A Colorful Woman

Bess Truman picked out Vera wallpaper for the White House, Marilyn Monroe wore a Vera scarf in her last photo shoot six weeks before her death, and housewives adored the bright, bold Vera designs on their accessories, apparel and home furnishings.

Today, the Vera look is making a comeback. Fashion industry veteran Susan Seid purchased the designs two and a half years ago and is reintroducing them on scarves, apparel and other products. Today's young women are enchanted by their fresh and unapologetically happy splashes of color inspired by nature, just as their mothers and grandmothers were a generation or two ago. The trademark ladybug—a universal symbol of good luck—and the artist's famous signature have returned also, appearing on all the new products.

While multiple generations of women "have been bitten by the ladybug," as Seid says, they probably don't know anything about Vera Neumann, the talented Jewish woman behind the designs.

Neumann, who died 15 years ago at age 86, was born in Stamford, Conn. A 1928 fine arts graduate of Cooper Union, she worked as a freelance designer on 7th Avenue, New York's fashion hub. At the end of World War II, she, her husband, George, and friend Werner Hamm set out to put her designs on placemats. When they discovered there was a linen shortage, but that parachute silk was plentiful, the Vera scarf was born.

"Vera was probably one of the most commercially successful fine artists in history," says Seid, owner of the Vera Company. "She was always at the cutting edge," being among the first to use melamine for dishes and permanent-press fabric for sheets. Ahead of her time in understanding the importance of trademarks and licensing, she had some 7,000 of her designs copyrighted at the Library of Congress.

According to Seid, "Vera was spirited and wasn't bridled by any fear." She traveled around the world building her business, returning from such locales as Japan, India, Morocco and Scandinavia laden with folk art and brimming with inspiration for future designs.

"Vera never designed 'down' to her customers and believed that good design should be available to everyone," says Seid. "If she had an idea, she'd just do it, a wonderful quality for all of us to emulate. She was always excited about life."

Plans call for licensing a growing number of Vera-inspired products, including shoes, apparel and handbags, as well as greeting cards, calendars and linens. Scarves are available at select Bloomingdales, at Neiman Marcus and at Lord and Taylor, the company that purchased the first Vera scarves 60 years ago.