Sonja de Lennart
Established 1945After attending business college in Breslau, Sonja de Lennart enrolled as a student at Erich Boehm Atelier and later at Herman Palm Atelier in Berlin. In 1945, right after WWII, she created her first collection: a wide-swinging skirt with a wide belt, a blouse and a hat. Her design collection became known as the Capri Collection, inspired by her love for the Island of Capri.
In 1948, De Lennart created the sexy tight three-quarter length Capri pants with the stylish short slit on the outer-side of the pant leg. American actress Grace Kelly was among the first movie stars to wear them (on Capri obviously), which contributed to the popularity of the pants. In 1952, Edith Head recognized the innovative style of Sonja de Lennart and had her Capri Collection sewn for Audrey Hepburn in the movie Roman Holiday. In 1953, Capri pants were stitched for Audrey Hepburn for the movie Sabrina (1954). Among the many who have worn the fashionable Capri pants are Doris Day, Jane Russell, Katharine Hepburn, Gina Lollobrigida, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, and Mary Tyler Moore.
Trivia:
* capri pants even marched to the existentialist bars in Paris. Black roll necks, tight Capri pants, Repetto ballerina’s, straight long hair and black-painted eyes became the signature style of the 1950s female intellectual.
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