Nena Ivon Collection
About the Collection
The Nena Ivon Collection dates from 1964 to 2009 in 28.10 cubic feet (31 boxes). The strength of the collection lies in the chronicling of activity for a Director of Fashion and Special Events that offers a snapshot of the history of fashion marketing, local designers, and the fashion business in Chicago.
The collection consists of published newspaper and magazine articles detailing the professional and charitable activities of Nena Ivon and Saks Fifth Avenue including event programs and brochures, color and black and white photographs of fashion shows and other events, signed or personalized portraits of many designers, and a realia including posters, perfume bottles, trophies, plaques, clothing, and promotional items.
Dates
- 1964-2009
Creator
- Ivon, Nena (Person)
Terms Access
The entirety of the Nena Ivon collection is currently unavailable to all users as it is undergoing arrangement revisions. To research with the collection, please estimate a longer turnaround period for reference and assistance.
Terms of Use
Materials are the property of Columbia College Chicago. Intellectual property rights of work belong to the original creators. Materials within the collection that are published and copyrighted maintain their copyright protections and must be used according to United States Copyright Law. Use of this collection and its materials is understood to be primarily for research, teaching, and creative study; additional uses, such as publication, exhibition, or other appropriate purposes may be considered upon consultation with the Archivist.
Biography - Nena Ivon
Nena Ivon grew up in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood and in Evanston, Illinois. When she was 16 she took a summer job with Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Chicago selling sportswear. The unexpected death of her father the following year changed her plans to attend college and she continued to work for Saks. At age 17 was promoted to assistant fashion director and eight years later became the director of fashion and special events, the job she held for the next forty years.
She began teaching in the Fashion Studies program of Columbia College Chicago, developed the Skrebneski Scholarship awarded annually, and works extensively with Fashion Columbia.
Ivon has served on numerous industry, civic, and charitable boards, including: The Fashion Group of Chicago, the Chicago Apparel Industry Board, Chicago Historical Society's Costume Collection Committee, Childrens Memorial Hospital, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Concert Society, and the Lincoln Park and Brookfield zoos.
Extent
28.10 Cubic Feet : Forms of Material: Correspondence; Interviews; Magazines (periodicals); Newsletters; Newspaper Clippings; Photographs; T-shirts; objects, statuettes, perfume bottles
Language of Materials
English
Introduction
Nena Ivon, of Chicago, Illinois, was promoted to Assistant Fashion Director of the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Chicago at age 17 and later became the Director of Fashion and Special Events for forty years. She began teaching in the Fashion Studies program at Columbia College Chicago and works extensively with Fashion Columbia. This collection of Ivon’s personal papers chronicles her activity as the Director of Fashion and Special Events at Saks Fifth Avenue, offering a snapshot of the history of fashion marketing, local designers, and the fashion business in Chicago.
Collection Arrangement
As of Summer 2017, the arrangement of the Nena Ivon collection is under revision.
Requirements for Researcher’s Access
All physical materials and reformatted media must be viewed during a scheduled appointment time within the College Archives & Special Collections office. No materials are to be circulated unless otherwise consulted with the Archivist.
Access to some audiovisual media in the collection, such as VHS or audio cassette, may be temporarily unavailable pending digital reformatting.
Technical Requirements for Researcher’s Access
Access to reformatted media in the collection, such as VHS, audio cassette, phonographic records, or computer files, must be viewed within the College Archives & Special Collections office during a scheduled appointment. Although reformatted, these items cannot be sent electronically nor can be published in our online database due to copyright restrictions. A computer and other necessary equipment will be provided during the appointment to access these materials.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Nena Ivon, gift: 2008
Creator
- Ivon, Nena (Person)
- Title
- Nena Ivon Collection, 1964-2009
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- FBE KAO, updates Summer/Fall 2017
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the College Archives & Special Collections at Columbia College Chicago Repository