia, including “Mammy” and “Aunt Jemima” dolls. Always willing to provoke people, Kelly used those racial images in his work, incorporating a “golliwog” caricature into his logo. He also gave out little black baby-doll pins by the thousands.

Kelly with models holding his “golliwog” bags
Photo from Cyberstyle

According to the New York Times, Kelly said, ” ‘I don’t know if the N.A.A.C.P. would like my dolls’- the organization didn’t, and took objection to the golliwog logo on his label and shopping bags — ‘but they give me pleasure.’ ”

A closer view of the bags from the Brooklyn Museum’s 2004 Kelly retrospective
Photo from Ham and Enos

Kelly said he used the images because they brought up important issues about racial stereotyping. Clearly, he accepted them as part of black history. As a history buff myself, I know that a lot of the past is very unpleasant, but there is no sense denying it. As Kelly put it, “If you don’t know where you’ve been, you can’t go too far.” Or, as I put it, “While it was a good idea for a 7th century Chinese empress to kill her relatives, family-murdering is now unacceptable behavior. Unless you’re a character on the Sopranos. In which case, I totally support you because Christopher had it coming.”

Getting back to Kelly, he once mused to Essence magazine: “Recently somebody Black told me they were harassed about wearing the Black baby-doll pin. And I thought, you can wear a machine gun or a camouflage war outfit and people think it’s so chic, but you put a little Black baby pin on and people attack you.”

Kelly and pals
Photo from One Touch Ministries

Kelly’s runway shows were fabulous, exuberant affairs. Click here for a Fashion Television report on Kelly, including great show clips. Tell me you don’t wish more shows were like that now!

A Kelly dress and jacket from Decades

Obviously, Kelly was in business for such a short amount of time that you can consider yourself quite fortunate if you find one of his pieces. Here are a few more examples.

Dress (sold, sorry!) from the same season as my gown.
Picture from Swank Vintage

From eBay (sold)
Two views of dice jacket from FiveTone.
Sold because…I bought it!
One of the famous button dresses
Available at
Rare Vintage

I’ll eventually do more posts on my favorite vintage designers. In the meantime, here are the ones I’ve already done.
  • 1990s designer Christian Francis Roth
  • 1960s-70s designer Ossie Clark
  • 1960s designer Mr. Dino

Oh, and one more thing. Let’s reflect on that Bette Davis story again. She was rocking the stretchy dress — and she was almost 80. EIGHTY, people! I bet someone tried to tell Bette that the dress was “too young for her” and she killed the bitch. Then she washed the blood off her hands and had a nice chat with Dave.

UPDATED NOV. 30, 2009, TO ADD: Here’s Bette giving Patrick Kelly multiple shout-outs on Letterman.

UPDATED MAY 23, 2012 TO ADD: Thanks to The Wow Report for finding this great shot of Bette Davis wearing Patrick Kelly.

Click for source.


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Filed Under: leopard print, vintage designers

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. the freelancer's fashionblog says

    May 29, 2008 at 12:33 am

    I kind of like the button dress.

    The Patrick Kelly logo on the shopping bags – it looks just like the packing for a finnish liquorice from the 20’s. The packing was totally ok at the time they made it (OK as in no one here in the north of Europe had no idea it actually was rather offending) and was in use until just last year, when it was changed into a abstract (and neutral!) design.

  2. the freelancer's fashionblog says

    May 29, 2008 at 12:33 am

    I kind of like the button dress.

    The Patrick Kelly logo on the shopping bags – it looks just like the packing for a finnish liquorice from the 20’s. The packing was totally ok at the time they made it (OK as in no one here in the north of Europe had no idea it actually was rather offending) and was in use until just last year, when it was changed into a abstract (and neutral!) design.

  3. Sharon Rose says

    May 29, 2008 at 1:21 am

    Wow-excellent post, Wendy. I’m loving these posts you do on the designers-and you managed to get another piece! This dice jacket rocks!!

  4. Mer says

    May 29, 2008 at 2:24 am

    hahaha, great post wendy!

    As a graphic designer, I have to say, I love Patrick Kelly’s logo!!

    😀

    cheers!!

  5. Super Kawaii Mama says

    May 29, 2008 at 4:00 am

    Wonderful post on Patrick. I was quite unaware of his work. I love his sense of irony.
    As for Bette, there is the answer to my ‘Dressing your age” question. If you want to rock it, do.

  6. Imelda says

    May 29, 2008 at 5:45 am

    The bags are so cute!
    I really love the dress in the last picture!

  7. pretty face says

    May 29, 2008 at 6:06 am

    So interesting and informative! Thank you!

  8. rohit says

    May 29, 2008 at 6:09 am

    you are fantastic!!!

    a kiss for you, my dear friend!
    god bless u dear

  9. Pamcasso says

    May 29, 2008 at 7:13 am

    I would love that button dress! Fascinating read, I didn’t know about him.

  10. CDP says

    May 29, 2008 at 7:53 am

    I loved this post. Nice tribute to Mr. Kelly and his work.

  11. Danielle says

    May 29, 2008 at 8:31 am

    love the dresses. yes!!

  12. Susie Bubble says

    May 29, 2008 at 9:15 am

    loving that button dress!

  13. K.Line says

    May 29, 2008 at 10:07 am

    Love this informative post, Wendy. You must have been a reporter at some point because you really drill down!

  14. La Belette Rouge says

    May 29, 2008 at 10:27 am

    Love that Betty Davis dared to wear a Patrick Kelly dress and your speculation on what happened to the fool that tried and stop her. LOL!

  15. Miss Janey says

    May 29, 2008 at 11:04 am

    Fantastic post. Miss J knew next to nothin’ about Mr. Kelly. What a shame he had such a short life.

  16. styleraven says

    May 29, 2008 at 11:41 am

    A+ post. Loved the golliwog link. I never heard that term before.

  17. Jules says

    May 29, 2008 at 11:58 am

    Great post! I feel like I really learned something today 🙂 It’s so fascinating to see a person’s rise to success. (And then fall, unfortunately)

    http://www.shinylittlethings.com

  18. AsianCajuns says

    May 29, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    Oh my gosh, Wendy, what an amazing post! I feel like a philistine because I never knew anything about Patrick Kelly.. I love the fact that he was pushing people out of their comfort zone for a purpose, not just to shock… oh and I love love love that button dress!
    Thanks!

  19. enc says

    May 29, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    I always appreciate it when people challenge the stereotypes of their own demographic. He was a brave guy, and did some really cool things in a very short period of time.

    I love the dress you wore that landed you in the disaster area. I still contend that somebody was jealous of how you looked and sought to reduce you to the ranks of the “disasters.”

  20. LallaLydia says

    May 29, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Yay for more posts on vintage designers! I love those zebra (the b+w) dresses. LOVE. I’m talking wide-eyed love. I’d never heard of this designer but I’m really intrigued and enjoyed your post. And you rocked the leopard gown. It is outrageous and yet you’re covered from neck to toe. Kelly would’ve been proud. I just wish you’d have had one of those black baby-doll pins 🙂

  21. Thomas says

    May 29, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    Excellent post. Fascinating person.

  22. ambika says

    May 29, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Wonderful post. So sad that he died so young.

    It’s funny–a lot of that black memorabilia is collected by black people. It’s definitely not to my taste but I certainly don’t think it should be forever shuttered away. People try to forget things too quickly, I think.

  23. Lady Smaggle says

    May 29, 2008 at 3:54 pm

    What a great post! I’ve never heard of him before but it was really interesting to read about…

  24. ParisBreakfasts says

    May 29, 2008 at 4:17 pm

    EXCELLENT !
    I hope you saw the show at Brooklyn Museum – it was the high point of the year for me.
    Loved his stuff…
    Too sad tolose someone like that.

  25. annabananna says

    May 29, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    thank you for that informative and insprirational post! i learned something new today!

  26. pistols at dawn says

    May 29, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    I feel like I would like almost any gay black man from Mississippi, sight unseen.

  27. WendyB says

    May 29, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    Pistols, me too.

  28. Dr. Muna (Overseas Dental Consultant Expert) says

    May 30, 2008 at 3:40 am

    wow, great information about jewelry and clothing. I just started my online business ( http://dresspack.com & http://myjewelpack.com )into fashion, and this is awesome. I am going to check this site daily for updates. Thanks Wendy brandes, you motivated me!

  29. miss cavendish says

    May 30, 2008 at 5:16 am

    I love how PK always included himself in his ads, in a smiling, subversive manner. Although I typically don’t novelty, I’d absolutely wear one of these button dresses.

  30. Alya says

    May 30, 2008 at 6:49 am

    Leave it to Wendy B to give us the lowdown and the (high-ups?) of vintage designers I personally barely ever heard of.

  31. Becky says

    May 30, 2008 at 9:46 am

    Woo woo woo!

    These are my favourite of all the many and varied posts that you do. I’m obsessed with fashion’s exuberance and irony in the 80s.

    Fabulous Bette Davis story too!

    Becky

  32. altamiranyc says

    June 1, 2008 at 9:59 am

    Wendy, what am awesomely quirky selection of clothing! Did you buy the red dress too? And that dice jacket is soooo downtown! Can’t wait till a blogger meeting rolls around in the proper weather for that jacket…

  33. WendyB says

    June 1, 2008 at 10:48 am

    Altamira, I didn’t get the red dress. I didn’t see it on time, but I think also it’s not “Patrick Kelly” enough for me. I am sure tempted by the safari jacket at Antique Dress but it’s linen, and I crumple linen in about two seconds flat.

  34. Lynette says

    June 2, 2008 at 9:52 pm

    You own the dice coat? Wowsers. And I agree with you about Bette Davis–confidence personified.

  35. Patrick Patterson: says

    January 17, 2009 at 6:04 am

    Hello there Wendy, I sent you an email quite a while ago, but not sure if you received it. I am a black gay man from Mississippi, who feels as if I am the “spiritual son” of Patrick Kelly. My name is Patrick Patterson, and my name in Irish literally means: Patrick and Patrick’s Son. Can you believe that?? It’s true. I have a lot of admiration for Patrick Kelly and I have high hopes of bringing his story to life one day. Check out my YouTube Channel and let me know your thoughts. I am working to get it launched into an actual television show, that will bring a lot of “unknown” things in fashion and the sewing industry to light – ESPECIALLY the Patrick Kelly story. Thanks for the post about him, it brought me to tears.

  36. erin says

    January 3, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    Do you happen to know how much Patrick Kelly’s clothing is worth today? I picked up a black wool turtleneck mini dress of his recently and I’m interested to know if I got a deal on it. Thanks. 🙂

  37. Eileen says

    March 19, 2010 at 4:48 pm

    I just happened across this site – doing closet cleaning. I have 3 Patrick Kelly Dresses that I would love to put on consignment so someone else can enjoy them. I live in Northern VA (Washington DC metro area) Does anyone have recommendations for vintage consignment shops? Thanks

  38. Madeleine Gallay says

    August 28, 2010 at 11:55 pm

    Brilliant and perfectly true … really whipped Paris into a frenzy and then his appearance that made everyone somehow happy. Creativity not being limited to any stereotypical designers. Sad days for so many and maybe especially in fashion.

  39. sulky kitten says

    December 21, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    Talented guy, shame he died so young. Bette was amazing – she looked fab in that dress..although how she resisted stubbing out her 500th cigarette of the day in Dave’s eyeballs is a mystery. (My anti- spam word was “witch”! Don’t hold back!

    • WendyB says

      December 21, 2011 at 12:33 pm

      You think she was only on 500?!

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MEET WENDY BRANDES

Award-winning designer of fine jewelry inspired by women's history and pop culture. A former journalist who writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, news, feminism, dogs, cats and whatever else is on her mind. Blogging since 2007.
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