On hangers, the dresses Mark Heister designs don’t look the way they’re supposed to. The spiraled seams, the twists of fabric, the flared hems, and the draped bodices hang loose and slouchy on the racks. To get the full effect, you have to see them on a woman’s body.
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But recently the museum’s curators have decided to step up coverage of local contemporary work. “Chicago Designs: Mark Heister” is the first in a series of exhibits dealing specifically with Chicago design: other media will include metal, glass, and furniture. The reason she chose Heister, Jachimowicz says, is that he is something of a Chicago classic.
“He understands cut,” she says. “He understands what fabric does on the female body. He doesnt use flowers and frills to cover up what’s underneath. His designs stand on their own.”
He kept his package-design business while he made clothes for a few private clients. In 1975 he won a design contest sponsored by a local apparel manufacturer, and in 1981 he closed his package business and opened a showroom in the Apparel Center.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Bruce Powell.
