Patricia Peterson, a pioneering fashion editor known for chronicling the evolving styles of the mid-20th century—from controversial pantsuits to rising hemlines—passed away on June 9 at her Manhattan home. She was 99.
Her daughter Annika Peterson confirmed her passing.
Peterson began her career at The Times in 1956, during an era when women’s news was grouped under “Food, Fashions, Family, Furnishings” and housed on the newspaper’s ninth floor, isolated from the main newsroom.
Despite the separation, she worked alongside notable female journalists who would later achieve prominence in various fields of reporting.
Male staff rarely ventured to their department, humorously likened by a colleague to quarantining an illness on the ninth floor.
The women understood they were capturing a cultural shift reflected vividly through fashion.
Peterson once said, “Fashion wasn’t just about Seventh Avenue or Paris, it reflected the life happening all around us.”
Appointed fashion editor in 1957, she reported on trends such as gold lamé hostess pajamas and hemlines rising to 16½ inches from the floor—still modest by today’s standards.
By 1970, she noted a decline in miniskirt popularity, suggesting the trend was losing its edge.
Her coverage in 1965 highlighted breeches, braided hair, and ribbons evoking a George Washington aesthetic.
The following year, caftans surged in popularity, followed by short pantsuits—garments that sparked controversy when some Manhattan restaurants refused entry to women wearing them.
In response, Peterson produced a photo essay depicting models being denied service, spotlighting the era’s fashion conflicts.
She also authored a 1969 how-to on tie-dye, embracing the decade’s vibrant styles.
An early advocate for designers like André Courrèges, ballet flats, and strapless swimwear, Peterson brought fresh visual perspectives to the paper’s seasonal fashion section, collaborating frequently with her husband, Swedish photographer Gösta Peterson.
In 1967, Peterson secured British model Twiggy’s first American fashion shoot for their magazine, a notable achievement preceding Vogue’s cover by several months.
The Petersons captured Twiggy in a black sweater dress and Adolfo hat, creating a memorable collage showcasing her youthful style.
Peterson also made history by featuring 19-year-old Naomi Sims, photographed by Gösta Peterson, as the first Black model on the cover of a major American fashion magazine.
This powerful image of Sims, adorned in a flowing black cloak and wide-brimmed hat, was later exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a symbol of breaking racial barriers in high fashion.
However, in 1970, she faced editorial resistance when attempting to publish a photograph by Diane Arbus of a white girl and Black boy holding hands in a children’s fashion supplement, a move that was considered a potential civil rights milestone.
Though the photo was not published, Peterson and Andrea Skinner, the paper’s sole Black fashion reporter for decades, succeeded in increasing diversity among models featured.
Leaving The Times in 1977, Peterson joined Henri Bendel’s advertising and marketing team, where she and her husband created imaginative, whimsical ads that ran regularly in The Times.
Their Bendel campaigns were known for surreal imagery—models interacting with butterflies, beach balls, and terriers—blurring the line between advertisement and fashion editorial.
During the summer of 1978, Peterson curated Bendel’s window displays, inviting cartoonist Edward Gorey to embellish mannequins with gothic-themed decorations, reflecting her keen sense of emerging trends.
A colleague described Peterson as an unintentional pioneer who was unconcerned with accolades but deeply influential.
Born Patricia Ann Louis on June 6, 1926, in Chicago, she was the daughter of Marion and engineer LeRoi Louis.
She majored in fine arts at Northwestern University, where she edited the student fashion magazine before beginning her career in fashion merchandising at Marshall Field.
After a brief marriage and relocation to New York City, she worked as associate fashion editor at Mademoiselle before meeting Gösta Peterson, whom she married in 1954.
Their complementary personalities—her outgoing nature and his reserved demeanor—made for a highly effective creative partnership.
Following the sale of Henri Bendel in 1986, Peterson transitioned to serving as a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, contributing to the Costume Institute until 2015.
She is survived by her daughter Annika and son Jan. Gösta Peterson passed away in 2017.
Reflecting on fashion’s impact, Peterson once said, “Clothes show how we feel about ourselves and life. When you wear something comfortable and attractive, you feel better and accomplish more.”
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