With a heavy heart, the CFDA remembers Ruth Finley, a fashion force for over seven decades and longtime friend of the CFDA, who passed away Saturday at the age of 98.
Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Finley moved to New York after graduating from Simmons College in Boston in 1941. Her interest in fashion developed when she landed a position at Lord & Taylor in the visual department, and later went on to write for the New York Herald Tribune. While at tea with two family friends – both fashion editors – she listened as they discussed a conflict between a show at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman scheduled for the same date and time. An idea was born. With her keen eye, ambitious spirit, and generous loan of $1,000 from a college friend, Finley launched Fashion Calendar in 1945, a resource that would revolutionize the industry. She was 25 years old.
While it was no easy task to convince designers to pay for the service, Finley got her break thanks to celebrated designer Normal Norell. “He didn’t think he had to clear his date with us, but he ran into a terrible conflict. He had to cancel his show and reschedule, which in those days was an enormous headache, and from then on he made sure to save his date with us. He wouldn’t even let his secretary do it, he would call himself,” Finley later recalled.
As founder and publisher of Fashion Calendar, Finley served as the miraculous one-woman operation as the master planner of all New York’s fashion events for seven decades. Whether a seasonal opening, benefit gala, or a new designer’s show, Finley had a personal hand in scheduling each and every ever fashion and beauty event.
In addition to managing the demands of her own business, Finley participated actively in several charitable and professional organizations. As a Citymeals-On-Wheels board member and chairperson of the Fashion and Beauty Industry Salute to Citymeals, she raised over $2 million to help feed the New York homebound elderly. In addition, she served on the boards of the Lighthouse for the Blind, the Roundtable of Fashion Executives, Trends/Fashion News Workshop, Bottomless Closet, The High School of Fashion, Fashion Delivers & K.I.D.S, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising, Martina Arroyo OperaFoundation and Waxman Cancer Research Foundation.
Recognizing the value of this resource Finley created, the CFDA acquired the Fashion Calendar in 2014 to help streamline scheduling of fashion shows and events in New York, and help strengthen the influence and success of American designers in the global economy. After the acquisition, Finley remained actively involved as a consultant and adviser. “Ruth never wants to stop working,” her son, Larry Lein, told WWD at the time. “The Fashion Calendar has been her life so we had to figure out a transition that would enable her to keep staying involved, and Steven [Kolb] was able to think creatively about how to keep her involved in the business but move it over here under the auspices of the CFDA. It was really the idea that her life’s work would be continued and she’d be able to be a part of it ongoing.”
In 2014, the CFDA honored her with the Board of Directors Award at the CFDA Fashion Awards. A highlight of the evening was filmmaker Joe Sabia’s film.
A loving mother, Finley is survived by her three sons Joe, Jim, and Larry, as well as with 10 grandchildren. The CFDA offers its condolences to Finley’s family and friends, and will always be grateful for her legendary impact to the world of fashion and beyond.
Her kind heart, calm spirit, and generosity touched everyone around her. “Ruth was everyone’s first phone call to so many fashion shows,” CFDA Chairwoman Diane von Furstenberg said. “She was a pillar of the industry for decades. May she rest in peace.”
