Manning Silver (b. 1944) was a boutique fashion designer based in Los Angeles. His father was a tailor – as were both of his grandfathers, his mother was a seamstress. He began his career in the fashion industry as a salesman, but went out on his own in the mid-1960s, creating exclusive collections of sleek, special occasion clothing sold in boutiques, or presented as a boutique within a store. By the mid-1970s, his collections were in 100 stores across the U.S.
Known as a purist, his early designs were fashion-forward, free of prints, frills or embellishments, and made of figure-hugging synthetic fabrics like Qiana. Eventually, the Manning Silver line included swimwear, as well as separates suitable for a career woman’s day into night wardrobe. His ruling fashion philosophy was simple – to design clothing that a woman feels good in.
Throughout his career, Manning and his wife Mar (short for Marlene) had a working partnership, with Mar creating many of the designs. Daughter Shauna, along with younger sister Alyssa, often modeled their parents’ designs to show that younger women could look good in the sophisticated garments. Shauna launched her eponymous line of ultra-feminine dresses in 1980 at age 18.
Written by Ranch Queen Vintage
