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JEWISH ROOTS OF

FASHION

By R. stephanie bruno

T he Jewish community has always been a philanthropic and civic force in New Orleans, but, when it comes to business, they are quite literally the fabric of the city. They are the entrepreneurs and visionaries who invested in the fashion palaces and neighborhood shops that continue to ensure New Orleanians always look their most stylish. The earliest was Godchaux's – founded in 1840 by Leon Godchaux from Alsace-Lorraine – where the hat department was nonpareil. Kreeger's opened in 1865 and was known for its superior furs and fur storage policies. By 1900, Gus Mayer had opened; mid-century, it was known for its expert staff who were as adept at fitting bras as at fitting shoes. And Hausmann's (started by the widow Theresa Hausmann and her sons in 1924) was the Canal Street jewelry store where the finest silver and crystal were displayed with the same care one might employ to display a Fabergé egg. Then there was the magnificent Maison Blanche, established by Isidore Newman in 1897. It was New Orleans' Bloomingdales and aptly called a "palace" in the press. And who could argue? It was a place where it was easy to feel like a queen. The Krauss brothers (Fritz, Leopold, Max, and Sigmund) gave the city the first air-conditioned department store, and the first up and down escalators (acquired after the 1939 World's Fair closed). The immense department store they founded was the place to buy fabric and specialty

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ADORE • SPRING 2019