ELLEN TRACY

The Ellen Tracy brand was established in 1949 by Herbert Gallen — the New Jersey grandson of a silk mill owner and son of a fabric manufacturer. From auto parts to army to designer of blouses named after his wife, Betty Barr, Gallen jettisoned his newly-minted company, Ellen Tracy, to its contemporary rank as purveyor of style for the professional woman. Linda Allard joined the brand in 1962, and together she and Gallen designed perfection. His memory of the Allard transition is vivid: "It was 2:00 PM on September 27, 1962… a fateful day.” The rest is fashion history. The brand took a foray into fragrance in 1992, resulting in fragrances like Ellen Tracy, Imagine, Inspire and Tracy.