Isaac Mizrahi | |
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.jpg) Mizrahi in July 2018 | |
| Born | (1961-10-14)October 14, 1961 (age 64) Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Fashion designer, actor, singer |
| Labels |
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| Spouse | |
| Awards | CFDA: Womenswear Designer of the Year (1989 and 1991) Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (2002) |
| Website | www |
Isaac Mizrahi (born October 14, 1961)[1] is an American fashion designer, actor, singer, television presenter and chief designer of the Isaac Mizrahi brand for Xcel Brands.[2] Based inNew York City, he is best known for his eponymous fashion lines. Mizrahi was previously a judge onProject Runway All Stars. In 2022 he played Amos Hart in the long-running Broadway revival ofChicago.
Mizrahi was born inBrooklyn, the son of Sarah and Zeke Mizrahi,[3] who was a children's clothing manufacturer.[1] He is ofSyrian-Jewish descent. His maternal grandparents were Jews fromAleppo,Syria.[4] He grew up as the youngest boy of his family inMidwood, Brooklyn.[5] He bought his firstsewing machine at the age of ten with money he had saved from babysitting that summer.[6]
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Mizrahi presented his first collection in 1987 at atrunk show held by New Yorkdepartment storeBergdorf Goodman. The line immediately earned praise from fashion editors, prompting several top retailers to place orders.[7] In 1989, he discussed his designs in an interview with Elizabeth Cannon. He described them as "controlled and glamorous", "elegant", "distilled, refined", inspired by decadence, and by the diversity of New York City. He also expressed his interest in appealing to a refined and exclusive clientele.[8] In 1992, the French fashion houseChanel bought a stake in the company and began to bankroll its operations.[7] Despite continued critical acclaim, sales were inconsistent;Bloomingdale's executive Kal Ruttenstein stated that Mizrahi had "good years and bad years."[9] This volatility is mainly attributed[by whom?] to the designer's failure to establish a defined aesthetic or "Mizrahi look", as the frenetic designer was famed for changing gears each season. Though the company grossed $10–20 million a year, it never made a profit, and lost substantial amounts[clarification needed] in its final four years of operation. Chanel eventually tired of the mounting losses and pulled financing in October 1998, forcing the closure of the company after the Fall 1998 collection.[10] Among Mizrahi's fans and clients were Hollywood starsNicole Kidman,Selma Blair,Julia Roberts,Sarah Jessica Parker,Debra Messing andNatalie Portman.[11]
From 1995 to 1997, Mizrahi also designed adiffusion line, named "IS**C" in an act of "name effacement" intended to preventdilution of the designer's full name. This lower-priced line (in the $275 to $850 range) was meant to diversify the label from the very expensive Isaac Mizrahi collection, but it failed to gain traction and was shuttered in 1997.[10]
Mizrahi returned to fashion in 2002 with the launch of Isaac Mizrahi for Target, a diffusion line that became a major commercial success. The collection eventually expanded to include accessories, bedding, housewares, and pet products. Over five years, sales tripled to more than $300 million, establishing Mizrahi as a household name.[12] The Target line was discontinued in 2008 when Mizrahi departed to design forLiz Claiborne.[13] At the time, Liz Claiborne—a brand founded in 1976—was struggling.[14] After Mizrahi's contract with Target expired, Liz Claiborne outbid the retailer for his services, hoping he could reinvigorate the brand.[14] However, the partnership lasted only one year.[14]
The 2009 collection, rebranded as Liz Claiborne New York, was sold in national department stores such asMacy's,Belk, andDillard's, as in previous years.[15] The Liz Claiborne logo was also redesigned.[16] Mizrahi's Spring/Summer 2009 collection debuted in January, followed by his Fall 2009 collection in April, and a Holiday line later that year.[17][18] Advertising campaigns for the spring and fall collections featured Mizrahi alongside women of various sizes, races, and ages, and appeared in major fashion magazines.[19]
Despite these efforts, the line sold poorly.[14][20] The weak performance was attributed primarily to theeconomic downturn and strategic missteps made before Mizrahi's arrival.[14][20] His bold use of color and playful aesthetic may also have clashed with Liz Claiborne's more conservative customer base.[20] In late 2009, the Liz Claiborne brand was licensed toJ.C. Penney—which had carried the Liz&Co. diffusion line since 2007—and was later acquired by the retailer.[14][18] Mizrahi does not design the J.C. Penney version of the brand.[18] His Liz Claiborne New York collection was moved toQVC, where it remained until his contract ended in December 2016.[18][21]
In 2010, Mizrahi launched a label called IsaacMizrahiLIVE! exclusively on QVC.[22]
In 2011, Mizrahi sold his brand to Xcel Brands, Inc.[23] In addition to continuing the IsaacMizrahiLIVE! business on QVC, Xcel Brands launched various categories under the Isaac Mizrahi New York, Isaac Mizrahi Jeans, and Isaac Mizrahi brands. As of August 2012, footwear and denim have launched inBloomingdale's and Nordstrom, and Mizrahi's first-ever fragrance, Fabulous, was set to debut September 6 on QVC, and in Bloomingdale's in October. Mizrahi remained a shareholder, creative director, and media personality for his namesake brand under Xcel.[needs update]
Mizrahi has made appearances in numerous television shows and movies since the 1990s. Including the 1993 Michael J. Fox comedy,For Love or Money, as an up-and-coming fashion designer, Julian Russell. In 1995, a movie was released about the development of his Fall 1994 collection calledUnzipped. In Fall 2005, theIsaac show debuted onStyle Network. He previously had a show on theOxygen network.[citation needed]
Mizrahi appears on many ofE!'s programs and has become well known for being flamboyant. He also appeared as himself in the episode "Plus One is the Loneliest Number" of the fifth season ofSex and the City, and in an episode ofSpin City. He guest starred on the American dramedy seriesUgly Betty, in which he played a reporter for the cable channel Fashion TV in the episode "Lose the Boss". He appeared as himself inThe Apprentice season 1 (episode 6) as one of the celebrities supporting an auction for theElizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. He also appeared on the public radio game showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in 2006, saying, "Fat is the new black".[24][25] He also appeared in a Season 4 episode ofGossip Girl.[26]
Mizrahi has stated that he sees himself as an entertainer who can sing and act. On his Oxygen show, he sang jazz in a nightclub. He has also acted in films, appearing inWoody Allen'sSmall Time Crooks,Hollywood Ending andCelebrity.[citation needed]
Mizrahi was a contestant in theJeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational. While initially finishing second in a quarter-final game toJane Curtin, as the highest scoring non-qualifier, he replaced semi-finalistAndy Richter, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. He eventually lost toMichael McKean.[citation needed]
In 2006, Mizrahi designedpro bono the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery's conservators' denim work aprons.[27][28][29]
In 2009, Mizrahi began co-hosting the first season ofThe Fashion Show onBravo with singerKelly Rowland. Bravo launched the series to replace its former hitProject Runway, which then moved to theLifetime network.[30][31] Mizrahi returned as co-host in November 2010 for the show's second season, opposite a close friend and colleague, supermodelIman, who previously hosted theCanadian version ofProject Runway. A representative of the network indicated that Bravo believed Mizrahi's exciting presenting style would work well with newcomer Iman and the credibility that she brought as a genuine pioneer in the fashion world.[32]
In 2012, Mizrahi participated in the debut season ofProject Runway: All Stars as a head judge, alongsideMarchesa designerGeorgina Chapman, which aired on the Lifetime TV Network.[citation needed]
In February 2012, Mizrahi served as red carpet correspondent forLive with Kelly during the 84th AnnualAcademy Awards. The segment included interviews withBrad Pitt,Emma Stone,Rooney Mara, andGwyneth Paltrow. It aired the morning after the Oscars, during a special episode ofLive with Kelly.[citation needed]
In 2013, Mizrahi played himself in the final season ofShowtime'sThe Big C.[citation needed]
In 2006 Mizrahi was the center of a scandal when he groped actressScarlett Johansson's breast while conducting an interview for E! at the Golden Globes.[33] In a 2013George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight interview, Mizrahi attempted to minimize the incident, stating: "This wasn't nasty ... This was like, 'Are you wearing a bra? Are you wearing an underwire bra?' And she was like, 'Oh well.' "[34]
Mizrahi has worked as the costume designer for threeBroadwayrevivals, including twoplays (The Women (2001) andBarefoot in the Park (2006)), and oneoperetta (Threepenny Opera (2006)).[35]
For his work onThe Women, Mizrahi won the 2002Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.[36]
Mizrahi was the costume designer for theMetropolitan Opera production ofOrfeo ed Euridice (2008), directed byMark Morris. Mizrahi has been a longtime collaborator with Morris in a partnership dating from 1997, when Mizrahi created costumes for a Morris film project withYo-Yo Ma,Falling Down Stairs, from Ma'sInspired By Bach series.[37]
Mizrahi married his partner of six years, Arnold Germer, in a civil ceremony inNew York City Hall on November 30, 2011.[44]
After reading for Montgomery, he took part as Touchstone inAlan Parker's filmFame, set in the sameHigh School of Performing Arts he had been attending at the time.[45]
He appears briefly in the filmMen in Black (1997) as one of the "celebrity aliens" granted asylum on Earth.[46]
In 1996, an early MTV prank show,Buzzkill, used an actor to impersonate Mizrahi.[citation needed]
Mizrahi was a guest caller on an episode ofFrasier and as himself inSex and the City (Season 5, episode 5).[citation needed]
He appeared onGossip Girl (Season 4, episode 6) as himself. He is seen at a party talking to Lily van der Woodsen.[citation needed]
In 2004, he appeared on an episode ofThe Apprentice during a challenge meant to raise money for theElizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.[47]
He appeared in the fourth and final season ofThe Big C as himself.[48]
He appeared on theQVC Shopping Channel in 2015 and proclaimed that Earth'sMoon was in fact a planet. His co-host at the time, Shawn Killinger, vehemently denied this assertion and proclaimed that "the Moon is a star".[49][50][51]
In 2018, Mizrahi was mentioned in episode 212, “Kiss and Tell,” ofModern Family when Cam claims that he dismissed a sexual advance by Mizrahi prior to dating Mitchell.
In January of 2024, Mizrahi appeared as a guest judge on the sixteenth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race.
In 2025, he is a Consulting Producer on Hulu's sitcom Mid-Century Modern, which stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham and Linda Lavin.
