Michaele Vollbracht's New Ambience in Advertising

Bloomingdale's, 1975-76

Due to a heavy load of research and writing work for the next six weeks, I am temporarily cutting my publishing down to one article a week, and that article will only be sent to paid subscribers.

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Chances are, if you opened up the New York Times on a Sunday morning in 1975 and 1976, you would come across a full-page exquisite fashion illustration by Michaele Vollbracht for Bloomingdale’s. Only black on newsprint, the illustrations are startling in their immediacy and beauty. Often also published in either Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, Bloomingdale’s used these ads to publicize their high-end fashion offerings—think Calvin Klein at his height, Zandra Rhodes, Jean Muir. Though only produced for a brief period, Vollbracht’s illustrations would become the public’s understanding of Bloomingdale’s, then at its zenith of hipness—all louche, glamorous ladies impeccably dressed. What’s remarkable is that such a short-lived campaign could leave such a lasting memory; below is an exploration of ideas and egos that led to their flash of brilliance.

An original layout board for an advertisement that ran in the NY Times.