Early life and career[edit]

Born to a poor Jewish family,^[3] she was the second of seven children born to Hannah (née Kranczer) and Isaac Kanengeiser.^[4] When she was a young girl, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.^[1][4] She attended public school until her father died in 1902.^[1] In order to help support her family, she took a job as a messenger at Macy's at age 13.^[1][4] At age 15, she modeled and trimmed hats at a millinery manufacturer.^[1]

In 1909, she launched a hat-making business with Rose Roth.^[4] Roth was a dressmaker and Carnegie designed hats.^[2] By 1919, Roth had left the business and Carnegie was the sole proprietor of Hattie Carnegie, Inc.^[1][2][4][5] At this point, Carnegie had a working capital of $100,000.^[4] She began travelling to Paris to buy original dresses to both sell in her shop and use as inspiration for her own designs.^[2] In 1925, Carnegie was successful enough to buy a building just off Park Avenue at 42 East 49th Street.^[6] By 1929, the business had sales of $3.5 million a year.^[4] When spending decreased during the Great Depression, Carnegie created a less expensive line called Spectator Sports.^[2]

In 1928, a then-unknown Lucille Ball began working for Carnegie as an in-house model. Carnegie ordered Ball to dye her then-brown hair blonde, and Ball complied. Of this time in her life, Ball said, "Hattie taught me how to slouch properly in a $1,000 hand-sewn sequin dress and how to wear a $40,000 sable coat as casually as rabbit."^[7] Later, Ball moved back to New York City in 1932 to resume her pursuit of a career as an actress and supported herself by again working for Carnegie^[8] and as the Chesterfield cigarette girl.

Carnegie could not sew or cut a pattern herself, but she had an eye for talent. Her company discovered some of the most prominent American fashion designers of the twentieth century, such as Norman Norell,^[1][5] Pauline Trigère,^[5] Jean Louis, James Galanos,^[5] and Clare McCardell.^[5][9] For nearly a decade, the made-to-order department was headed by Pauline Fairfax Potter.^[10]

In response to the austerity measures of World War II, Carnegie designed a dress for home sewers that was published in the April 12, 1943, issue of Life magazine. Made to order by Carnegie, the dress was said to cost $175, but Life readers could make their own for as little as $5.^[11]

Carnegie's specialty was "the little Carnegie suit".^[6] In 1950, she was invited to apply her design sense to the Women's Army Corps (WAC) uniform. This was adopted for wear on New Year's Day 1951. On June 1, 1952, Carnegie received the Congressional Medal of Freedom for the WAC uniform design and for her many other charitable and patriotic contributions.^[12] The WAC design was so timelessly elegant that it was still in use for women's U.S. Army uniforms in 1968.^[13]

By the time of her death, Carnegie had established an $8 million business.^[1]