Terron Schaefer, the long-time chief artistic director of Saks Fifth Avenue who left there to hitch Harrods, has died in Houston, based on Fern Mallis. He was simply shy of his 80th birthday, which was Oct. 26.
Schafer, whose title was govt vp and chief artistic officer at Saks, was additionally the breakout star as a choose of “Style Star,” a actuality present on NBC that aired for 2 seasons in 2012.
Mallis mentioned that Schaefer had mentioned that he didn’t need a memorial or any sort of obituary upon his loss of life, so particulars of his passing had been scarce over the weekend.
Mallis mentioned that Schaefer had been battling Parkinson’s illness and had apparently suffered a fall at his residence final week.
A tall, good-looking man for whom the phrase “elegant” gave the impression to be invented, Schaefer by no means appeared to hurry however at all times brimmed with artistic concepts. An impeccable dresser whose fits had been typically from Savile Row, he might be erudite about artwork, structure, meals, journey and design but in addition had a eager humorousness that invariably would depart him with twinkling eyes and a sly grin.
At Saks, Schaefer oversaw the branding and artistic course of the shop, which included all the pieces from its window shows and catalogs to its promoting campaigns.
“He was a pricey, outdated good friend,” Mallis mentioned, including that that they had had an extended dialog simply two weeks in the past. “He had unimaginable style and was actually cherished by so many individuals within the business, however he by no means sought the limelight.”
Throughout his 20 years at Saks, she mentioned, he had redesigned the shop’s graphics and was the primary to mild the skin of the Fifth Avenue flagship throughout Christmas. “He cared about all these varieties of particulars,” Mallis mentioned.
Schaefer, who was born in Brazil, raised in Argentina and schooled in Switzerland, lived in Sugar Land, Tex., a Houston suburb in a house that had belonged to his dad and mom, based on a characteristic story within the Houston CityBook from 2022 when he was renovating the house.
Earlier than becoming a member of Saks, he had been senior vp of promoting for Warner Bros. Worldwide, based on his LinkedIn web page.
In a characteristic story within the Each day Entrance Row in 2013, Schaefer got here to the U.S. to attend enterprise faculty and labored first for William Bernbach, one of many founders of the advert company DDB Worldwide. As a result of he spoke French, he was despatched to Paris to work on the Polaroid account, he recalled, in addition to Chanel, the place he met the famed photographers Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton.
Shortly after, he was approached by Federated Division Shops to work within the artistic realm for the corporate’s shops. Mallis mentioned that included Filene’s and Bloomingdale’s.
He was then recruited by the controversial and now disgraced Mohammed Al-Fayed, who owned Harrods in London on the time, to work at that retailer for 4 years, serving to to enhance its advertising, retailer shows and home windows. Whereas Al-Fayed handled him generously, Schaefer ultimately had a falling out with the mercurial businessman and left the shop. Shortly afterward he popped up in Spain at Galerias Preciados as a part of an American-led administration group introduced in to assist flip round what was then the nation’s second-largest division retailer group. The trouble failed nonetheless and the retailer was purchased out of chapter by its bigger competitor El Corte Ingles.
In response to The Each day Entrance Row story, Schaefer volunteered for Medical doctors With out Borders in Cambodia for a short while, earlier than returning to the States to hitch Macy’s. He joined Saks Fifth Avenue in 2004.
Along with “Style Star,” the style model of “American Idol,” the place designers competed to win orders from retailers, Schaefer additionally created Model 365, an early vogue web site.
“The opening celebration was on the 4 Seasons,” recalled designer Jeffrey Banks. “All of New York was there and he received Bruce Weber to do the images. It was a large failure from a monetary standpoint nevertheless it was good from a visible standpoint.”
Banks added that Schaefer was “an actual showman — the final of his form. If I used to be to make use of one phrase to explain him, it might be impresario. He had an unimaginable circle of pals from inside and out of doors the business. He was a really loving, great, filled with vitality man.”
He recalled that in 2007, when he was launching his first ebook, Banks hoped to do the launch celebration at Bergdorf Goodman. “Terry received wind of it and informed me, ‘For those who don’t do the celebration at Saks Fifth Avenue, I’ll break each your kneecaps.’ And he was critical.” So Saks hosted the celebration, had it catered, employed a DJ — all the pieces Banks requested.
“It wasn’t cheap, however we had 750 individuals present up,” he continued. “Saks didn’t even promote books however they arrange a velvet gown and I signed books for three-and-a-half hours. That was Terry. His loss of life is an actual loss.”
Michael Macko, a former senior vp of males’s vogue for Saks, mentioned: “My fondest reminiscence of Terry was being in Paris collectively for the boys’s collections. Between exhibits, we might pop right into a retailer, whether or not it was Charvet on the Place Vendome, Serge Lutens on the Palais Royal, or the Hermes hat retailer close to the Champs Elysees. He would inform me to select one thing out, whether or not it’s a hat, a brand new perfume, or a tie, he would pay for it, hand me the bag, and say ‘Completely happy Birthday.’ He would at all times bear in mind my birthday, on the precise day, however the current in Paris was at all times a particular deal with.”
In response to Mallis, Schaefer is survived by a brother, Ken Schaefer, in addition to 4 nephews.