Omar Kiam

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Omar Kiam
Omar Kiam in 1944
Born
Alexander Kiam

(1894-07-19)July 19, 1894
Monterrey, Mexico.
DiedMarch 28, 1954(1954-03-28) (aged 59)
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Costume designer; fashion designer
AwardsNeiman Marcus Fashion Award, 1941; Coty Award, 1946

Alexander "Omar" Kiam (1894 – 1954) was an American fashion designer and costume designer.

Early life[edit]

Born Alexander Kiam in Monterrey, Mexico, to Texan parents.[1] Kiam picked up the nickname "Omar" at Riverview Preparatory School in Poughkeepsie, New York.[2] He later went to the Poughkeepsie Military Academy in New York.[3] His first job as a designer was producing caps for babies for a department store in Houston.[3] Kiam chose to retain his nickname professionally, as he appreciated the link to Omar Khayyám.[4]

Costume design[edit]

Janet Gaynor, costumed by Kiam, in A Star is Born

Following a stint in Paris as a student, Kiam returned to the United States and opened his studio in New York City, where he produced work for Broadway theatre.[3] Among the theatre productions he costumed were Dinner at Eight, the Robert E. Sherwood play Reunion in Vienna, and the Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes play Dishonored Lady.[5] In 1933 he moved to Hollywood, where he headed the film costume design departments for Sam Goldwyn Productions and United Artists.[3][5] Before leaving Hollywood in 1939, Kiam also worked for independent producers David O. Selznick and Hal Roach.[3] He also worked with 20th Century Pictures.[6]

One of Kiam's most notable films was the 1937 film A Star is Born, for which he dressed Janet Gaynor.[2] He collaborated with Irene on Algiers.[5]

Filmography[edit]

Omar Kiam costumed the following films:[5][7]

Fashion design[edit]

Although primarily known as a costume designer Kiam had also run a wholesale fashion design business supplying clothing to shops across the United States before he moved to Hollywood.[8]

After leaving Hollywood, in 1941 Kiam became head designer for the Ben Reig fashion label, a company founded in 1929. Also designing costume jewelry for them from 1948, he worked there until his death in 1954.[9]

Kiam won the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1941, and in 1946, won the Coty Award jointly with Vincent Monte-Sano and Clare Potter.[2] During the early 1950s Liz Claiborne worked for Kiam.[10]

Kiam died 28 March 1954 at the Ritz Tower Hotel in New York City, after struggling with a sickness that lasted seven months.[11][12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Clipped From The Brooklyn Daily Eagle". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1946-07-19. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  2. ^ a b c Mara, Margaret (19 July 1946). "Omar Kiam, Former MGM Designer, gets Fashion Award". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 9. Retrieved 13 March 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bailey, Margaret J. (1988). Those glorious glamour years : Classic Hollywood costume design of the 1930s. London: Columbus. ISBN 9780862878832. OCLC 18071243.
  4. ^ Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins (5th ed.). Jefferson: McFarland & Co., Publishers. p. 261. ISBN 9780786457632.
  5. ^ a b c d Leese, Elizabeth (1991). Costume design in the movies an illustrated guide to the work of 157 great designers. New York: Dover Publications. p. 66. ISBN 9780486134291.
  6. ^ "Omar Kiam - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  7. ^ Staff writer. "Omar Kiam Filmography". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  8. ^ Staff writer (31 March 1934). "Omar Kiam to Design Garbs for Film Stars". The Waco News-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved 13 March 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Staff writer. "Ben Reig". Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  10. ^ Woo, Elaine (28 June 2007). "Liz Claiborne, 78; clothes designer for career women built vast fashion empire". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  11. ^ Staff writer (30 March 1954). "Dress Designer Dies". The Evening Independent. Associated Press. Retrieved 13 March 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "OMAR KIAM: NOTED FOR DRESS DESIGNS; Fashion Creator Is Dead at 60--Had Made Clothes for Many Hollywood Stars". The New York Times. March 30, 1954. p. 27. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
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