Nena Ivon Collection, 1964-2009

Nena Ivon grew up in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood and in Evanston, Illinois. When she was 16 she took a summer job with Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Chicago selling sportswear. The unexpected death of her father the following year changed her plans to attend college and she continued to work for Saks. At age 17 was promoted to assistant fashion director and eight years later became the director of fashion and special events, the job she held for the next forty years.

She began teaching in the Fashion Studies program of Columbia College Chicago, developed the Skrebneski Scholarship awarded annually, and works extensively with Fashion Columbia.

Ivon has served on numerous industry, civic, and charitable boards, including: The Fashion Group of Chicago, the Chicago Apparel Industry Board, Chicago Historical Society's Costume Collection Committee, Childrens Memorial Hospital, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Concert Society, and the Lincoln Park and Brookfield zoos.

The Nena Ivon Collection dates from 1964 to 2009 in 28.10 cubic feet (31 boxes). The strength of the collection lies in the chronicling of activity for a Director of Fashion and Special Events that offers a snapshot of the history of fashion marketing, local designers, and the fashion business in Chicago.

The collection consists of published newspaper and magazine articles detailing the professional and charitable activities of Nena Ivon and Saks Fifth Avenue including event programs and brochures, color and black and white photographs of fashion shows and other events, signed or personalized portraits of many designers, and a realia including posters, perfume bottles, trophies, plaques, clothing, and promotional items.

As of Summer 2017, the arrangement of the Nena Ivon collection is under revision.

Folder/Item Title, (date). Series Title, Nena Ivon Collection, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago.

Chicago Styled: Fashioning The Magnificent Mile was an exhibit at the Chicago History Museum that ran from November 15, 2014 to August 16, 2015.

Chicago Styled | http://chicagostyledfashion.com/

The entirety of the Nena Ivon collection is currently unavailable to all users as it is undergoing arrangement revisions. To research with the collection, please estimate a longer turnaround period for reference and assistance.

Materials are the property of Columbia College Chicago. Intellectual property rights of work belong to the original creators. Materials within the collection that are published and copyrighted maintain their copyright protections and must be used according to United States Copyright Law. Use of this collection and its materials is understood to be primarily for research, teaching, and creative study; additional uses, such as publication, exhibition, or other appropriate purposes may be considered upon consultation with the Archivist.

All physical materials and reformatted media must be viewed during a scheduled appointment time within the College Archives & Special Collections office. No materials are to be circulated unless otherwise consulted with the Archivist.

Access to some audiovisual media in the collection, such as VHS or audio cassette, may be temporarily unavailable pending digital reformatting.

Access to reformatted media in the collection, such as VHS, audio cassette, or computer files, must be viewed within the College Archives & Special Collections office during a scheduled appointment. Although reformatted, these items cannot be sent electronically nor can be published in our online database due to copyright restrictions. A computer and other necessary equipment will be provided during the appointment to access these materials.

Nena Ivon, gift: 2008

• Subject
  • Fashion
  • Department stores
• Geographic CoverageChicago (Ill.)
• Names
  • Ivon, Nena
  • Saks & Company (New York, N.Y.)
  • Columbia College (Chicago, Ill.)