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Juli Lynne Charlot
Juli Lynne Charlot (born Shirley Ann Agin; October 26, 1922 – March 3, 2024) was an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She first became a singer, appearing in several films, and also performed alongside the Marx Brothers. She created the poodle skirt in 1947, and made circle skirts during her career as a fashion designer. Later on, she made variations of Mexican dress while in Mexico, which led to her purchase of a manufacturing plant in Mexico City to produce and sell the variations. Early life and careerBorn Shirley Ann Agin on October 26, 1922, in Manhattan, New York City to a Jewish family. Charlot began taking voice lessons at the age of 13.[1] After graduating from Hollywood High School, she performed with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera as a singer and also sang with an orchestra directed by Xavier Cugat.[1][2] Charlot also appeared in several films, including The Red Mill in 1945 and Night in Paradise in 1946, the latter film of which she was cast as a singer.[2] She later performed with the Marx Brothers, who asked her to tour with them at several military bases during World War II.[2] Charlot also began travelling worldwide in the company of some of the greatest names in show business at the time.[3] Fashion designerIn 1947, at age 25, Charlot was invited to a Christmas party in Los Angeles and planned to create a dress for the event. Having little money, though, she decided to make her own skirt to wear, instead. Charlot stated in February 1953 "If I had known how to sew, or had the money to purchase better materials, I would have never made the circle skirt."[4] Additionally, Charlot's mother owned a factory which used felt, which allowed her to use that material.[4] A week later, Charlot made two more circle skirts, taking them to a Beverly Hills, California boutique just prior to Christmas 1947. They were sold immediately; this started the Juli Lynne Charlot California company. A New York City dress manufacturer soon decided to invest some money in the factory.[4] After Christmas 1947, a Los Angeles boutique requested a non-holiday motif. Charlot designed a skirt with the idea stemming from Dachshunds.[2] The skirts at the boutique in Beverly Hills were quite popular and sold out; in early 1948, Charlot designed a similar skirt with poodles, which was more successful than the previous skirts based on dachshunds.[2] The president of Bullocks Wilshire ordered the poodle skirts, which were then displayed in windows along Wilshire Boulevard.[2] The skirts were also ordered from Neiman Marcus in Dallas and Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.[2] Charlot's designs were so successful that one of them appeared in a national ad campaign for Maidenform bras in 1952.[5] While in Mexico in the 1980s, Charlot took interest in a classic Mexican wedding dress and decided to create variations on it. This resulted in her purchase of a manufacturing plant in Mexico City to produce and export these dresses worldwide.[3] The factory later collapsed during the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, forcing her to abandon the dress business.[2] In November 2008, Charlot had a one-woman show entitled "In Retrospect" in Cuernavaca.[3][6] In early 2009, the Izcalli Boutique in Cuernavaca presented an offering of some of the original designs that were still in Charlot's possession. The trunk show was a huge success and was accompanied by a Juli Lynne Calendar full of photos from her career.[6] Personal life and deathJuli Lynne was married four times, including her second marriage to film editor Philip Charlot.[1] Charlot retired in Mexico, and purchased a home in Tepoztlán.[1][7] Charlot died at her home in Tepoztlán on March 3, 2024, at age 101.[1] References
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